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World Personalities Join Thousands at Fifth Presidential Conference in Israel

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Actress Sharon Stone and Israeli President Shimon Peres sharing a lighter moment at the 5th Presidential Conference.
Actress Sharon Stone and Israeli President Shimon Peres sharing a lighter moment at the 5th Presidential Conference.
Five thousand people from every part of the globe gathered at the Fifth Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem from June 18 – 20. The theme of this year’s conference was “Facing Tomorrow”. In addition to the conference theme, this year’s conference was dedicated to the conference founder, President Shimon Peres, in celebration of his 90th Birthday.

The Presidential Conference included an “all star cast” of famed diplomats, entertainers, business people, academicians and writers. The leading celebrities at the conference included Former President Bill Clinton, singer Barbra Streisand, actress Sharon Stone,

actor Robert DeNiro and former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

In addition to the top notch list of speakers, the conference was a multimedia extravaganza. The International Conference Center in Jerusalem was outfitted with state of the art video and multimedia equipment, including large screen displays and translation equipment.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair opened the conference on Tuesday night with words of greeting and the statement, “We have our queen, and you have your Shimon.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Peres, calling him “the man of peace, the man of vision.”

Referring to Peres’ unshakable ideas of a two-state solution, Netanyahu, who doesn’t totally share the same political platform stated: “We extend our hand in peace to our neighbors but we are always ready to defend ourselves. This is what I’ve learned from Shimon Peres: look to the future, remember the past, and be prepared to defend yourself.”

There is no question, that former President Bill Clinton swept away the conference with his charismatic presentations. Clinton delivered a spectacular speech in honor of the 90th birthday of Shimon Peres. Clinton reiterated his special relationship and love for Peres and for the land and people of Israel. He challenged the nation to find a way to make peace with its neighbors.

Clinton called Peres, “the world’s social Einstein.” He stated that Peres, a young 90, has created “a unified theory of meaning to unite politics and philosophy and psychology and history and science and technology.” Clinton added, “Every one of us who has been blessed enough to know you … has been made a little bigger, a little stronger, and a little more optimistic that one day your theory will be real.”

Clinton, visited the Western Wall as part of his trip and could be seen wearing a white kippah while praying with the Chief Rabbi of the Western Wall Shmuel Rabinovitch. Clinton then placed a note in the wall.

As Clinton was the political headliner, Barbra Streisand was the entertainment headliner. She mesmerized the crowd with her renditions of the Hebrew prayer Avinu Malkeinu, “Lord our King” and her famous song “People” from the hit film “Funny Girl.”

The lineup of additional well-wishers included, President Barack Obama, Germany’s Angela Merkel , United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, France’s Francois Hollande, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Peres’ grandchildren . Obama called Peres” a living legend”.

President Peres concluded the evening with his speech thanking Clinton and responding to questions about Israel and its relationship with the Jewish people, “The past between us and the Palestinians is full of sorrow,” he said. “I believe that the Israel and Palestine of tomorrow could grant our children hope.”

The Presidential Conference continued on Wednesday and Thursday with plenary sessions, panel discussion and master classes on a wide range of topics all related to Israel’s “Facing Tomorrow” theme.

The Wednesday morning plenary included a panel with including President Peres, Tony

Blair, former Obama chief of staff and Chicago City Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Mr. Aaron G. Frenkel, Honorary Chairman of the Fifth Presidential Conference. The morning opened with Aaron Frenkel calling Peres, “one of the great statesmen of all time”. Tony Blair spoke about democracy. He said, “Democracy is not just about voting, it’s also about majority protecting the minority. “ Rahm Emanuel spoke about his experiences as Mayor of Chicago. Emanuel is known for his tough character and fittingly stated, “A leader must convey three qualities to the public: strength, confidence, and optimism”. In regard to President Peres, Emanuel said, “It is rare to meet someone who lived a life worth living”.

In Peres’ comments on President Obama, he stated, “Obama didn’t change America, America changed and elected Obama.” Peres further said, “Democracy is not just the right to be equal, but the equal right to be different. There is nothing wrong with being different.”

