FROM OUR ARCHIVES
50 YEARS AGO
January 17, 1968 Jerusalem began to shake itself free of its white and rather slushy blanket of snow. Hungry residents swarmed to their neighborhood groceries only to find that the hoped-for bread and dairy supplies had not arrived. The bakeries and dairies got heavy trucks from the army for their deliveries, but not enough to cope with the need.
Prime minister Levi Eshkol was pleased that his visit to the US and Canada had been worthwhile in terms of two objectives. It had deepened the understanding in Washington and Ottawa of the need to help Israel maintain its deterrent strength in the face of the massive Soviet rearming of the Arab states, and also served to clear the air with regard to Israel’s insistence on the need for direct Israeli-Arab negotiations. Asked about a report that Israel had developed its own nuclear bomb, Eshkol replied: “Very far from it.” Israel had “people with knowhow,” but nuclear knowledge was being concentrated on development of nuclear power and on turning salt sea water into fresh water, Eshkol said. [Israel is believed to have begun full-scale production of nuclear weapons following the Six Day War, although it had built its first operational nuclear weapon by December 1966.]
15 YEARS AGO
January 17, 2003 Under heavy security, the space shuttle Columbia, with Israel’s first astronaut, IAF fighter pilot Col. Ilan Ramon, among its crew, lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. His wife, Rona, and their four children watched from NASA’s Launch Control Center. Other family members and VIPs watched from another site nearby. “That was so moving, so touching,” Ambassador Danny Ayalon said. “I was thinking the skies were colored blue and white – our national colors.” Rona Ramon admitted to some nervousness and said she couldn’t wait for the 16-day mission to end. “I don’t want to talk about fear. I’m sure NASA is doing everything that is possible not to take any risk and any chances,” she said, adding, “The most calm and relaxed person is Ilan.” For Ramon’s first meal in space he selected kosher chicken and noodles, green beans with mushrooms, crackers, strawberries, trail mix, a brownie, and orange juice.
The Defense Ministry said it had decided to begin production of 100,000 Even Sapir gas masks after it was found that the standard mask did not provide sufficient protection to everyone. The decision came a day after Israel entered a high state of alert ahead of a possible attack by Iraq. The Even Sapir masks were said to provide better protection than the masks used extensively during the 1991 Gulf War. They incorporated a hood and a battery-powered ventilator, which made breathing easier and was more comfortable. The conventional masks, which were supposed to provide a tight seal around the wearer’s face, had been found to improperly fit some women, children, those with beards and asthmatics. While the Even Sapir masks were billed to be the 21st century’s answer to chemical and biological attacks, the masks had been stuck at the developmental level for months. In a surprising revelation a few months earlier, the ministry official said the design of the Even Sapir mask was a failure and urged the Defense Ministry to cancel its order.
– Daniel Kra