Just a few days ago, I embarked on the long-yet-short journey to the Israeli presidency. Apart from meeting with 120 members of the Knesset, I continue with my life’s mission with more vigor and courage.
The presidency to which I aspire will be a home for every citizen; the beating heart that reaches out to all hearts, all people, and all issues on the public agenda.
The presidency of which I dream will continue to be a focal point connecting all sectors of our wonderful people, a center where one dares to meet, speak and listen.
I do not hail from the political world, and perhaps I’m actually very far from it, but I feel with all my heart that perhaps that is precisely why I would be able to bring a spirit of peace, brotherhood, and a sense of common future to the public and the state.
A future where we are all able to come together under a vision we all desire: education, health, welfare, prosperity, culture, and joy of life.
After all, there is no one citizen in Israel who is not worthy of all these. We all seek a life full of meaning and action, but the little we disagree on – and it is good that we disagree – fills the space from end to end and presents us and our children with a false representation of an all-out war as if there is no table around which we can gather and debate the issues.
My presidency will not work to obscure controversies, but will first and foremost take care to give them space through listening and tolerance because, for me, unity does not mean uniformity.
The unique Israeli mosaic should be able to shine in all its splendor, beauty and style. In the world of education from which I come there is no place to leave a student behind. The open heart and enveloping embrace are the means by which children, as well as adults, go out and fulfill themselves, discover the greatest forces within them and build – side by side – a healthier, more ambitious, and stronger society.
I have been involved in international diplomacy for years. There, too, I have seen in the eyes of world leaders that the human and personal connection between people is capable of bringing tremendous blessing worldwide.
This connection also has the power to be a focal point for collaborations that are cultural and moral and that can lead, even in times of disagreement, the common good to which all mankind longs.
I am a mother, I am a woman, I am a public servant who loves every citizen in Israel, with all my heart and I know that the hearts that I have seen opening up around me in recent years can be within the entire nation. The State of Israel deserves such hope.
Source: Miriam Peretz – Israel Hayom