The Jewish Community of Lithuania suggested that the Vilnius City Municipality grant S. Peres an honorary Vilnius citizenship. Their request underscores the fact that the Lithuanian Jewish community's considers S. Peres to be one of the most famous litvaks in the world, alongside the Gaon of Vilnius, Jascha Heifetz, Romain Gary and others honorable Litvaks who have impacted not just Lithuanian, but also world culture and history.

According to the Jewish Community of Lithuania, Vilnius' position as the "Jerusalem of the North" and S. Peres' upcoming visit to Lithuania make the honorary citizenship especially fitting.

Shimon Peres was born in the small town of Vishnyeva, Belarus, which is only 100 km from Vilnius. Since the Middle Ages, the town has been home to a community of Jews that consider themselves Litvaks. Now, S. Peres is a military and political figure in Israel and 1994 Nobel laureate. In 1997, he founded the Peres Center for Peace and, since 2007, has served as the President of Israel. According to the Israeli Embassy, Shimon Peres has been influential in forming Lithuania and Israel's strong bilateral relationship.

In an address given in 2006 to commemorate 15 years of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Israel, S. Peres underscored Lithuania's importance to the Jewish and Litvak identities, calling Lithuania the "mother" of the Yiddish language.

This year marked the 65th anniversary of Israeli independence and, on August 2, S. Peres will celebrate his 90th birthday.

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