RIP Shimon Peres

[jarnon]

Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister and President of Israel, passed away Wednesday.

Shimon Peres, 1923-2016: From nuclear pioneer to champion of peace

Shimon Peres (né Szymon Perski) was born in Wiszniew, Poland (now Vishnyeva, Belarus) in 1923 and emigrated to Palestine (now Israel) in 1934. He joined David Ben-Gurion's Labour Party and held important positions in the Ministry of Defence, followed by various Cabinet offices. In 1977, he was briefly Acting Prime Minister when his Labour Party colleague and rival, Yitzhak Rabin, was forced to resign. He was Prime Minister in a unity government from 1984 to 1986.

In 1995, as Mr. Rabin's Foreign Minister, Mr. Peres negotiated the Oslo peace agreement with Yassir Arafat, which won the three of them the Nobel Peace Prize. Mr. Peres was Acting Prime Minister again after Mr. Rabin's assassination.

Mr. Peres was President of Israel from 2007 to 2014. He was a strong advocate of continuing the Oslo peace process, which often put him at odds with Prime Minister Netanyahu. In 2014 he welcomed Pope Francis to Israel, then went to Rome to pray for peace with the Pope and Palestinian President Abbas.

Besides the Nobel Prize, Mr. Peres received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Philadelphia Liberty Medal.

[jarnon]

Shimon Peres (né Szymon Perski)

Lauren Bacall (née Betty Joan Persky) was his cousin.

[Spock]

Shimon Peres (né Szymon Perski)

Lauren Bacall (née Betty Joan Persky) was his cousin.

Where does Bob Juch fit into the family tree?

[Bob Juch]

Shimon Peres (né Szymon Perski)

Lauren Bacall (née Betty Joan Persky) was his cousin.

Where does Bob Juch fit into the family tree?

My Juch immigrant ancestor, Albert, was born in Prussia which included a lot of Poland. Unfortunately, that's all I know of his birth. It's ironic that my shortest branch is for my surname.