Jerry (Gerald) Wittenstein, a Jewish American physicist and rocket engineer who worked with NASA, left his home in the US along with his wife Carol to make aliyah.
The announcement was made, surprisingly, by Delta Airlines, where during a flight hosting the two Wittensteins, a Delta Airlines flight attendant gave a speech in recognition of them, as they have been regular Delta flyers for over 20 years.
Wow, Gerald Wittenstein, the legendary veteran of NASA, CEO of International Space Systems, is making Aliya to Israel. Watch how @Delta said goodbye... pic.twitter.com/d3zaU0a5dQ
— סיון רהב מאיר Sivan Rahav Meir (@SivanRahav) January 20, 2022
The flight attendant was audibly tearing up as she spoke about the special guests, as shown in a video circulating on social media.
"If you haven't heard of Mr. Wittenstein, Google him," she said. "You'll be amazed at the things that this man has done."
She proceeded to give a special message from the couple's grandchildren, wishing them the best of luck on their new life in Israel.
Born in Brooklyn, Wittenstein, an Orthodox Jew, has led a historic career with NASA, having been there for some of its most pivotal moments.
Most notably, however, was his role in the Apollo program, the series of missions that saw the US win the space race and land a man on the Moon.
For the Apollo 11 mission, which saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first men to walk on the Moon, Wittenstein had an important job: Making sure the vehicle got to where it needed to go.
Overall, Wittenstein helped develop half of the trajectories of the Apollo 11 mission.
In an interview with Jew in the City, Wittenstein explained that he got his start with NASA after his wife's sister's husband, who worked for the agency, discovered he was interested and got him an interview. "The rest his history," he concluded.