Education Minister Naftali Bennett has issued the following statement following the petira of former President Shimon Peres:

“The last of the founding fathers has left us.
Shimon Peres was my education minister, and I will miss him very much. He didn’t watch history – he wrote it.

Peres was a practical visionary and peace-seeking security figure, a courageous leader. He proudly represented Israel around the globe, and cared for the future of the Jewish people with every ounce of his body and soul.

I was fortunate to meet Peres multiple times over the past few years, and to hear his vision of a country that would be a light unto the nations; an Israel that would export to the world our greatest product: the Jewish mind.

I was greatly moved when Peres accepted my request to join the public campaign for the study of sciences in Israel, even though we didn’t always see eye-to-eye on other issues.

At the most personal level, I will miss Shimon.

May his memory be a blessing.

I have directed Israel’s education system to dedicate tomorrow to the life and achievements of Shimon Peres, and I call upon Jewish communities and schools to do the same, so the future generation for whom he fought will know who he was and be inspired by him. ”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)