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Center for Israel Education Shimon Peres The Leadership Series 1. Childhood and Early Years “In Israel, a land lacking in natural resources, we learned to appreciate our greatest natonal advantage: our minds. Through creatvity and innovaton, we transformed barren deserts into fourishing felds and pioneered new fronters in science and technology.” -Shimon Peres Shimon Peres was born on August 2, 1923, in Wiszniew, Poland (now Vishnyeva, Belarus). His parents were Yitzhak and Sara Perski. Shimon’s family spoke Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian at home. Shimon also learned Polish at school. His father was a wealthy Cover Photo Credit: Mark Neyman, Natonal Photo Collecton tmber merchant, and his mother was a librarian. Peres had a younger brother named Gershon. Leadership Series: Shimon Peres Copyright © 2019 by Center for Israel Educaton His grandfather, Rabbi Zvi Meltzer, impacted his All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or life greatly. Peres discussed his memories with his transmited in any form or by any means without writen permission from the author. grandfather: Published by Center for Israel Educaton, P.O. Box 15129, Atlanta, GA 30333. “As a child, I grew up in my grandfather's home. www.israeled.org … I was educated by him.… My grandfather [email protected] taught me Talmud.” In 1932, when Peres was 9 years old, his father immigrated to Tel Aviv, in the Land of Israel. In 1934, Shimon and his family followed their father. 1 www.israeled.org. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved Peres at age 13 Kibbutz Geva (1944) Source: Wikimedia Commons. Source: Kluger Zoltan, Natonal Photo Collecton Shimon grew up in Tel Aviv and atended Ben Shemen Youth Village and Agricultural Boarding School in Central Israel. He atended college in America, at the New School and New York University. He then contnued his educaton with a degree in Advanced Management at Harvard University. When he returned to Israel, he met Sonia Gelman. They got married in May 1945. They had three children: Zvia, Yoni, and Chemi. Peres later Peres (standing, third from right) with his family spent several years at Kibbutz Geva and Kibbutz Alumot, of which he was one of the founders. Source: public domain 2 3 www.israeled.org. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved 2. Early Professional Life Despite his lack of feld combat experience, Peres “Israel has its atractons. It's the most dramatc is credited with building a strong politcal and military country in the world. Everybody's engaged. Everybody relatonship between Israel and France. This led to argues. When I leave Israel, I get a litle bit bored, you France’s sale of tanks, advanced planes, jet planes, and know?” -Shimon Peres cannons to Israel in 1952. He also helped establish Israel’s nuclear program, In 1947, joined the Haganah, which would later largely the result of French aid and technology. Israel become the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). He was put established its nuclear program as a deterrent to the in charge of arms purchases and managing threat of many enemy natons surrounding it. manpower. Afer the 1948 War of Independence in Israel, he went on to serve as the Head of Naval Services in the IDF. Shimon Peres was a critcal leader in Israel’s early years, during a tme flled with many obstacles. He initally headed the Defense Ministry’s delegaton to the United States and not long aferward was appointed Director-General of the Ministry of Defense. The Ministry of Defense is the governmental department responsible for protectng Israel from all internal and external threats. Yitzhak Rabin later said in his memoirs that he felt he had made a mistake by choosing Peres as Defense Minister. Rabin said: "I did not consider Peres suitable, since he had never fought in the [army] and his Ben-Gurion, Peres, and others at a ceremony expertse in arms purchasing did not make up for that lack of experience." Source: Pridan Moshe, Natonal Photo Collecton 4 5 www.israeled.org. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved 3. Climbing the Ranks Over his long tenure in the Knesset, Peres “When you have two alternatves, the frst thing you has served in all of the following jobs: Minister of have to do is look for is the third that you didn’t think Immigrant Absorpton, Transportaton, Finance, about, that doesn’t exist” -Shimon Peres and Foreign Afairs. He was one of Israel’s key innovators and entrepreneurs. He looked at issues from multple perspectves and had lots of drive and pioneer), he was) ָחלוץ determinaton. As a chalutz proud to be a dreamer and visionary. He understood the vitality of technology to the future of the state and supported the establishment of the Computer and Informaton Systems Center. His eforts led to the purchase of the IDF’s frst Nepal King Mahendra visits Israel with Shimon Peres, Defense computer. Ministry, and Airforce Commander Ezer Weizman (1958) Source: public domain (details). In 1959, Shimon Peres was elected to the Israeli parliament, called the Knesset. The Knesset has 120 members and is the natonal legislature in Israel. Unlike in America, which has both the House and Senate, in Israel, there is only one legislatve body: the Knesset. Also, in Israel, there is both a president and prime minister. The prime minister is the primary leader of the state and of the Knesset. The president serves in a mostly ceremonial role. The president’s most important Source: Harnik Nat, Natonal Photo Collecton job is to help form the government. 