Lee Diamond – Yes and No כן ולא
Shimon Peres Z”l was
One of the great leaders
Of Israel
He was a man of peace
—a man of stature and vision.
Who spoke the language
Of the old/new Israel.
As president he brought honor
To the state as he spoke to
The world
He represented the best of Israel.
He convinced Rabin to follow the way of compromise for peace.
Rabin followed his lead and brought us to the brink of peace.
But Peres was not a politician
He was seen as weak as a politician
“Yes and no” (ken vi Lo) was his title
In the world of politics and among the people.
Israel demanded a “Yes OR No” Man!
Not a Yes “AND” No man.
NO shades of gray Wo/Man.
Compromise for Israelis
Spells weakness
The Middle course for the
Israeli is insecure
And frightening.
But this is our great error!
It’s our undoing!
It leads to the extremism
Which characterizes our
Society today.
Truth lies in compromise
Truth lies in our ability
To hear the Yes AND the No
In Our ability to see shades
Of black and white
In our willingness to
Compose a colorful
And dynamic canvas
Reflecting the beautiful
Reality of a colorful
And wise people and nation.
We can differ
We can argue our point
To the bitter end
But we need to
Seek the balance
To learn
The art of compromise
To allow the nation of
Israel to achieve the
Wisdom of Solomon
