Daniel Pearl’s final words.
As they echo through the years, they still send shivers down the spine.
Exactly 15 years ago, on February 1st 2002, Daniel Pearl, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal and a Jew, was gruesomely executed at the hands of his terrorist captors in Pakistan. Pearl, South Asia Bureau Chief of the WSJ at the time, was a man on a mission, who put himself in harm’s way on a journalistic quest for truth. His death was the epitome of clash between the dark forces of human regressions and the innate human desire for progression. Today we lament the passing of he, who had left behind a life of comfort and ventured into lands unknown, believing in a vocation to learn and teach. Today we remember a smiling face, a written word, a fellow man lost to the manifestation of our deepest and darkest fears of what human beings could become: barbaric murderers re-enacting massacres of old. Sadly, these dark forces still exist - and even flourish - today, before our very eyes, as we stare in disbelief.
Just a year later, on February 1st 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart in mid air over Texas, upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, which resulted in the death of all seven crew members, including first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon. The accident occurred only minutes before Columbia was scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ramon, of blessed memory, died in very different circumstances than those of Daniel Pearl. As a veteran of Israel’s Air Force, serving as a fighter pilot, he’d lived a life of reaching out to the sky and - tragically - perished as he made his journey back from space. His life represented the aspiration for excellence, breaking new ground with every step one takes. He, too, ventured into the unknown and risked his life for a cause he believed in: the defense of the State of Israel and the high goal of science and human progress.
In this age of political divisions and profound controversies, we should take a moment’s pause on February 1st, to remember the promise of our self-made future, looking forward with pride, realizing we have the power to become better. It is these heroes’ will that we do not fall victims to our past but stride on with vigor to fulfill our great potential which is the heart and soul of the human race. Journalists continue to risk their lives in order to tell their story, our story, a story worth sharing. Soldiers continue to fight on for their nations, protecting sacred human values against the threats of anarchy and regression. Astronauts will keep on dreaming of space and studying it, revealing new worlds of science and technology while making our lives today a little better than they were yesterday, with a child’s anticipation to tomorrow.
During Ramon’s time in space, his wife, Rona, dedicated a famous Israeli song to him (a song which later took on a mournful meaning), with words befitting to pay tribute to all pioneers of the human race, whose vision and passion leads us all forward:
A Sorrowful Song
Do you hear my voice, far one of mine?
Do you hear my voice, wherever you are?
A voice calls fiercely, a voice cries silently
And above time commands blessing
This earth is much and in it there are many paths
meeting narrowly, separating forever
A man asks, but his legs too weak
He will not find what he has lost
The last of my days is close, maybe
Close is the day of farewell tears
I will wait for you until my life burns out
As Rachel waited for her love
Today, we remember.
May their memory be blessed.
Ilan Ramon (left) and Daniel Pearl (right) Of Blessed Memory