Upon his arrival to Israel, international singer Matisyahu met with the ninth president of Israel Shimon Peres. During the meeting Matisyahu said: “The boycott is creating more borders and is no way to have peace”
Referring to the Jaffa riot that took place Tuesday night, Peres stated: “An extremist group tried to disturb the peace in Jaffa, but failed”
Yesterday, (Wednesday) the ninth President of Israel Shimon Peres met with international singer, Matisyahu. The singer visited the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa prior to his performance this Saturday in Jerusalem. At the end of the meeting, Peres presented the singer with a symbolic dove sculpture, representing their shared love of the state of Israel and their passion for creating positive change in the world.
During the meeting, together they discussed the most recent, unfortunate events that took place in Jaffa on Tuesday. Peres expressed, “Yesterday, an extremist group tried to disturb the peace, but failed. This morning Jaffa came back to life.” Peres remains optimistic, saying, “Jaffa is a showcase of Jews and Arabs coexisting.”
Former President Shimon Peres and Matisyahu discussed the issues of the day, realizing that the art of music can heal some of the world’s wounds. Peres stated, “Singing is singing friendship, singing peace. The world without music would be a big mistake. People come in thousands to hear your songs- you were born to sing.”
Matisyahu addressed why he chose to visit the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa and Israel at this time. He explained, “Jews from outside of Israel should come here, no matter what is happening. The boycott is creating more borders and is no way to have peace.”
Matisyahu expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to meet, with former President Shimon Peres closing by saying, “Thank you for what you did and for continuing to do what you do.”
Photos Silvia G Golan
