Peres's address at the induction ceremony

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
This is an edited text of President Shimon Peres's speech at the Knesset on Sunday. I stand here today moved and appreciative of the trust you have placed in me on behalf of our people. Your trust is of great value to me, it places a great duty on me, one which I, as president of the state, will bear with reverence and a deep feeling of mission. I will be committed to nurture unceasingly those fine threads of fabric that weave us together as a nation, while among us there are people of varying opinions who fiercely fight for them. It must always be remembered that we are the sons and daughters of one Land of Israel. We do not have, and we are not looking for, another country. You here in the Knesset will carry on with existential polemics, as must be done in a democratic parliament, while I will devote myself to unifying, so that the fervor of the storm does no harm. In my heart, today, there dwells joy, facing the challenge you have placed on me, but also sadness at the hour of parting. I am leaving this House - the beating heart of Israeli democracy, after having sat on its benches for 48 years, more than half of my life. I loved its deafening volume, the great debates, the soul-searching tumults and the unexpected reconciliations. I know that this House is able to take historical decisions even when democracy is stormy... I am no longer the emissary of a party, but a trustee of the nation, of all the citizens of the state. From this moment I will be the voice and the address for every citizen of the State of Israel, for every infant and child, woman and man, for the poor and the elderly. My home will be open to all - my hands will be extended to each and everyone. I arrived in Israel as a young man and I was greatly privileged to serve the nation. A man ages, but faith does not grow old. It renews itself all the time. As in the words of prophet Joel: "Your old men shall dream dreams - your young men shall see visions." (Joel 2:28) Fifteen years ago I went to Vishniova, near Volozin, my birthplace, a Hebrew cradle on foreign soil. The entire village was destroyed by fire. I stood with tears in my eyes next to the pile of stones that covered the mass grave of its last Jews, who were led to the wooden synagogue and burned alive, with their prayer shawls on their shoulders, and leading them, Rabbi Zvi Meltzer, my grandfather of blessed memory. My grandfather studied at the Volozin Yeshiva together with Chaim Nahman Bialik. He formed my life as a child. He taught me the daily page of Gemara. He played sad Jewish songs on the violin. On Yom Kippur, he led the service and in his beautiful voice he read the Kol Nidrei prayer. To this day the prayer echoes in my ears and moves my heart. From Vishniova I continued on to Volozin, to see the building of the yeshiva, which was established in 1804. On the outside, on the stones of the wall, the Ten Commandments are still engraved. Inside there is now a confectionery, of course not kosher. I went to examine the gravestones that remain in the cemetery. They were scattered, and some of them were broken. On one of them I identified the name, "Szymon Perski," a member of my family after whom, it seems, I was named. I stood silent and shaken opposite these stones from my childhood. The village in which I was born was entirely destroyed. The house in which I was born went up in flames. Only the well has remained. I tasted its water. It has not changed. But the fire completely destroyed all that was. It seemed to me as if I heard a scream from the mouths of my grandfather, grandmother and the only son who had stayed to help them. I wished that I could I whisper into their ears about our independence and tell them about the IDF, about Dimona, about Entebbe. About the outstanding privilege given to their grandson of participating in the restoration of the ruins of our people, of forging genuine content for the oath "Never again." When I came to Israel, I studied agriculture in Ben Shemen. My public activities were focused on Hanoar Haoved [the Working Youth movement]. I married my wife, Sonia, at Kibbutz Alumot. In 1947, a year before the War of Independence, I was enlisted by David Ben-Gurion and Levi Eshkol to serve at the headquarters of the Hagana, and I moved from Alumot to the defense headquarters. I had the privilege, second to none, of serving under the greatest Jew I have ever known, David Ben-Gurion... I learned from him that in war there is no choice. One must triumph. And for victory, courageous people and appropriate tools are necessary. However, when an opportunity for peace is created, it must not be missed. I did not know why Ben-Gurion chose me. But I knew what he expected of me: To dare and not to regret, not to yield to difficulties, not to be alarmed by vision, not to be afraid of tomorrow, not to be false to myself or to my colleagues. It was difficult to envision then that from 650,000 inhabitants we would grow to a state of 7.2 million citizens, 1.2 million of them non-Jews: Arabs, Druse, Beduin, Circassians, a fascinating web of human society. I knew then, as I know today, that if they do not enjoy complete equality, we will not be at peace with ourselves or with our fellowman. It was difficult then to envision that we would have to fight for our lives, in seven wars, in two intifadas and in innumerable battles. To stand alone, with inferior numbers, and in international isolation. We never despaired. We did not lose a war. And every time, we rose up