A replica of the Challenger space shuttle will stand at the entrance to the Jewish National Fund’s American Independence Park in Israel, it was announced this week. A seven-foot model of the shuttle was presented to JNF as a gift to the people of Israel at the JNF’s annual conference in New York.
At the same meeting, a forest in memory of Leon Klinghoffer, slain by Arab terrorists on the Achille Lauro, and his late wife Marilyn was formally dedicated by JNF.
The Challenger model, which was built by the Brooklyn Union Gas Company and displayed at John Kennedy Airport until the day the shuttle exploded, will be given a permanent home in the JNF’s new Challenger Forest, now being established by JNF outside Jerusalem. It was accepted by Moshe Yegar, Israel’s Consul-General in New York.
A scroll marking the formal dedication of the Klinghoffer Forest was presented to the daughters of the late couple, Lisa and Ilsa, by Representative Ted Weiss (D. Manhattan).
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
