Room that does not see the future of israel through the lens of your legacy. Last year, i had the honor of meeting president peres on a trip to israel with some of my colleagues. It was an incredible visit from jerusalem to ramallah, to galilee, tel aviv. Of all the memorable moments, though, theres one that shines through. And a dinner tel aviv, i met a. She helped one community in particular for years. And without disclosing much of who she was or where she came from. One day she finally let the syrian commander know that she was an israeli. He was stunned. And right then and there, refused her help, calling her a sworn enemy, despite the lives she had saved and the selfless assistance she had given his people. Luckily, she was not willing to be easily deterred. She took it to the community for a vote. If they said go she would pack up. If they said stay she would continue to serve. They begged her to stay. So she did. Mr. President , this is your legacy. Every bit as integral to israel a future as her past. The generations of israeli men and women will continue to put themselves on the front lines of peace no matter the risks or the road blocks. Refuse to let labelslike enemy or adversary influence the direction of their moral compass. Who believe that peace is possible. In no small part because they have a leader by their side for over 70 years, counciling patients, optimism and faith. Mr. President , with a debt of gratitude not only for the history that you carved but for the future that you will undoubtedly shape, it is our honor to come together today to recognize you with the congressional gold medal. And a world still, as you say, aching for peace. For compassion in the face of great conflict and humanity in the face of great suffering, may your legacy light our way. Thank you. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, the United States senator from new hampshire. Good morning. I am so humble to be here in the presence of president shimon peres, majority leader reed, our congressional leaders. So many distinguished leaders and citizens in this room. To congressman kennedy, congressman franks, thank you so much for your leadership in the house of representatives, to ensure that well award shimon peres, the congressional medal. Your efforts helped to make todays ceremony possible. To senator bennet, i want to express my gratitude to you for working alongside with me in the United States senate, to introduce the bill to award president peres the congressional gold medal and i know todays ceremony is particularly moving for you and your family. Were so honored to have your mother here with us today. Suzanne cledgeman bennett is here with us today. She was born in poland in 1938, as nazi forces gathered at the border. She and her parents endured the that si occupation in around warsaw along with an aunt. They were the only members of the family to survive. And unfortunately, everyone else perished at the hands of the nazi. So i know how much this means to you senator bennet. Thank you. I cannot think of a more deserving individual to receive the congressional gold medal than shimon peres and i want to thank the people that came to me, senator bennet and others and all that have worked on the, because this has been one of the highlights of the work that ive had been able to do in the senate and, by the way, if everything were as easy to do in the senate to get cosponsors for as this, can you imagine what we could get done for the country . [ applause ] as one of the Founding Fathers of israel, for 67 years, president shimon peres, has been a selfless servant of his beloved country during times of war and peace. Providing a steady hand, he has been a constant and passionate voice for peace. But most of all, not only is he a great statesman and leader, he is a man who has a pure heart and the depth of his love for all of humanity has made him a drum major for justice, not just in israel but throughout the world. As for america, we have never had a better friend who understands who we are and what we stand for. As president peres said last night, at the israeli embassy, were an exceptional nation whose people give rather than take. Today, mr. President , is our way of saying to you thank you, and to recognize that you truly are an exceptional man who has made israel and the world a better place. Thank you, mr. President. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, the United States army chorus. Ladies and gentlemen, the democratic leader of the United States house of representatives, the honorable nancy pelosi. Good morning. Mr. Vice president , president peres, mr. Speaker, mr. Leader and mr. Leader, mr. Leader, my colleagues in the congress and our friends in the senate, madam secretary, today congress is bestowing a congressional gold medal on a truly historic figure. Every one of us in this room will always be able to boast that we were there when Congress Honored this iconic figure and friend of america. Shimon peres planted the seeds of the jewish state of israel and helped that garden grow. Whether literally in the blooming of the desert or more significantly, in the blow sossg of society and people. A soldier who became a peacemaker. An immigrant who became an institution. A Public Servant who became a statesman, a champion of nonvooi lense and a messenger of hope and a founder of a nation who became and remains a visionary for his and all people. Shimon peress story is a story of modern israel. A saga of daring wisdom. Israel, like america, president pere sechlt once said, was conceived as an idea, born in defiance of history, creating a new world by drawing the values of the past and the innovations of the future. Few alive could claim to have done so much for the success of that idea. And even at the age of 90, farmer fighter, Prime Minister and president continues to guide his nation into tomorrow. Just as an aside, i remember at the white house, we celebrated his 90th birthday last year, he spent his speech talking about innovation technologies of the future. Shimon peres