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Mostly Cloudy Jewish groups praise Shimon Peres
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Shimon Peres during interview at the president’s residence in Jerusalem, April 10, 2013.
Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images
Jewish groups in Israel, the United States and around the world lauded Shimon Peres, the former Israeli president who died Wednesday, as a respected leader and a warrior for peace.
"Peres was always driven by a deep sense of responsibility toward the entire Jewish people. He concerned himself with the fate and future of the entire nation, but also with each of its sons and daughters, both near and far," Natan Sharansky, chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel said.
Sharansky recalled that Peres was "the first Israeli" he saw when he arrived from Russia after his many years in prison and that he would always remember the then-prime minister as "the individual who started the Israeli chapter of my life."
Peres served as president of Israel from 2007 to 2014 and twice for short terms as prime minister.
Ellen Hershkin, the president of Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America, said her organization lost more than a powerful senior statesman and peacemaker.
"We have lost more than a strong defender of Israel, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and a father of the Oslo Accords, a past prime minister and president." Her members, she said, have lost "a friend."
AIPAC called Peres "an indefatigable advocate for justice and human progress," and said his legacy "will live on through the many good deeds he accomplished, the countless lives he enriched, and the commitment to the Jewish state he inspired in so many."
The Orthodox Union called Peres "a beacon of light in times of darkness for our people."
It added: "As someone who built lasting bridges across the secular-religious divide in Israeli society, Peres knew intimately the importance of Israel's Jewish identity in the state's vibrant character. His legacy inspires us to continue doing our work, ensuring a strong Jewish future with a strong Jewish state."
European Jewish Council President Moshe Kantor said in a statement: “An important part of our people is no longer with us and our collective heart is aching.”
American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris met with Peres many times, both in Israel and the United States.
“Peres had extraordinary energy, boundless optimism, and future-oriented vision, not only about the possibilities of peace and coexistence in the region, but also about the exciting pathways of new technologies for the benefit of humankind — from nano-science to mapping the brain,” he said in a statement.
Peres reached the peak of his popularity while serving as the country's president, according to the AJC statement.
"Liberated from the constraints of partisan politics, he emerged as a revered symbol of national unity and a visionary spokesman for peace between Israel and its neighbors," it said.
The Anti-Defamation League called Peres "the diplomatic, political and social innovation face of Israel over a seven-decade career."
"His moderation and insight not only drew world leaders and dignitaries to meet and consult with him, but also served Israel in its ongoing fight against delegitimization and other anti-Israel forces," Marvin Nathan, the ADL's national chair, and Jonathan Greenblatt, its CEO, said in a statement.
The ADL leaders marveled that Peres had recently taken up skydiving to "promote social innovation and new advanced technologies for international social change and the greater good."
B'nai B'rith International said in a statement: "The history of the State of Israel cannot be written without including Peres and his myriad accomplishments during a nearly 70-year career in public service."
J Street said Peres "will be remembered for his tireless efforts to keep Israel safe and in his latter years to reach a just peace with the Palestinians based on a two-state solution." The liberal Jewish Middle East policy group in a statement called Peres "the grandfather of the entire nation (who) was in many ways its moral conscience, preaching untiringly the need for peace and reconciliation with the Palestinians."
The Israeli American Council praised Peres as "a giant of our time," saying he "absorbed nearly a century of Jewish experience and used it to build a strong and vibrant state of Israel and pursue peace."
The Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial lauded Peres as "a dedicated supporter of teaching the legacy of the Shoah, so that the Jewish people -- and all humanity -- may have a brighter future. Shimon Peres worked tirelessly to further the causes of justice and peace for all humankind."
"Peres was always driven by a deep sense of responsibility toward the entire Jewish people. He concerned himself with the fate and future of the entire nation, but also with each of its sons and daughters, both near and far," Natan Sharansky, chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel said.
Sharansky recalled that Peres was "the first Israeli" he saw when he arrived from Russia after his many years in prison and that he would always remember the then-prime minister as "the individual who started the Israeli chapter of my life."
Peres served as president of Israel from 2007 to 2014 and twice for short terms as prime minister.
Ellen Hershkin, the president of Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America, said her organization lost more than a powerful senior statesman and peacemaker.
"We have lost more than a strong defender of Israel, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and a father of the Oslo Accords, a past prime minister and president." Her members, she said, have lost "a friend."
AIPAC called Peres "an indefatigable advocate for justice and human progress," and said his legacy "will live on through the many good deeds he accomplished, the countless lives he enriched, and the commitment to the Jewish state he inspired in so many."
The Orthodox Union called Peres "a beacon of light in times of darkness for our people."
It added: "As someone who built lasting bridges across the secular-religious divide in Israeli society, Peres knew intimately the importance of Israel's Jewish identity in the state's vibrant character. His legacy inspires us to continue doing our work, ensuring a strong Jewish future with a strong Jewish state."
European Jewish Council President Moshe Kantor said in a statement: “An important part of our people is no longer with us and our collective heart is aching.”
American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris met with Peres many times, both in Israel and the United States.
“Peres had extraordinary energy, boundless optimism, and future-oriented vision, not only about the possibilities of peace and coexistence in the region, but also about the exciting pathways of new technologies for the benefit of humankind — from nano-science to mapping the brain,” he said in a statement.
Peres reached the peak of his popularity while serving as the country's president, according to the AJC statement.
"Liberated from the constraints of partisan politics, he emerged as a revered symbol of national unity and a visionary spokesman for peace between Israel and its neighbors," it said.
The Anti-Defamation League called Peres "the diplomatic, political and social innovation face of Israel over a seven-decade career."
"His moderation and insight not only drew world leaders and dignitaries to meet and consult with him, but also served Israel in its ongoing fight against delegitimization and other anti-Israel forces," Marvin Nathan, the ADL's national chair, and Jonathan Greenblatt, its CEO, said in a statement.
The ADL leaders marveled that Peres had recently taken up skydiving to "promote social innovation and new advanced technologies for international social change and the greater good."
B'nai B'rith International said in a statement: "The history of the State of Israel cannot be written without including Peres and his myriad accomplishments during a nearly 70-year career in public service."
J Street said Peres "will be remembered for his tireless efforts to keep Israel safe and in his latter years to reach a just peace with the Palestinians based on a two-state solution." The liberal Jewish Middle East policy group in a statement called Peres "the grandfather of the entire nation (who) was in many ways its moral conscience, preaching untiringly the need for peace and reconciliation with the Palestinians."
The Israeli American Council praised Peres as "a giant of our time," saying he "absorbed nearly a century of Jewish experience and used it to build a strong and vibrant state of Israel and pursue peace."
The Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial lauded Peres as "a dedicated supporter of teaching the legacy of the Shoah, so that the Jewish people -- and all humanity -- may have a brighter future. Shimon Peres worked tirelessly to further the causes of justice and peace for all humankind."
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