Daniel Pereg: My heart is here
Teen who gained prominence after facing Pro-Palestinian protesters in US moves to Israel
One of the defining symbols of the flotilla incident was Daniel Pereg, a Jewish teen from Beverly Hills, who marched alone, with an Israeli flag, in front of a pro-Palestinian demonstration.
The brave move was recorded on video, and got over 800,000 hits on Youtube.
Last week, Pereg realized a lifelong dream and made aliyah.
"I bought a one-way ticket. My heart is here," he said with a spark in his eye. "I intend to join the IDF and serve the country as much as I can."
Ever since his daring appearance, Pereg has become a sort of mini-celebrity in Los Angeles and Israel, receiving hundreds of support letters and even some checks.
"I speak at all sorts of eventד; especially fundraisers for Israel. I've become an unofficial ambassador," he said.
"Many Knesset members have been calling me; today MK Anastassia Michaeli (Yisrael Beiteinu) called to invite me to her son's bar mitzvah. Sometimes, it's a little embarrassing," Pereg said.
'Rush of adrenalin'
His moment of famewas completely spontaneous, Peres said, adding he felt teh need to face the pro-Arab protestors while holding up an Israeli flag.
"At first the police asked me to step away, but I ignored them. Only when the protesters shouted slurs at me, the officers said they would be unable to protect me, and so I walked away," he said, adding that friends told him they feared for him.
"However, I felt a rush of adrenalin and wasn’t scared at all," he said.
Pereg landed in Israel last week, accompanied by his mother. He was in fact born in the Jewish state 16 and-a-half years ago, but his parents immigrated to the United States when he was still an infant.
Pereg said he always felt the passion of Zionsim burning inside him, and thought of himself as an Israeli temporarily visiting abroad.
The young teen's dream is to join the IDF Intelligence Corps: "I am half Persian, and speak the language. My intention is not necessarily to fight, but use my skills to contribute as much as I can."
After he completes his military service, Pereg's ambition is to become a Knesset member, although he hasn't decided yet which party to join. He also said he would like to live in Judea and Samaria, "where people do on a daily basis what I did for 20 minutes."
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