Residents of Shimon Peres’ Childhood Hometown in Belarus Gather for a Final Farewell

September 28, 2016
Residents of Vishnyeva gathered this morning outside of Shimon Peres’ childhood home to pay their respects. Photo courtesy of Limmud FSU.
Residents of Vishnyeva gathered this morning outside of Shimon Peres’ childhood home to pay their respects. Photo courtesy Limmud FSU.

Residents of Shimon Peres’s hometown of Vishnyeva gathered this morning outside his childhood home to pay their respects for the biggest international figure to ever emerge from their village. The locals learned about Peres’ passing from Limmud FSU, which has been in constant contact with them since it held 90th birthday celebrations for Peres in Vishnyeva three years ago.

(l-r) Limmud FSU International Steering Committee Chair Matthew Bronfman; Tzvia Walden, daughter of Israeli President Shimon Peres; Chaim Chesler, founder of Limmud FSU; Sandy Cahn, co-founder of Limmud FSU; Rafi Walden, Tzvia Walden’s husband; and Aaron Frankel, president of Limmud FSU, celebrating Peres’ 90th birthday in his hometown three years ago. Photo credit: Batya Dori.
(l-r) Limmud FSU International Steering Committee Chair Matthew Bronfman; Tzvia Walden, daughter of Israeli President Shimon Peres; Chaim Chesler, founder of Limmud FSU; Sandy Cahn, co-founder of Limmud FSU; Rafi Walden, Tzvia Walden’s husband; and Aaron Frankel, president of Limmud FSU, celebrating Peres’ 90th birthday in Vishnyeva. Photo credit: Batya Dori.

“Shimon Peres brought pride to our village through his life and accomplishments and we felt obliged to pay our respects following his death,” said Oleg Demidchik, 63, of Vishnyeva. “We are humbled that he is from our town and we will never forget this.”

The house (with plaque attached) that stands on the site of Peres’ onetime family residence. Photo courtesy Limmud FSU.
The house (with plaque attached) that stands on the site of Peres’ onetime family residence. Photo courtesy Limmud FSU.

The events for Peres’ 90th birthday celebration, held as part of the Limmud FSU Belarus conference, included the introduction of a permanent photo exhibition showcasing Peres’s life in this remote Belarus village. A plaque was also dedicated to Peres at a house on the site of Peres’s onetime family residence. The plaque reads: “In this place, Shimon Peres, son of Yitzhak and Sarah Perski, the Nobel laureate and ninth president of the State of Israel, was born on August 2, 1923.”

“Shimon Peres, a Nobel laureate, is probably the most well-known and prominent individual to ever be born in Vishnyeva, and his memory and legacy honor this town,” said Chaim Chesler. “We are greatly moved to see how deeply the people of Vishnyeva care for Peres and that they joined together in his memory.”