Shimon Peres: Dream more, remember less
Justin Cohen is the News Editor at the Jewish News
By Justin Cohen
Shimon Peres implored a London audience to “dream more, remember less” as his recipe for a successful life.
The former Israeli president and nobel laureate made was speaking at the Zionist Federation’s largest ever dinner, during which he acknowledged that he had expected a different outcome to the recent Israeli elections.
In building the state of Israel, he told the audience at the Grosvenor House Hotel: “The greatest mistake was that our dreams were too small. I tell people, don’t dream small, dream of great things – and you will achieve them.”
In front of an audience that included eight ambassadors, he said many had expected different results to the elections in both the UK and Israel but he respected the verdict of the Israeli people.
The 91-year-old added there was no viable alternative to the two-state solution, saying noone would be happy with a one-state outcome.
On the subject of aliyah, Peres – who described Britain as the place of Zionism’s rebirth – said he wanted people to make the move “because it is an attractive country. Better hat we should become a magnet than a shelter”.
The former premier added: “Speaking up for Israel is not a matter of PR. Do the right things and you don’t need PR.
Peres, who left office last summer, was interviewed on stage by i24’s Lucy Aharish. The event also featured speeches by Lord Levy and Baroness Deech.
Levy described Peres as “the pride of Israel and the pride of every Jew”, while Baroness Deech said he embodies Israel’s history. “He is the most up-to-date president. Her has 58,000 followers on Twitter and he follows noone.”
She stressed the importance of the Zionist federation’s work in the face of delegitimisation but said she believed the scales would one day fall from the eyes of Israel haters.
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