By Ari Friedman
Upon our arrival to Israel we knew that the Nachson Project was all about taking extra steps to give us unimaginably unique experiences during our semester. On Sunday, April 10th, our small group of 25 individuals had the honor of meeting a founding father of Israel for a private session. Shimon Peres is a household name for Jews around the world. He served as Prime Minister and President- titles whose importance most of us can barely even grasp. We were briefed not to talk directly to the President, not to take pictures, or to shake his hand. These were understandable requests given his prestige and age. As we entered the Peres Peace House in Jaffa I was curious if he would be loud or quiet, short or tall, pompous or humble.
When Rabbi Zeff and Rabbi Cohen went with the President’s aides to greet him at the elevator we stood in silence awaiting his arrival. He entered the room with two aides and a bodyguard, a modest entourage for such an important man. With a smile he began shaking our hands one by one. Saying shalom, boker tov, bruchim habaim. He was pleasantly surprised to hear that we could speak Hebrew. He made eye contact each of us. He paid extra attention to the Rabbis’ children who joined us for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Once the President sat he began to answer our pre-written questions. I was astonished by his confidence, composure, and intelligence. He so gracefully and eloquently intertwined secular and religious ideas to give us his well-rounded opinions on the importance of Jewish leadership in North America as well as the future of Jewry. He urged us to “dare more” which is an idea I have been pondering since our meeting with him.Israel has done, in less than 70 years, what most countries are still striving to do today. This country is a marvel in all spectrums of technology, medicine, military, etc. Without the willingness of Israeli leaders to take risks, we might not have the state that we do today. Taking risks, daring to do the unthinkable and dreaming big was a theme that President Peres repeated again and again, leaving us with a clear message as future leaders.The way he was able to answer off the cuff, quoting Tanach, Jewish Rabbinical sources, scientists, and secular leaders, was downright inspiring.
It was incredible to meet with a man who has seen Israel grow from an idea to a reality. He has witnessed such dramatic changes for the Jewish people- giving him a unique viewpoint on all things Jewish and Israel related. His knowledge of international relations is unparalleled, his ability to communicate effectively to a group of young English speakers (and our ecstatic bus driver) was impressive to say the least. I am proud to say that I met with Shimon Peres and will undoubtedly cherish that memory for the rest of my life. Simply being in the same room as President Peres would have been awe-inspiring, but hearing him speak directly to our small group, answering our personal questions, and relating to us on an individual level left me speechless. His words were so relatable, important, and undeniably eye opening. I know he won’t be around forever, and to have been able to hear his perspective after so many decades of serving the Jewish people, talking candidly about what it takes to lead a country and a nation, what he sees as the future successes and challenges of Israel, his reflections on leading the country, made me feel extremely lucky and inspired. I am beyond grateful to have been able to hear firsthand, in an intimate and personal setting, from such an important individual in the Jewish and Israeli world.
