Instead of attending the joyous celebration they had planned to honor Israeli Air Force Colonel Ilan Ramon as Israel's first astronaut, members of over a dozen Great Neck Jewish organizations gathered on Feb. 12 at the Iranian Jewish Center on Steamboat Road for a solemn tribute to Colonel Ramon and the six American astronauts who perished in the recent Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. A memorial service also was held at Temple Israel of Great Neck on Feb. 3, the Monday after the Columbia crash.

Coordinated by the Iranian American Jewish Federation of New York, the Feb. 12 service honored "the heroism and dedication of seven extraordinary individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice in the effort to expand the boundaries of human knowledge and experience."

Guest speaker Brig. General Ido Nechushtan, head of the Air Division-Israel Air Force, addressed the group of about 250 attendees. Local dignitaries included Senator Michael Balboni, Assemblymember Thomas P. DiNapoli, Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman, Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender, Saddle Rock Mayor J. Leonard Samansky, The Rev. Dr. Charles Wesley Shike of All Saints Episcopal Church of Great Neck, The Rev. William J. Jiles of St. Paul A.M.E. Zion Church of Great Neck, and numerous Great Neck rabbis and congregation presidents.

Program moderator David Emrani, president of the Iranian American group, announced a donation of $100,000 to the Israeli Air Force training center, already under construction in memory of the seven Columbia astronauts. Mr. Emrani stated, "We didn't lose seven astronauts. When Columbia broke up, seven heroes were born. They don't belong to a religion, a nation, a culture, a people. They belong to humanity when they became heroes."

Two days before the shuttle crashed, Simcha Salach, executive director of the Israel Air Force Foundation and a friend of Colonel Ramon's, met at Temple Israel in Great Neck with representatives of the many groups planning Colonel Ramon's celebratory visit here in May with the Israel Air Force Band.

At the memorial service, Ms. Salach recalled that Colonel Ramon had told her, "I know Great Neck and I would be glad to be there, but I don't want a parade." She noted that he took 10 personal objects into space, including a now-famous mezzuzah that was to be displayed at the Air Force Center entrance and a drawing by a child in a concentration camp depicting how Earth might look from outer space. By a strange coincidence, Feb. 1, the day Colonel Ramon perished on the shuttle, was also that child's birthday.

General Nechushtan reported that while the drawing did not survive the crash, "the Israeli flag --- the Star of David --- did. It was like a shield that Ramon carried." He added, "The Israel Air Force is not about bombs. It is a Jewish force to help Jews anywhere in the world. In the last decade, it has helped Jews in Ethiopia, Entebbe, Bosnia, Kosovo, Kenya, Turkey and Greece, among many other places."

Raymond Iryami, executive board member of the Iranian American Jewish Federation of New York, president of the Iranian American Democrats of New York, and a member of the Nassau County Commission on Human Rights, stated, "It was heartening to see the Great Neck community come together like this in the face of such a horrible tragedy. We were gratified that so many diverse organizations and individuals joined us for this event. It is my hope that, going forward, we can all come together regularly to help make Great Neck an even stronger community."

Local congregations that participated in planning the memorial service included Ahava Shalom Synagogue, Babylonian Jewish Center, Chabad of Great Neck, Cherry Lane Minyan, Great Neck Synagogue, Iranian Jewish Center/Beth Hadassah Synagogue, Paras Jewish Organization, Sephardic Society of Manhattan, Shaare Shalom Synagogue/Mashadi Jewish Center, Shaare Zion, Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, Temple Isaiah of Great Neck, Temple Israel of Great Neck and Young Israel of Great Neck.

(With reporting from Marc Katz)