again. We revived our ancient language, we established advanced social units such as kibbutzim and moshavim. We discovered a unique ability to make the desert bloom, and a brilliant aptitude for defending ourselves. We were innovative in industry and we progressed and were farsighted in science. Even Israel's most severe critics will not succeed in concealing her extraordinary achievements, her peaks, which rise above the skyline of history. Almost 60 years of the state, and my heart is proud of what we have all achieved together. And of what we, as one, are dreaming of: to live in faith, to seek peace, to build a better future. But has had a heavy price. Those who fell in battle. The bereaved families. The physically disabled. Without the self-sacrifice shown by the IDF, we would not have reached this stage. Even today, at the head of our agenda is the release of the three kidnapped soldiers: Gilad Schalit, Udi Goldwasser, Eldad Regev. They are our sons and we will not rest until we see them again at home, in their homes, our home. Also, on this festive occasion, I mourn in my heart the murder of Yitzhak Rabin. They killed a great leader, they hurt us in our hearts. And on this festive occasion, I pray for the well-being of Arik Sharon, a great warrior and a courageous leader. I did not dream of becoming president. My dream as a boy was to be a shepherd or a poet of the stars. Being elected is a great honor for me and I do not disparage it... I know that the president is not a governor, nor a judge, nor a lawmaker, but he is permitted to dream. To set values, to lead with honesty and with compassion, with courage and with kindness. There is nothing prohibiting the president from performing good deeds. He is entitled, and even obligated, to serve his nation, that is his people, to nurture love of the people, of the state, of all creatures. To draw closer those who are far away. To look to the far distance. To help the weak. To comfort the bereaved. To bring people together. To increase equality. To bridge differences. To support spiritual and scientific creativity. The president must courageously see the entire picture and recognize that a price was paid for the building of the country and its vigorous growth: depletion of natural resources, damage to the environment. And like the rest of the world, we have to move to a clean, responsible and fair economy. The most fascinating journey in the 21st century will be to restore nature to its equilibrium. It is a unique opportunity for us, to harness Israeli creativity and knowledge, in cooperation with our neighbors, to create a new region and a new outlook for our country and our environment. To return to courtesy, to respect of the Bible, to the love of the book. Israel's literary achievements are no less than its scientific ones and they warrant similar assistance and respect. To increase interest in culture, to be considerate of your fellowman. It is the duty of the president to remind the generation that is represented here in the Knesset,that it is morally responsible for those still in the cradle of their youth. To enable them to the build their own lives, properly established, nursed from the great heritage of our people and driven by the discovery of new worlds... Despair has no role, and corruption can be erased. Wars are not ideals, the victor pays a heavy price, just as the vanquished does. Peace is maintained by living people who respect life. I see a need to encourage the young generation to enter political life and the hierarchies of leadership in order to begin again. Their enthusiasm is essential for our future. There is no place for depression. In fact, it is the Jewish people who invented dissatisfaction. We are a people that has never, and will never, reconcile ourselves to murder, to falsehood, to mastery, to slavery, to discrimination, to exploitation, to surrender or to standing still... We must maintain these principles in our country. The 169 words of the Ten Commandments are, even today, the basis of all of Western civilization. And the social vision of Amos and the political vision of Isaiah are the compass of our path. Yes, I believe in enlightening the world, in raising light for both people and nations. We recall that the first sentence in Genesis was: "Let there be light." Einstein said that our motto was hutzpa. The hutzpa to undermine conventions, the hutzpa to renew, to create, to contribute, to rise above what exists. The creative hutzpa of the Jewish people. I am aware that there are norms. The president has to be statesman-like. Adhere to the law, strengthen justice, help the executive arm fulfill its duties while respecting the minority. But he is entitled to deal with aspirations. The lacking. The vision. He must encourage peace processes. At home. With our neighbors. In the entire region. The modern era, in any case, lowers territorial barriers and reduces discrimination among people. It is built more on creativity than on governing. Israel must not only be an asset but a value. A moral, cultural and scientific call for the promotion of man, every man. It must be a good and warm home for Jews who are not Israelis, as well as for Israelis, who are not Jews. And it must create equal opportunities for all segments of the population without differentiating between religion, nationality, community or sex. The president must call on the religious and secular publics to find that which is common between them. He must call on the Palestinians and on the Arab countries, without blurring their heritage, to participate in the