Google, Facebook, Inner Richmond: Israeli President Shimon Peres's Wild Bay Area Ride

Take me to B-Star

​Things have slowed down considerably for Shimon Peres. The former Prime Minister of Israel used to occupy one of the most difficult political positions in the world; today, the 88-year old's duties as President (they're different, see) are mostly ceremonial, doling out political goodwill and barbs aimed at Iran rather than herding the Knesset or taking part in entho-religious conflict.

This week, Peres is in the Bay Area, the first Israeli president to make such a visit. This morning, Peres visited Facebook, where he praised Mark Zuckerberg's contributions to peace and lobbed barbs at Iran. On Thursday, he'll visit Google, a fine search engine for looking up Iran jokes.

And tonight? The Inner Richmond, where Peres will join Gov. Jerry Brown, Mayor Ed Lee and a sold-out crowd at Congregation Emanu-El, and where -- perhaps oddly -- no organized protests appear planned.




Peres will receive the key to the city from Ed Lee tonight, adding San Francisco to the Israeli state's list of conquests. Tickets to the address at the synagogue, the oldest Jewish congregation in San Francisco and the largest Reform congregation in Northern California, are sold out; you'll have to grab deets from one of the 2,000 lucky attendees.

In the past, anything Israel-related has attracted some protesting and flag waving; as of Tuesday afternoon, mentions of any such agitation could not be found.

We at The Snitch stay out of the Israel-Palestine debate ourselves, much preferring to weigh the relative merits of Pepsi and Coke, Four-Barrel and Blue Bottle, and Celtic-Rangers. But we understand that's what many of you like to do. Nonetheless, this probably isn't the night to sport a keffiyeh in that part of town.

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