A Guest Post BY DR. HAROLD GOLDMEIER
I
had a wonderful time attending the Fifth Israeli Presidential Conference: Facing Tomorrow 2013!
This year The Presidential Conference is held in conjunction with the 90th
birthday celebration for President Shimon Peres. The ever-sagacious birthday boy and his
minions planned three days of celebration and futurism to showcase the moral
compass of the State of Israel, the fierce passion for mankind the President
shares with the Jewish people, and the nettle of future human development and
community.
Former President Clinton is clearly more
a soul mate to Peres than any other personality attending the conference.
Clinton speaks and Streisand sings with partisan adulation of Peres’ passionate
soul. Clinton and Mr. Blair share how on
the world stage Peres gives witness to the grievances of the poor, the meek,
oppressed, and those betrayed and abandoned by their governments, time and
place. All the speakers admire his unending worldwide quest for peace, his
crusades to improve education, and Peres’ never flagging defense of the Jewish
people and the Jewish State.
The focus of the conference is on
the future. This is not a popular theme
for most 90 years olds. Workshops and keynotes address the future of the
environment talking about workable solutions to challenges of today, human
brain development, technology, human intimacy and sexuality, Jewish community
revival, political and social justice, among other topics. Peres might be given a pass were he to rest
on his laurels drawing an impenetrable curtain around himself satisfied to be
another of Israel’s memory keepers. This is not his way. He is neither a
survivor nor a victim, but he is now a futurist and that is the point of the
conference.
The star studded, birthday bash in a
capitalistic inspired, municipal, convention center, is hardly a celebration
worthy of King Louis VI as one critic accuses. The birthday was brilliantly the
means to draw attention to the Peres agenda bringing to Israel from around the
world statesmen, corporate and NGO leaders, donors, entertainers, and ordinary
folk. I got chills seeing the overwhelming outpouring of support Israel gets
from most quarters. The keeners do not understand how difficult it is for
prescient minds to get their messages out in an age of simplistic
conceptualization. Peres and his people figured it out, and for those not
attending the conference you cannot know what I mean.
There is so much in print and on the
Internet about history and the self-deluding simplicities of the human
condition that it is exciting the Peres people wisely figured out how to stimulate
trenchant insights and share future reconciliations. Visions of the future are
forged among thinkers, scientists, activists and theologians. Aubrey de Grey’s
work earned him the sobriquet of futurist for giving voice to the radical life
extension movement in aging people. Mr. Peres continues to demonstrate being
old is not a disease, but brings gravitas to a radical life.
Author Daniel Eisenbud wrote last
year in The Jerusalem Post about toxic people always seeking ways to sabotage
our pleasures. A quote from Shakespeare Dan reminded me of best sums up the
birthday critics best, “How bitter a
thing it is to look into happiness through another man’s eyes.” My birthday wish to Mr. Peres is for all of
Israel to share in the joy, hopes and dreams your birthday and conference bring
when friends gather to praise an old proud Jew and he tells us the future is
bright and full of dreams.
Dr. Harold Goldmeier
Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel and
Chicago, Il.
050 2619116
Managing Partner, Goldmeier Investments LLC
Business Management And Development Consultant
Instructor American Jewish University, Aardvark Israel Gap Year Program, Tel Aviv
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment