Over 55 years ago, space exploration was the talk of the world, especially in the U.S., with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin making the first moon landing in July 1969 with the Apollo 11 mission.
In this issue of “Remember When,” we’ll take a look back at the Aug. 15, 1969, edition of the Baltimore Jewish Times, which featured an article by David Schwartz titled, “There Isn’t Any Prejudice Against Jews On The Moon.”
Schwartz wrote that while scientists would analyze and learn from the lunar rock samples brought home by astronauts, London Jewish Chronicle writer William Scheibel was documenting the lack of anti-Jewish prejudice on the moon.
“According to the [Scheibel’s] article, there are more than a half dozen places on the moon bearing the names of Jewish astronomers. These names had been given to the lunar landmarks long before the U.S. astronauts made their voyage,” Schwartz wrote.
Schwartz wrote that most of the places were located on the fourth quadrant of the moon.
The first was a crater named after Abraham Ibn Ezra. Schwartz wrote that Ezra was a renowned stargazer during his time whose Bible commentary was still studied in the 1960s.
Ezra was also the inventor of a device for mariners to use the stars to aid in navigation for ships.
The second area was named after Levi Gershon, a French-Jewish philosopher, mathematician and astronomer.
Schwartz wrote that Gershon published works about those three topics and commented on the intense hatred of Jews during his life.
Schwartz wrote that there were several other famous Jews recognized on the moon, including Abraham Zacuto, a man whom Christopher Columbus credited with saving his life through Zacuto’s star charts; two German-Jewish astronomers, Karl Jacobi and Wilhelm Beer; Albert Einstein; and three members of the Herschl astronomical family.
“If people ever settle on the moon, no doubt many Jews would like to see these places, but at present there are no post offices there,” Schwartz wrote.
Schwartz said that, as the astronauts launched from Cape Kennedy, Israeli writer Ephraim Kishon watched alongside writers from several countries who all looked at the sky with tears and laughter.
Schwartz added that the Israeli media forgot about the war with their Arab neighbors in light of this achievement.
“All over the world, hundreds of millions of people of all creeds and races for the first time were all thinking the same thing at the same time. We don’t know if the moon will help us in anything else, but if it did that, it is quite something,” Schwartz wrote.