great journey across a world built on intellect, not only on land. To make education supreme. On the future map of Israel, four priorities must be marked: Jerusalem, the Negev, the Galilee and the "Valley of Peace": A) Jerusalem is yearning for momentum and is thirsty for renewal. To be the city promised to us and holy to all believers. To be the spiritual and political center of the Jewish people and a center of prayer for seekers of peace of all beliefs. To be a universal center for science and an intellectual challenge to all who come to her gates. The uniqueness of Jerusalem is also its destiny. B) The Negev has begun to awaken. It must never be allowed to fall asleep again. The Negev makes it possible to double the settled area of Israel. We will combat the barrenness in it, just as we fought the hostility outside it. Missiles are now able to reach distant ranges, which blurs the differences between the front and the hinterland. The Negev allows us to harness the Sun's energy and to create clean electricity for the country and to desalinate water from the sea and from ancient underground waters. It permits a common ground of economic relations to be formed with our three neighbors: the Jordanians, the Egyptians and the Palestinians. C) The Galilee: Its charm is renowned. It possesses overwhelming beauty. Half of the people living there are Jews and half are Arabs. This is an opportunity to create true equality for all. The Galilee invites the young generation to enrich it with intellectual energy and to establish clean industries, to cover it with vines and to host tourists. The day will come when Lebanon will be freed of its destroyers and Syria will free it of its ropes, and from the north peace will come. D) The Valley of Peace extends along the border between us, the Hashemite Kingdom and the Palestinians. It may become a haven of cooperation between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians. All three have already given their agreement. The Arava will be an amazing tourist area. A number of artificial lakes are likely to make it alive and attractive. Along its length, a water conduit will be built to the Dead Sea, to compensate it for the loss of its waters. Along the valley, industrial parks will be established that will offer many work opportunities for all the partners. In the Valley of Peace we will see how, for the first time, it will be possible to harness the economy as a bulldozer for peace. A partnership between organized Jordan and modern Israel will help the Palestinians overcome their destitution and establish their country. I believe that politics deal with borders and economic relations. Good relations are likely to make possible the marking of secure and agreed borders. The Valley of Peace is a challenge that is likely to create enthusiasm among our brethren in the Diaspora to participate on the path of a broad vision aimed at creating life and peace. It may also bring support from the Gulf states. It is likely to create enthusiasm among young people as it binds science, development and peace into one sheaf. I intend to devote myself to promoting the relations between Israel and the Diaspora by adding an intellectual and creative dimension. And this alongside the encouragement of modern relations with Arab countries. Within us there are hidden enormous creative powers in the spiritual, philosophical, scientific and cultural fields. And deep in us is the duty to attend to human distress in every place, ... the poor of your people and the... deprived in your surroundings. My friends, members of the Knesset, dear guests: I was a youth and I have aged. My eyes have seen Israel in its most difficult hours and also in moments of achievement and spiritual uplift. My years place me at an observation point from which the scene of our life as a reviving nation is seen, spread out in all its glory. It is true that stains also appear in the picture. It is true that we have flaws and have erred, but please believe me, there is no room for melancholy. The outstanding achievements of Israel in its 60 years, together with the courage, wisdom and creativity of our young generation give birth to one clear conclusion: Israel has the strength to reach great prosperity and to become an exemplary state, as commanded us by our prophets. Permit me to remain an optimist. Permit me to be a dreamer of my people. Permit me to present the sunny side of our state. And also, if sometimes the atmosphere is autumnal, and also if today, the day seems suddenly gray, the president whom you have chosen will never tire of encouraging, awakening and reminding - because spring is waiting for us at the threshold. The spring will definitely come! And in conclusion, I want to express my thanks and my love to my two great-grandchildren, to my eight grandchildren, to my three children and to my wife, Sonia, who joined all of us in quiet bonds of love, with heart-conquering modesty. Dear friends, I say to you today both "Shalom" and "Au revoir." My residence will be open to you and to all the people of Israel, already from tomorrow morning, and the phone number will be available to all. I wish you, from the bottom of my heart, continued faithful service on behalf of the State of Israel and its wonderful future. I am going to serve this nation in a somewhat different way, but with no less faith. I thank the Creator of the universe, my people and you for giving me such a great privilege. A thousand thanks. Shalom to you, and au revoir again. Long live the Israel Defense Forces! Long live the State of Israel!