Israel Bonds News



Israel Bonds Welcomes Chemi Peres to Commemorate his Father’s Legacy, Celebrate the New Year

9/17/2017
 
As we enter the new year, Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds honors the legacy of a founding father of the Jewish state, and his son, who represents the current generation of Israel’s leaders.
 
On September 17, Israel Bonds’ president and CEO, Israel Maimon, invited supporters of the organization into his New York City home to welcome Chemi Peres, chairman of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, managing general partner and co-founder of Pitango Venture Capital in Israel, and son of Shimon Peres.
 
Israel Bonds celebrated the visionary leadership of the late Shimon Peres at the special gathering in honor of Rosh Hashanah. A Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as both president and prime minister of Israel, he helped establish the Jewish homeland, and was an integral force in Israel’s development into the strong democratic nation it is today.

Peres had a special relationship with Israel Bonds. His mentor, the late Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, founded not only the State of Israel but also Israel Bonds.
 
“I was privileged to have personally known and worked closely with this true legend of Israel,” Maimon said of Shimon Peres at the reception. The two first met in 2004 when Maimon served as government secretary for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. “I was tasked with negotiating a new coalition agreement with the opposition Labor Party, led by Mr. Peres. I found myself sitting with legendary general Ariel Sharon on my left and lion of Israel Shimon Peres on my right. I was awed to be in the presence of these titans of Israel. This was the start of a wonderful personal relationship with Shimon.”
 
Reception guests included Dani Dayan, consul general of Israel in New York, Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, and Tzachi Hanegbi, cabinet minister of Israel, who also addressed the crowd, describing his close relationship with Peres. All attendees received copies of Shimon Peres’ memoir published this month, No Room for Small Dreams: Courage, Imagination, and the Making of Modern Israel, in which Peres describes his life as “entwined with the birth and construction of Israel.” 

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Venture capitalist and son of Shimon, Chemi Peres
stands proudly with Israel Bonds’ president and CEO,
Israel Maimon, holding his father’s autobiography

(Photo: David Dooley)

Introducing the book, Chemi Peres shared, “This book was my father’s last project. He wanted to leave a document for generations to come. His dream was to bring Israel to live in peace with our neighbors, and he didn’t live to see that whole dream come true.
 
“At the end of the day, if he had any regrets, he had only one – that we did not dream even more and even greater. That is why the book is titled as it is. On behalf of my family, we ask that you read it, and then share my father’s hope and vision for peace with others.”
 
Maimon closed the evening with well wishes for Rosh Hashanah, sharing, “May the year 5778 be marked by the special blessings of peace, health and prosperity for the people of Israel and the Jewish people the world over; and may they enjoy happiness, fulfillment and security throughout the new year.”