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שמעון פרס

"Higher education institutions play a crucial role in the life of a young person. Higher education is essential for their future due to the sophisticated nature of the modern workplace and the need to put in place both natural and artificial intelligence systems, instrumentation and organization.

At University they teach you to ask new questions. You learn how to learn there, not just to know, and those who know how to learn can continue to learn and to grow throughout their life, and adapt to innovation and to the rapidly changing world of of our time.

University is also supposed to be the greatest accelerator for the development of non-conformism, since these days, adaptability is the recipe for moving backwards in a forward moving world. Freedom of thought and freedom of expression can be developed more in academia that in parliament.

Higher education is also where a new kind of democracy is produced, based not only on the formal equality of the electorates’ votes, rather also by expanding the base for equal opportunities, with the aspiration of reaching true equality. To that end, one must internalize the values of democracy, human dignity, equal rights, and the freedoms the State must protect. The real key to social equality these days lies primarily in the access to knowledge, in its "fair distribution", by opening up higher education.

Furthermore, nowadays, knowledge is the primary capital.

The right to higher education is a basic human right at the start of the third millennium.

Equal access to higher education is the democratization of education – adapting democracy to a new world of opportunities. Nowadays, socialism is a republic of learning.

Hence, investing in education is the most relevant, important thing a person can do for themself. Upon completion of their higher education, they enter into the workforce.

We are citizens of two worlds, the immediate geographical world and the world of science that lies ahead on the horizon. And as we learn to walk in the immediate landscape, so we must learn to explore the landscape of the future."

Milestones in Shimon Peres life

שמעון פרס בילדותו
Shimon Peres as a child GPO FLICKR
1

1923

Early childhood

Shimon Peres was born in Poland, under the name of Szymon Perski. His childhood was deeply influenced by his great-grandfather, a graduate of the Volozhin Yeshiva, who perished in the Holocaust.

שמעון פרס עם משפחתו
Shimon Peres (standing, third from right) with his family, circa 1930. Public Domain
2

1934

Making Aliyah

He immigrated to Israel at the age of 11. He attended Balfour School in Tel Aviv, and then the Agricultural School at Ben Shemen.

שמעון פרס עם חברתו סוניה במחנה קיץ של תנועת הנוער העובד בזכרון יעקב
Shimon Peres with his girlfriend, Sonja, at a summer camp of the Noar HaOved youth movement in Zichron Yaacov. Photo: Government Press Office
3

1945

Marriage to Sonya

Peres married Sonya Gelman, a veteran of the British Army and the daughter of the carpentry teacher at the Ben-Shemen Boarding School, where he studied.

שמעון פרס עם דוד בן גוריון
With David Ben-Gurion, photo: Zachman Abramovich
4

1947

Hagana Headquarters

Peres began working with David Ben-Gurion and Levi Eshkol at the Hagana Headquarters. He specialized in procurement of equipment and ammunition for the future country and for Israel in its first years.

שמעון פרס בתור מנכ
Open sources
5

1953

Director General of the Ministry of Defence

At the early age of 30, Peres was appointed Director General of the Ministry of Defence. During this time, he strengthens security alliance with France and lays the foundation for the establishment of the Israeli airforce.

פרס וגולדה מאיר יחד עם מלך נפאל
Peres and Golda Meir with the king of Nepal, at the Nuclear Research Center - Shorek, 1958
6

1958

The Center for Nuclear Research

Amongst the founders and promoters of the Centre of Nuclear Research in the Negev and Ben-Gurion’s confidant on this issue.

פרס (משמאל) ולוי אשכול (מימין) מאת מאלבום יצחק וניצה כץ
Peres (left) and Levi Eshkol (on the right) from the album of Yitzhak and Nitza Katz
7

1959

Deputy Minister of Defence

Elected to the Knesset and served as Deputy Minister of Defence. During this period, continued to promote the Nuclear Research Centre initiative in the Negev.

פרס עם מפקד חיל הים, שלמה אראל
Peres with the Commander of the Navy, Shlomo Arel GPO FLICKR
8

1969

The Minister of Immigrant Absorption

Appointed by Golda Meir as Minister of Absorption, the Ministry established following the wave of immigrants that arrived in Israel after the Six Day War.

שיחה בין ראש הממשלה גולדה מאיר, שר הביטחון משה דיין, השר יוסף בורג והשר שמעון פרס, במליאת הכנסת בירושלים
A conversation between Prime Minister Golda Meir, defence Minister Moshe Dayan, the Minister Yosef Burg and Shimon Peres, in the Knesset Plenum, Jerusalem. (Photo: Herman Chanania, 04/10/1973, GPO).
9

1970

The Minister of Transportation and Minister of Communications

Appointed by Golda Meir as the Minister of Transport and then as Minister of Postal Services, which he later changed to the Ministry of Communications. At a later stage, he was will also be appointed as Minister of Information.

