We are deeply saddened by the passing of Shimon Peres and share in the mourning experienced across Israel, the Jewish community and the world.

In the words of President Obama

Shimon Peres was a soldier for Israel, for the Jewish people, for justice, for peace, and for the belief that we can be true to our best selves… A light has gone out, but the hope he gave us will burn forever.

Shimon Peres was as a member of the Knesset for 47 years, holding all the most senior positions including that of Prime Minister. He went on to serve as President of the State of Israel from 2007 to 2014. In 1994 he received the Nobel Prize for Peace, a blessing which tragically still eludes his beloved country.

Tributes have been sent from all around the world. A more personal appreciation, not shared in the international media, comes from Shuki Levinger in the village of Kishorit in the Galilee,‘a caring community of adults with special needs’, a beautiful place where a number of relatives of families in our congregations live:

It is with broken hearts that we mourn the passing of former President of Israel, and exceptional friend of Kishorit, Mr. Shimon Peres. [He] guided Kishorit from its earliest days, always taking a personal interest in our work and smoothing political potholes that we encountered along the way.  Despite his intense international schedule and myriad commitments, he and his staff were always accessible to us, eager to help with whatever was needed.

This speaks not just of a great statesman in the national and international arenas, but of a profound, sensitive, caring and outstanding human being.

May his soul be bound up in the bond of life.