What’s next for Shimon Peres?
Humorous new video shows the forever-young former president is up for anything
Renee Ghert-Zand is the health reporter and a feature writer for The Times of Israel.
Are you worried what Shimon Peres is going to do now that he is no longer Israel’s president? Well, don’t be.
The 91-year-old Peres, who has more energy than many people decades younger, is already looking for a new job. From a just-released humorous video from the Peres Center for Peace (and reportedly produced by Peres’s granddaughter, screenwriter Mika Almog) it seems the former politician is willing to try just about anything.
In the clip (in Hebrew with English subtitles), Peres packs up his presidential office and heads over to the unemployment office for some help. It turns out his vast range of experience, from milking cows to herding sheep to founding an Israeli defense technology company, is of no use. The unemployment counselor sends him out hoping for the best.
The game and unflappable Peres tries everything from pumping gas to working security to delivering pizza. He’s also up for stints as a grocery store cashier, stand-up comic and skydiving instructor.
The scenarios are hilarious and Peres shines as he shows off his acting chops. While not at all detracting from the silliness and fun, the excellently written dialogue reflects the former president’s serious views on Israeli politics and society, be they on peace negotiations, the advances of Israeli science and technology, or the need for visionary leadership.
“Former Israeli President Shimon Peres Goes Job Hunting” premiered at the Atlantic Council conference in New York and is starting to make its way through cyberspace via social media.
So, if you know of any appropriate — or inappropriate — job openings, you might as well send them Peres’s way. He’s clearly not interested in slowing down.