President Peres paid a condolence call to the Family of Rabbi Elyashiv. He expressed his condolences to the Rabbi’s three sons and two daughters.
The President related to his long term acquaintance with the Rabbi: “The Rabbi stood out in his integrity, his humility and great wisdom. He carried the burden of the Nation on his shoulders, along with the task of disseminating the Legacy of the Torah to all the people. He understood the present needs of the state and the Nation with unfathomable depth, and thus made a tremendous contribution to the State of Israel. He may have been frail in recent years, but his mind remained clear. Yeshiva Torah study was his main priority, but he additionally had political understanding, and he acted to avoid extremism and divisiveness within the Nation. There is no consolation for such a man. The only consolation is that his spirit will be forever emblazoned in the history of Israel.”