dream has long been and will ever be the dream of a nation free to live peace and security in the homeland of the jewish people. He dreams of a dawn where every man and woman across the middle east may wake up as he says, free to be free. And as shimon peres would surely remind us, if you will it, it is not a dream. May god bless you shimon peres, his dreams and will to the state of israel and the path to peace. May his spirit and the spirit of the entire pioneeri ining genern of israels founders live on in our actions today and in the future. May israel long be recognized as the greatest political achievement of the 20th century. And a beacon of hope, democracy and justice into the 21st century and beyond. May this gold medal always serve as a stirring symbol of our deep respect for shimon peres, our unending admiration for israels people and the unbreakable friendship between our country and the nation of israel. As our speaker said earlier, the first recipient of the congressional gold medal is our founding father, george washington. Today we bestow it on another founding father. Both of them in accepting the award bring luster to the award. Thank you, perez peres for receiving this honor, again, your accepting it luster to the award and shalom and thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the United States house of representatives, the honorable eric cantor. Thank you, good morning. Mr. Vice president , mr. Speaker, president peres, my colleagues and other distinguished guests. It is a true honor for me to be here today to pay tribute to one of the worlds greatest statesmen. President peres you are always a man who has stood for the advancement of humankind. You have been an inspiration to so many of us young and old in your tireless advocacy for democracy. In your belief that it is that which is the best path to peace and security for all. Few people, president peres, have dedicated their lives to the security of the state of israel and the continuity of the jewish people the way that you have. So many of us have been touched by president peres. I know on the many trips that ive made to israel along with my colleague, kevin mccarthy, just a little over a year ago we were there and you welcomed us with opened arms. Delegation after delegation. So many of us found inspiration in your words. So many of us tried to learn how it was that you talk about the importance of the u. S. israel partnership. Of what it means to be tied together by mutual bonds and beliefs. You have said and continue to say, that what makes us in america so unique, is that we are a country that gives. We dont take. And, in fact, if you think about it, our country maintains its security for its citizens because we give of treasure and, yes, we give of blood, to go in search of helping others. Those who cannot help themselves. And that gives us our benefit and our safety and security here at home. That is what makes america at its core, a leader of the world. That is why it is so important that we maintain this Strong Partnership between our two countries. Mr. President , you are worthy of this one of highest honors that america can confer in the congressional gold medal. You know, in the jewish religion, we pray daily for the restoration of justice. We asked god for his guidance, his inspiration to our leaders, that that he may conduct themselves toward that end of the restoration of days of old. And allow us to continue on our mission of repairing the world as it is said. The ikon olam. You are one of those warriors and you are that leader congratulations to you today. Ladies and gentlemen, the republican heard of the United States senate, the honorable mitch mcconnell. For thousands of years, the jewish people searched for a home. For almost 70 years, theyve defended one. The world is marveled at the achievement of this once nomadi people. People who raised a nation out of the sands. With every odd stacked against them. Its an incredible tale. And since the birth of modern israel, one man has been there every step of the way. Standing at the very center of the remarkable drama. Shimon peres. President of israel, the man we honor today. He was there in prewar europe. He was there during the migration to israel. He was there for the war of independence. Hes held virtually every major government post over the span of his nearly 70year long political career. He served under ben gurion. He died with degall. He sparred pass iner is. His tenure in the kineset spans momentous events in lebanon and camp david and the olympics in munich. Hes both seen and stood at the center of so much. From israels earliest years as a dream in the desert, to its transformation to the modern, flourishing diverse democracy of today. Hes been there. A figure of reconciliation and of strength. With his arab neighbors, hes sought peace. And made extraordinary nobelwinning efforts to advance. His historic speech to the german people in 2010 moved and inspired many of us. And we know that president peres put aside longstanding mistrust along political adversaries in order to join hands with those interested in peace. The kind of peace that seemed impossible at the time and that remains sadly, ill lieuive illusive today. And he 457b9 given up and thats not surprising given this man said, for him, dreaming is simply being pragmatic. Its this remarkable approach to life and work that sustains shimon peres for decades in the political spotlight. In just a few weeks, president peres will leave the presidency behind. Hell close the book on one storied political career and hand the reigns to his successor. But what a story it has been. What a story it is. So today, we honor shimon peres, president of the state of israel, for his numerous contributions to public life. We thank him for being such a great friend of the United States over the years. For strengthening the Unbreakable Union between our two democracies and we look forward to the next chapter in his extraordinary life, may it be as remarkable as those that preceded it. