(New York Times) The Jewish National Fund America has had a surge in sales of trees to be planted in Israel in the aftermath of the shuttle disaster. In a chat from space with Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, on Jan. 21, Col. Ilan Ramon, the Israeli astronaut who died on the Columbia, mentioned tree planting. "I would like to see at least 13 million or 14 million new trees planted in Israel exactly one year from now, on the anniversary of the launching," Col. Ramon said. According to Russell Robinson, the fund's chief executive, "Our Web site is literally clogged up because of people clicking on to order trees, and the phones are ringing off the hook."
2003-02-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive