The Peres Center for Peace & Innovation recently hosted a virtual ceremony to commemorate the fourth anniversary since the passing of the ninth President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
Participants in the ceremony, attended by members of the Peres family, included Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, Prince Hassan of Jordan, Nicolas Sarkozy, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, singer Barbara Streisand and actress and producer Sharon Stone. Over 100,000 students from across Israel tuned into the virtual memorial, which was the first of its kind in Israel.
Part of the ceremony featured a panel of students from a wide variety of educational networks. AMIT is the only religious network that took part in the memorial, with two of our students representing AMIT: Lielle Balata from AMIT Yud Ashdod and Yossi Eliyahu from AMIT Atidim Or Akiva. The AMIT students spoke about the importance of creating connections and bonds within the Israeli society and emphasized AMIT’s values of Klal Yisrael and creating hope for the future.
In the panel, the students were asked, “What is your dream?” AMIT student Lielle Balata answered, “When I grow up I want to be a doctor, but it is much more than that. I want to break the glass ceiling. I am an Ethiopian and a woman and sometimes I feel like I have obstacles. I want people to look at each other as equals, and not as part of a stigma. So I am a woman, I am an Ethiopian and I am Lielle and I am much more than that. I want children to dare to dream and not be afraid to fulfill themselves. I dream that we can be a more accepting and a sensitive society.”
AMIT student Yossi Eliyahu answered, “My dreams are diverse. I want to be a sailor in the IDF. I want to study science, religions and cultures. I hope to use the knowledge I gain to bring people and religions together.”
Nurit Davidi, who heads AMIT social education initiatives, explains the importance of AMIT’s participation in this event. “Lielle and Yossi’s responses emphasize the AMIT value of Klal Israel, bringing people together and strengthening the connections in our society. The students prepared for the panel on their own and expressed their own views. Each student has his or her own agenda and drive, but their confidence and the encouragement comes from their AMIT Learning Educational Community. AMIT strongly believes in creating meetings and conversations with their students and different populations and religions, to build e a strong and equal society.”
