How Purim Relates to Aerospace History
Object in Showcase
This space-suit costume was supposed to be sold for Purim 2003. The very first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who launched into space as part of a research mission on 16 January 2003, was destined to be a national hero.
Religious Observance in Orbit
He was accompanying six American colleagues on the Space Shuttle Columbia research mission. Ramon consulted with a rabbi before going into orbit on questions of Jewish observance in space. If there is a sunset every 90 minutes, should Shabbat be observed every ten and a half hours? And the New Year comes around every 20 days…
Purim Costumes and a Tragic Accident
Back on earth, the Jewish festival of Purim, commemorating the rescue of Persian Jews, fell on 17 March in 2013. As part of the holiday festivities, children wear costumes and often dress up as their heroes. That year, Israeli costume manufacturers prepared themselves for a rush on astronaut costumes. The products ranged from a close replica of Ramon's suit with an Israeli flag on the left shoulder and a NASA logo on the chest to simple boiler suits made of orange polyesters. The costumes were already on the market when the Columbia Shuttle exploded and the entire crew was tragically killed, shortly before the scheduled landing on the 1st of February.
A Costume Spurned
The vast stock of astronaut Purim costumes became a matter of hot debate. Many stores immediately withdrew the costumes from their shelves. Angry parents were frustrated that they were unable to buy the costume as a tribute to Ilan Ramon and their children muttered that they would rather be Batman. The costume shown here was acquired on a back street of Tel Aviv from a pile of costumes that had been withdrawn from distribution and is now part of the Jewish Museum Berlin's collection as one of several Purim costumes.
Astronaut Purim costume; Jewish Museum Berlin, photo: Jens Ziehe
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| Title | Astronaut Purim costume |
|---|---|
| Collection | Judaica |
| Location and year of origin | Israel, 2003 |
| Medium | Synthetic fiber |
| Dimensions | 104 x 35 cm |
Selected Objects: Jewish Object: Judaica Collection (9)
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Jewish Object: Judaica Collection
Our collection of ceremonial objects ranges widely from a valuable eighteenth-century Torah curtain donated by Fromet and Moses Mendelssohn to contemporary ritual items to small kitchen supplies for following Jewish dietary laws.
