The Israeli state funeral for my friend and former President, Shimon Peres, has been held. From around the world people have come to honor and remember a truly great man. During his 55-year career in public service, Peres served multiple terms in four different cabinet offices, was prime minister twice, and was Israel’s 9th president. His loss will be felt for years to come.
He was the last of the founding fathers of Israel, a man whose life spanned the entire history of the modern Jewish state. Among the many world leaders who attended to honor President Peres were President Obama, Prince Charles, German President Joachim Gauck, French President Francois Hollande, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Togo President Faure Gnassingbé, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, and Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz.
President Peres was 93, and he gave his entire adult life to the birth and survival of the Jewish state and the Jewish people. Today, I am asking you to pray for the Peres family and with the people of Israel. They are grieving now, and your prayers and support of love mean so much to them.
President Peres was a dear friend of the Jerusalem Prayer Team and we will never forget the many ways in which he used his influence and abilities to help promote love and understanding. Thank you for standing with us in this moment of sorrow.