6 7 www.israeled.org. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved 4. The Oslo Accords In 1969, Peres became the Minister of Immigrant Absorpton and in 1970, the Minister of Transportaton and Communicatons. In 1974, he became Minister of Defense in Yitzhak Rabin’s government. Peres contnued to challenge Rabin, seeking to gain control of the Mapai party, but in 1977 lost to Rabin in party electons. In 1984, Peres fnally became Israel’s 8th Prime Minister. He became Defense Minister, with Rabin taking the positon of Prime Minister, in 1986. Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin Israeli Foreign Minister Peres, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and Palestnian Authority Source: Saar Yaacov, GPO, Creatve Commons Atributon-Share Alike 3.0 President Yasser Arafat, with some mediaton by Unported license American President Bill Clinton, met secretly in Oslo, In the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel launched a Norway, beginning in 1993. They aimed to come up defensive war against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria in with a compromise so that Jews and Arabs could live in response to aggressive moves by its neighboring peace, side by side. It was done in Norway to keep the countries. Through this war, Israel gained control negotatons secret because many Israelis and over eastern Jerusalem for the frst tme, including Palestnians were against peace talks and the possibility the Old City. Jews prayed at the Kotel for the frst of giving up some of their land. However, the secret tme since the establishment of Israel. talks ultmately led to the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1994, which laid the foundaton for future resolutons Israel also gained control over the Golan to the confict. The Oslo Accords aimed to: Heights, Gaza, the West Bank, and the Sinai Peninsula. As a small naton, this was a big victory “establish a Palestnian Interim Self-Government for Israel. However, it also meant that Israel Authority, the elected Council, (the “Council”) for the became responsible for a predominately Arab Palestnian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.” populaton in the West Bank and Gaza who did not want to be controlled by Israel. 8 9 www.israeled.org. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved As a result of their eforts, Peres, Rabin, and Arafat were all awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994. The Norwegian Nobel Commitee stated in a press release that their politcal actvism “called for great courage on both sides, and which has opened up opportunites for a new development towards fraternity in the Middle East. It is the Commitee’s hope that the award will serve as an encouragement to all the Israelis and Palestnians who endeavor to establish lastng peace in the region.” (R-L) Arafat, President Clinton, King Hussein, Egyptan President Mubarak and Prime Minister Rabin fx tes before Oslo 2 signing at the White House| Source: White House Photographer, Natonal Photo Collecton Peres (R), Clintons, Rabins, King Hussein, others at The White House afer signing Oslo 2| Source: Ohayon Avi, Natonal Photo Collecton 10 11 www.israeled.org.. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved 5. The Peres Center for Peace “Making peace is not a simple endeavor. It is a constant struggle. But its complexity should not overshadow its purpose.” -Peres The opening of the Peres Center for Peace Source: Milner Moshe, Natonal Photo Collecton Source: Milner Moshe, Natonal Photo Collecton In 1996, Shimon Peres founded the Peres Center for Peace and Innovaton, an organizaton dedicated to promotng a “prosperous Israel” and paving the way forward “for shared-living and lastng peace in the region.” The Center has received numerous awards since its founding, including the 2010 Peace and Sports Award for best non-governmental organizaton. The organizaton has programs in innovaton, sports, Peres examining tomatoes at Sdot cultvaton of leadership and entrepreneurship, Negev Regional Council, near Gaza health, business, and environment. Source: Natonal Photo 12 Collecton 13 www.israeled.org. ©Center for Israel Education, 2020 All Rights Reserved He was a well-respected President by many 6. His Final Years in Politcs leaders around the world.
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