Residents of Peres’ birthplace for a final farewell
Residents of Shimon Peres’s hometown of Vishnyeva gathered on Wednesday outside his childhood home to pay their respects for the biggest international figure to ever emerge from their village.
Residents of Vishnyeva gathered Wednesday outside of Shimon Peres’ childhood home to pay their respects (Photo credit: Courtesy of Limmud FSU).
The locals learned about Peres’ passing from Limmud FSU, which has been in constant contact with them since it held 90th birthday celebrations for Peres in Vishnyeva three years ago.
Limmud FSU International Steering Committee Chair Matthew Bronfman; Tzvia Walden, daughter of Israeli President Shimon Peres; Chaim Chesler, founder of Limmud FSU; Sandy Cahn, co-founder of Limmud FSU; Rafi Walden, Tzvia Walden’s husband; and Aaron Frankel, president of Limmud FSU, celebrating Peres’ 90th birthday in his hometown three years ago (Photo credit: Batya Dori).
“Shimon Peres brought pride to our village through his life and accomplishments and we felt obliged to pay our respects following his death,” said Oleg Demidchik, 63, of Vishnyeva. “We are humbled that he is from our town and we will never forget this.”
The events for Peres’ 90th birthday celebration, held as part of the Limmud FSU Belarus conference, included the introduction of a permanent photo exhibition showcasing Peres’s life in this remote Belarus village. A plaque was also dedicated to Peres at a house on the site of Peres’s onetime family residence. The plaque reads: “In this place, Shimon Peres, son of Yitzhak and Sarah Perski, the Nobel laureate and ninth president of the State of Israel, was born on August 2, 1923.”
The original idea for the 2013 events in Vishnyeva was first raised to the Government of Belarus by Chaim Chesler, founder of Limmud FSU, and Yoram Dori, a close adviser to Peres for many years, during a meeting with officials in Belarus and the local authorities of Vishnyeva four years ago.
“Shimon Peres, a Nobel laureate, is probably the most well-known and prominent individual to ever be born in Vishnyeva, and his memory and legacy honor this town,” said Chaim Chesler. “We are greatly moved to see how deeply the people of Vishnyeva care for Peres and that they joined together in his memory.”
Residents of Vishnyeva gathered Wednesday outside of Shimon Peres’ childhood home to pay their respects (Photo credit: Courtesy of Limmud FSU).