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the United States senate, the honorable harry reid. Today were gathered to honor a man whos dedicated his entire life to making the world a better place. I see in the audience senator dick durbin. He was with that group of senators that i led to the middle east and we told senator durbin and others at the time, that they would have an opportunity to meet the man that i had such deep respect and admiration for and, in fact, no one has been more inspirational to me than the man we honor today. Dick and i still talk about that. The meeting we had with shimon peres. And a visionary view he had of the world. But is any wonder, i think so highly of this man, seven decades of public service, should be an inspiration to us all and it is. Weve heard that his tenure of service of 50 years in the kineset, Prime Minister twice, acting Prime Minister twice. Minister of foreign affairs. On three separate occasions. Minister of defense twice. Minister of finance. Minister of transportation. And eight other cabinet posts. And currently, of course, president of the state of israel. This is a man who never grows old. When he came too his first time of being Prime Minister, a lot of us on the internet came, that was for someone else to deal with. Not this man. He wanted to know about the internet and he proceeded to teach himself and have others teach him about the internet. He was the first Prime Minister to go on to the internet and have that worthy position he holds as part of the internet. Hes been educated in the United States on occasion, the new school. New york university, harvard. He speaks hebrew, yiddish, polish, russian, english, french, and authored 11 books. Weve heard hes been honored with the most prestigious awards that can be given to him worldwide. The nobel peace prize. President ial medal of freedom. French legion of honor and today, the congressional gold medal. So you can understand why i was so eager to take senator durbin and the other senators with me to meet this incredible man. My admiration for president peres stems more from just his important positions and his many accomplishments. Winston churchill said, quote, all the great things are simple and can be expressed in a single word. Well, i believe that. The greatness of shimon peres can be expressed in a single word optimism. He said, this man seated behind me, optimists and pessimists die the same way. They just live differently. I prefer to live as an optimist. [ applause ] optimism has been his life and its that optimism thats inspired so many of us around the world. That optimism has guided shimon peres in everything hes done. And the challenges he and his family faced because of the holocaust, to his work for a lasting peace and a secure israel. Is that optimism is hope for the world, his belief in peace which i so admire. President peres has said and i aquote. Two positions of leadership. One is built on force and the other is built on good will. Good will is winning. Reliance on force is losing. Whats the conclusion . That through good will you can achieve more. Isnt that true . Thank you. Hes achieved so much for himself, not only for the middle east or the world. He has optimism and his good will, shimon peres always places peace within our grasp. So i congratulate this good man, a statesman, a leader for the world, for everything hes accomplished throughout his distinguished life. President peres, israel, the middle east, the world are all better because of your optimism and your decency. So, its an more for me to participate in the ceremony today as a United States congress bestows upon you its highest honor and congressional gold medal. We honor you today, the father of your country, at least one of the fathers of your country, and so many different ways, congratulate you for being the man that you are. This medal epitomizes all that youve meant to congress and the people of the United States, american world. Mr. President , you have for these many decades, worked tirelessly to make the world a better place for all of gods children. Ladies and gentlemen, the speaker of the United States house of representatives, the honorable john boehner. nit is now time for the presentation of the gold medal and i ask my colleagues to join me on stage for the presentation. Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President of the United States, the honorable joseph r. Biden jr. Mr. President , congratulations. And with your permission, ill forego the Barbra Streisand serenade. But what i have to say is equally as much in the heart as her most melodic tunes. I heard a story, one us raisrae speaking to the other and the first one says, shimon peres only has three or four weeks left to go in his presidency. And the response was yes. But they are peres weeks. Those weeks have gone on for long, long time, mr. President. You are absolutely relentless as everyone has pointed out, youve been minister, Prime Minister, youve occupied every office there is to occupy. In israel and i would argue, around the world, ive been so, so many conferences in other parts of the world with president peres that youre a force of nature, mr. President. Youre a force of nature. Every once in a while, a people produce someone who is beyond their office. A force of nature. Ive watched you in switzerland, in germany, in england. Ive watched you in the middle east. So many places where ive been present while youve spoken. Theres never, never, never a place ive been and ive known you, mr. President , since i was 30 years old theres never been a place ive been when this man stands up, everybody, everybody listens. No matter what the atmosphere in the room was before he approached the podium. Youre a National Treasure to israel but id also. Fully suggest youve been a National Treasure to the United States of america. Youre a legendary friend. Mr. President , i know you heard all of this a thousand times and its hards to say with all the emotion but we all feel it. I try to picture many times, when ive been with you, you being at the feet of David Ben Guri<