Laurie and I join the global TBN family in mourning the passing of our dear friend and Israel’s great senior statesman, Shimon Peres. His passing marks the end of an era in a very real sense, as he was the last surviving leader who witnessed the rebirth of the State of Israel in 1948 — a group that included David Ben-Gurion, Moshe Dayan, Golda Meir, and Ariel Sharon.
A beloved founder, Prime Minister, President, and visionary leader of the nation of Israel, Mr. Peres devoted his entire life to the peace and future of this land and people he loved. However elusive, he desperately wanted peace with Palestine and won a Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless efforts to that end. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” and may he rest in the peace he sought.
A decades-long friend of Laurie and me, we regularly enjoyed being in the company of Shimon Peres when traveling to Israel. A few short years ago, however, Laurie and I had the distinct privilege of sitting down one-on-one with him at his residence, and were each profoundly impacted by his deep commitment to ensuring the peace and stability of Israel and the entire Middle East for future generations. Here is that interview —
We are also grateful for the role Mr. Peres played in so graciously welcoming TBN to Israel — both through the scores of Holy Land tours we hosted over the past forty-three years, and in the establishment of TBN’s strategically located broadcast and production facility in the heart of Jerusalem, which happened during Mr. Peres’ presidency. We’re honored to know that the fruit from this project will constitute part of his ongoing legacy.
Today Laurie and I, along with the TBN family around the world, join in extending our thoughts and prayers to our precious friend Mr. Peres and his family, as well as to the entire nation of his beloved Israel.