Israelis were in mourning Wednesday at the passing of former President Shimon Peres, who died Tuesday evening of complications from a stroke he suffered earlier this month. He was 93. Expressions of grief and commiseration poured in from around the world, and several past and present heads of state were expected to be in Israel Friday for the official state funeral.

In the 30 years that I have known Shimon Peres, I have seen him model himself on modern Israel’s founding father, David Ben-Gurion – to think strategically, to imagine where Israel needed to be in the future, to embrace change, and to never fear making decisions.