שמעון פרס נואם במהלך ישיבה מיוחדת של הכנסת באשר להסכם הביניים עם מצרים
Speaking during a special session of the Knesset regarding the interim agreement with Egypt GPO FLICKR
10

1974

Minister of Defence

 Appointed as Minister of Defence in Rabin’s cabinet. During this period Peres was deeply involved in the interim agreements with Egypt and attempting to effect a political breakthrough with Jordan.

מבצע אנטבה - רה
The Entebbe Raid - Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Defence Minister Shimon Peres. (Photo: the IDF archive at the Ministry of Defence)
11

1976

Operation Yonatan

As Minister of Defence, he represented the hardliners in the discussions preceding the approval of the operation and demanded military action and no negotiations with the kidnappers.

ראש הממשלה שמעון פרס כותב במליאת הכנסת
Prime Minister Shimon Peres in the Knesset GPO FLICKR
12

1984

Prime Minister

Prime Minister in the national unity government. Among his achievements during this period were the curbing of inflation and the commencement of the Ethiopian Jews’ immigration to Israel.

שמעון פרס ממונה לשר האוצר
With Shamir photo: Harnik Nati, GPO
13

1988

Minister of Finance

Appointed Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in the Shamir government, along with Yitzhak Rabin as Minister of Defence, as part of a National Unity Government.

פרס, כשר החוץ וממלא מקום ראש הממשלה בטקס סיום בוגרי המכללה לביטחון לאומי, מעניק תעודה למוטי יוגב
Peres, as Foreign Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister at the National Defence College graduation ceremony awarding a diploma to Motti Yogev, photograph: Aharoniko
14

1992

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Appointed as Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in Yitzhak Rabin’s cabinet. During this period, Peres was involved in achieving a breakthrough in peace negotiations.

מימין לשמאל: יצחק רבין, שמעון פרס ויאסר ערפאת ביום הענקת פרס נובל לשלום
Left to right: Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat on the day of the Nobel Peace Prize awards. GPO FLICKR
15

1994

The Nobel Peace Prize

Receives Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 along with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat.

ראש הממשלה שמעון פרס יחד עם נשיא ארצות הברית ביל קלינטון בבית הלבן
Prime Minister Shimon Peres with the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, at the White House GPO FLICKR
16

1995

Prime Minister

After the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Peres was appointed as Prime Minister. During this period he orders the start of Operation “Grapes of Wrath”.

פרס בכנס הפורום הכלכלי העולמי בדאבוס
Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos - Photo by Remy Steinegger
17

1999

The Minister for Regional Cooperation

Appointed as Minister of Regional Cooperation, in Ehud Barak’s cabinet. In this capacity, he represented Israel at the Regional Economic Forum and was a member of the Diplomatic-defence Cabinet.

שמעון פרס עם דונלד רמספלד, מזכיר ההגנה של ארצות הברית
Shimon Peres with Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defence of the United States, public domain
18

2001

Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister

Joins Sharon’s Government in the wake of the second intifada. Serves as Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

שמעון פרס ממונה לשר לפיתוח הנגב והגליל ולמשנה לראש הממשלה בממשלת אולמרט.
19

2006

The Minister for Development of the Negev and Galilee

Appointed as the Minister for Development of the Negev and Galilee, and Deputy Prime Minister, in Ehud Olmert’s government.

הקמת המרכז האקדמי פרס
20

2006

Establishment of the Peres Academic Center

The Peres Academic Center in Rehovot was established as the private initiative of Ofra Elul and as a Community Academy initiative inspired by Peres.

נשיא המדינה
Public Domain
21

2007

President

Chosen to be the number one citizen, the President of the Israel. During his term of office Peres united the nation in a manner transcending political social boundaries.

אירוח ביל קלינטון במרכז האקדמי פרס
22

2013

Hosting of Bill Clinton at the Peres Academic Center

Bill Clinton visits the Peres Academic Center. At the end of the event, he announces to Shimon Peres and to the directors of the center that he has decided to donate his pay in favor of student scholarships.

קברו של פרס בתום טקס ההלוויה
Peres' grave after the funeral, Picture courtesy of Presidencia de la República Mexicana
23

2016

Peres passes away

On the 28th of September 2016, Peres passed away at the age of 93. A deep state of mourning descends on the state of Israel, the American flag was at half-mast and masses of Israelis paid their last respects as they passed by his casket which was on public display at the Knesset. He was later on laid to rest in the plot of the Great Leader of the Nation, in a service held at Mount Herzl and attended by world leaders.

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When sending this form, I confirm the receipt of information about the lectures, updates, publications, benefits, and degrees from the Peres Academic Center via e-mails and/or text messages and/or by phone conversations. You can remove your details from the mailing list and/or the marketing promotion list, through a conversation, at any time.