A GIANT AMONG GIANTS

 

Today (Friday 30 September)  Israel is mourning the passing of the last of her great founding fathers, Simon Peres. who died of a stroke on Wednesday, 28th September, at the age of 93.  As I am writing I am watching on TV his funeral which is taking place right now on Mt Herzl here in Jerusalem. Attending the funeral are twenty-five heads of State and numerous other dignitaries including US President Obama, US Secretary of State John Kerry, ex-US President Clinton, French President Francois Hollande, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, Egyptian Foreign Minister Samah Shoukry, and Prince Charles of Wales. King Felipe VI of Spain , the Prime Ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands,  and Mahmoud Abbas the President of the Palestinian Authority.  In all ,representatives of around 100 nations were present, representing over half of humanity. This is an indication of the high regard with which Peres was held amongst world leaders, and all the people of Israel.  Even those who did not agree with his policies or decisions admit that he was a great man, who selflessly gave his whole life in service to Israel, and never lost his optimism and vision for peace.



http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2011/1105/360_peres_0526.jpg

 

 

Simon Peres was born Szymon Perski in 1923 in Wiszniew, Poland (now Vishnyeva, Belarus). His father was a timber merchant and his mother a librarian. His family immigrated to Israel when Szymon was 11 years old, in 1932. All his extended family that remained in Poland perished in the Holocaust.  In 1945 he and David Ben Gurion found a nest of bearded vultures (lammergeiers) in the Negev and, since the bird is called peres in Hebrew, Simon adopted Peres as his surname.

Lammergeier in Flight
http://01271bfede0954168758-da1041207dde8e2d0a75af6fbedebedf.r83.cf1.rackcdn.com/20100324034104.jpg

This magnificent bird, with its nearly 3 meter wingspan, can be seen soaring over the cliffs and crags of the mountains of the Negev. So too did Simon Peres soar high above us all.  All his life he dedicated his whole life to service and his life story is nothing less than astounding. He began as a shepherd on a kibbutz and rose to become both Prime Minister and President of Israel. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in  and even was made an honorary Knight of the United Kingdom in 2011, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from  the United States in 2012. Back home he served in nearly every ministerial position at some point during his record-breaking 48 years as a Member of Parliament. In spite of this, he somehow managed to be an exemplary family man and happily married to his wife, Sonya, for 67 years until her death in 2011. He raised 3 children and was grandfather of 8. He wrote books, poetry and songs. He was known for his pleasant manner  and his moral integrity.  You can read more about his amazing life on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimon_Peres.




Shimon and Sonya Peres flying over Kibbutz Alumot in 1985. Photo: Chanania Herman (GPO)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4861303,00.html

 

With so many world leaders present in our city today, you can imagine  what a security nightmare this poses. An unprecedented level of security has been set up all over the city and also at the airport and along the roads leading to Jerusalem. Many of the streets of the city are closed and movement around the city almost impossible. Some 95,000 people have arrived at Ben Gurion Airport for the funeral, and this is in addition to the usual heavy traffic prior to the beginning of the High Holy Days.  As a consequence we decided to close our school for the day. Our congregation has also had to cancel its meeting today because of the road closures. Such is life in Jerusalem.

  An impressive line up of world leaders attend the funeral of Shimon Peres
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/09/israelis-world-leaders-gather-peres-funeral-160930063814074.html


Peres was a man who always looked with optimism towards the future. In the year 2000 he said this,
 

Israeli children should be taught to look to the future, not live in the past. I would rather teach them to imagine than to remember."

                                 Jerusalem Post, May 4, 2000And in 2011, he said this:Sometimes people ask me, 'What is the greatest achievement you have reached in your lifetime?' So I reply that there was a great painter named Mordecai Ardon, who was asked which picture was the most beautiful he had ever painted. Ardon replied, 'The picture I will paint tomorrow.' That is also my answer."
When I look at a life like that of Peres I am humbled. How could one man accomplish so much? It makes me feel very inadequate and inconsequential. However I am inspired by such men. May I never lose hope and never stop believing that I can make a difference, even in my small corner. The Apostle Paul also urged us to look forward, not dwelling on our failures or mistakes, but pressing ever onwards to the goal:

"...one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3: 13-14

 

May we all be people who persevere in our faith, walk in humility and with purpose aiming for the highest goal.