Rona Ramon

Rona Ramon (Hebrew: רונה רמון‎; April 16, 1964 – December 17, 2018) was a public activist STEM influencer and supporter of the education and advancement of youth in Israel. Ramon was the widow of Colonel Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut. He died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.[1] She was the mother of Captain Assaf Ramon, a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force who was killed in a training accident on September 13, 2009.[1]

Rona Ramon
Rona Ramon in 2016
Born(1964-04-16)April 16, 1964
Kiryat Ono, Israel
DiedDecember 17, 2018(2018-12-17) (aged 54)
NationalityIsraeli
OccupationActivist
Known forWidow of Ilan Ramon, public activist, STEM and youth influencer
Spouse(s)Ilan Ramon (1986-2003)
Children4

After the death of her husband and son, she established the Ramon Foundation which works with Israeli children with academic excellence to pursue their dreams.[2]

Biography

Rona was born in Kiryat Ono, on April 16, 1964, to Yaacov and Gila Bar Siman Tov. Her parents emigrated from Turkey as part of the Youth Aliyah when they were 15 years old. As a youth, Rona volunteered in the Scouts movement. She served as a paramedic during her army service.[3]

Rona met Ilan Ramon at the age of 22. They were married in 1986 and they had four children.[4]

In 1997 Ilan Ramon was chosen as the first Israeli astronaut, and the family moved to Houston, in 1998, as part of the astronaut training and the preparations for STS-107.

Ramon was a holistic therapist,[5] and gave lectures on the subject. She had a bachelor's degree in physical therapy from the Wingate Institute and a master's degree in holistic therapy from Lesley University in Massachusetts.[6] She provided lectures, workshops and individual treatments on coping with crisis.[1][3]

Following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, Ramon created the Ramon Foundation, promoting education and leadership to youth around Israel, providing scholarships and opportunities.[1] Another program of the Ramon Foundation, the Ramon Spacelab, allows teams of students to submit an experiment to the International Space Station.[7]

Ramon also helped found Israel's annual Space Week, the last week of January. It stages numerous events promote STEM education. Astronauts and Space Agency representatives come to participate in these events, as well as attending the Annual International Ilan Ramon Conference.[2]

Rona Ramon with Israeli president Reuven Rivlin, November 2017

As part of Israel's 68th Independence Day celebrations, she held a torch at the annual torch lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl.[6] In June 2018 she was awarded an honorary fellowship by the Technion, in recognition of her many years of work and contribution to Israeli Society.[8]

She died at the age of 54 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

References
  1. Bachner, Michael. "Rona Ramon, widow of astronaut killed in Columbia shuttle disaster, dies at 54". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  2. "Rona Ramon, widow of Ilan, dies of cancer at 54 - Israel News - Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  3. "Rona Ramon website". Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  4. "Rona Ramon, wife of first Israeli astronaut, passes away at 54". December 17, 2018.
  5. Associated Press (December 19, 2018). "Rona Ramon, widow of Israeli space shuttle victim, dies". The Washington Post.
  6. Oster, JTA | Marcy. "Rona Ramon, widow of astronaut killed in Space Shuttle Columbia, dies at 54". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  7. "Ramon SpaceLab". Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  8. "Honorary Fellowships 2018 "Continuously pursuing Tikkun Olam"". Technion. June 11, 2018.
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