President Shimon Peres than presented Clinton with Israel’s highest civilian award, the President’s award. In his presentation, Peres said about Clinton, “You really are the most loved leader and friend of all human beings and the Jewish State”. A visibly moved Clinton responded with a classic Clinton style speech filled with his trademark and charismatic oratory ability that has made him one of the most famous speakers of out time. Clinton spoke about “Tikkun Olam”, the Jewish concept of repairing the world. “We live in a time where we truly are interdependent. We cannot escape consequences of what others do or what we do. There is a constant struggle for Tikkun Olam.” About his receiving the prize, Clinton said, “It is nice to receive an award, but there are no final victories in Tikkum Olam, there are no perfect warrior for peace”.

Clinton spoke about his concept of “us and them”. He explained the importance in a democracy of accepting others and to stop referring to others who are different as “them”. “All of life is a struggle to expand who is “us” and shrink who is the “them…. I accept this award because I feel like a poor pilgrim on a constant journey to expand the definition of us and shrink definition of them.”

The day continued with classes including one by famed TV Personality and Psychosex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Spry, perky and amusing as ever, Dr. Ruth spoke to a packed classroom. Westheimer discussed the Torah’s viewpoint on sexuality and the idea which she often expounds, that couples need to learn how to keep their relationship vibrant.

The panels included discussions on brain research, an initiative to which Shimon Peres has devoted much of his time, a panel about “The Hope for a Green Tomorrow”, which included electric car pioneer Shai Agassi and Prince Albert of Monaco, who is both a reputable and knowledgeable advocate of green technology. Additional panels included such topics as: The Medicine of Tomorrow with an Eye on the Individual; Education the Test of Tomorrow; One and One which included actor Robert de Niro and the Campus as a Crossroad in the Life of a Young Jew, which included Jewish Agency head Natan Sharansky.

The evening plenary on the “Global Economy’s Tomorrow” gave a spectacular overview of the world economy including, the USA, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The plenary included an all star cast of world financial experts and was moderated by Bank of Israel governor Prof. Stanley Fisher. It included the famed Prof. Larry Summers, former President of Harvard University and the 71st secretary of the US Treasury. Summers stated that the US economy is clearly coming back. Stephen Schwartzman, Chairman and CEO of the Blackstone Group stated: “If China catches a cold, it will be felt all mover the world”.

This statement was amplified by Mr. Ronnie Chan , Chairman of Hang Lung Group and Properties and co-founder of the Morningside Group. Ronnie Chan in his inimitable animated way made it clear that there were not enough Asian’s attending the conference. He said, “The assumption is that Israelis are better at technology and I think you may be right, but you don’t have the right market and we (China) do, so let’s collaborate.”

There were numerous sessions taking place on the last conference concerning “Changing of the Guards: The Tomorrow of Jewish Leadership.” It included Yohanna Arbib Perugia, Chairman of Keren Hayesod World Board of Trustees, Columnist Shmuel Rosner, Eliana Rudee of the Career Israel Program, Rabbi Elie Kaufner, Jeremy Newmark and Mr. Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Presidents Conference of Major Jewish Organizations.

When asked what the qualities one looks at in leadership, Hoenlein stated, “Just what Moses told Joshua, chazak ve’amatz, be strong and with courage. Strong in one’s convictions and courage to act on time”. Hoenlein, who is an icon in the Jewish community and has been involved in major causes for decades, stressed that leaders must be rooted in Jewish values and have an innate passion, since it is not something that is learned. Hoenlein further stressed that the biggest barrier for students on campus being able to connect with the Jewish community and stand behind Israel is “lack of knowledge and ignorance”.

The conference concluded on Thursday evening with speeches by Prime Minster Binyamin Netanyahu. and President Shimon Peres. Netanyahu spoke about his admiration for President Peres and how he too believes in the urgency for peace. He invoked the Holocaust at the opening of his remarks, saying that security is at the forefront of his concerns and he expressed doubt as to the changes portended by Iran’s new leadership, urging the international community to “keep up the pressure, and keep up the demands”.

Netanyahu further stated that “Our neighbors must accept us as we accept them… it is the willingness of the Palestinians to accept the existence of Israel as a Jewish state that will determine whether progress to peace is made. This is the heart of the matter.”

President Peres’ concluding remarks were: “Israel is facing ongoing attempts of delegitimization. But this conference contains within it a winning strategy to face these attempts… It is a legitimizing conference that shows how involved the residents of this nation are in creating, in renewing, in inventing. We are a nation with a life wish, pray that those who are not our friends today will be our friends tomorrow.”

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