Flown sterling silver Jewish necklace carried into space on the Apollo 9 mission, with a .75″ mezuzah charm suspended from the 23″ long chain. In fine condition. Accompanied by a signed certificate of authenticity from McDivitt, in full: “I certify that this silver Mezuzah necklace was flown onboard Apollo 9 on her flight in March, 1969. It is from my personal collection.” The mezuzah is a parchment inscribed with Hebrew verses from the Torah and contained in a decorative case. While this case is sealed and thus not possible to verify the contents, it would traditionally hold the rolled piece of parchment with the verses of the Shema prayer. The mezuzah is affixed to the doorframe of Jewish homes in order to fulfill the mitzvah, or Biblical commandment, to have the prayer on the doorpost of the house. There were no Jewish astronauts on Apollo, and as far as we can ascertain this is the only known Jewish religious artifact ever to fly on an Apollo mission. A truly remarkable and stunning piece.
