Jewish Astronaut Jessica Meir Tweets From Space Station on Coronavirus Crisis: ‘This Too Shall Pass’
by Shiryn Ghermezian
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir waves behind a glass wall during a final news conference ahead of a mission to the International Space Station (ISS), in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Sept. 24, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Shamil Zhumatov.
Jewish NASA astronaut Jessica Meir tweeted a hopeful message to everyone on Earth coping with the coronavirus pandemic as she looked down on Israel from the International Space Station on Tuesday.
“Gazing down at the city in which my father was raised, I take to heart one of his most uttered expressions, ‘This too shall pass’. Wise words to remember, in both good times and bad.”
Gazing down at the city in which my father was raised, I take to heart one of his most uttered expressions, “This too shall pass”. Wise words to remember, in both good times and bad. Goodnight #TelAviv #Israel! #GoodnightFromSpace #TheJourney #EarthStrong pic.twitter.com/oHoMLdBytD
— Jessica Meir (@Astro_Jessica) March 17, 2020
This is the second time Meir — a dual US-Swedish national — has tweeted about her father’s Middle Eastern heritage (he was born in Iraq, immigrated to Israel with his family as a young child and later took a doctor’s job in Sweden, where he met Meir’s mother, before ultimately settling in the US).
Meir is the fourth Jewish woman and 15th Jewish astronaut overall to fly in space.
She joined the crew of the International Space Station in September and in October became part of the first-ever female spacewalking team.
