Tikvah
Editors’ Pick

April 21, 2026

It’s the World of Genesis, Not of the Greeks, That Astronauts Found in Space

Artemis II and Apollo 8.

On April 1, as Jews were preparing for the Passover seder, the Artemis II mission took off from Cape Canaveral, becoming the first American space flight to achieve lunar orbit since 1972. The very first mission to achieve this feat was Apollo 8, in 1968. In a live broadcast from space, Apollo 8’s crew read the opening verses of Genesis. Reflecting on that event, and the more recent journey beyond earth, Meir Soloveichik writes:

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