US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has Passed Away

The legendary Secretary of State of the USA, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Henry Kissinger has passed away at the age of 100 years.

Kissinger was born in Germany with the name Heinz in 1923, and following the Nazi persecution, his family fled to England and from there to the USA, where he changed his name to Henry - a less German name. During the World War, due to his command of the German language, he served as an intelligence soldier, served on a team that captured Nazi criminals and was awarded a medal.

After the war he began academic studies at Harvard where he completed a doctorate in political science. He served as a lecturer in political science and at the same time was an adviser to the US presidents on foreign affairs. In 1969 he was appointed national security adviser to President Nixon. In his role he brought the Western Bloc closer to the Eastern Bloc and led to the signing of the Helsinki Accords.

As part of his position, he was responsible for the ceasefire in Vietnam between the Americans and finally for the agreement to evacuate the American army from the south of the country, for his efforts he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Both the Helsinki Agreement and the withdrawal from Vietnam happened when he was already Secretary of State, a position he was appointed to in 1973, about a month before the Yom Kippur War.

In the war itself he was one of those who pressured Israel not to launch a 'preemptive strike' and in return he gave Israel an air train of necessary military equipment. Finally, he was one of those who pressured Israel to reach a ceasefire and not to destroy the surrounded Second Army. He is controversial in Israel for his activities in the Yom Kippur War, mainly due to his statement: "I am first the Secretary of State, then an American and only then a Jew."

In Israel he was called by the derogatory nickname "Jew Boy" and Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook used to call him "Husband of the Gentile" - due to his assimilation and cold attitude towards Israel.

After Nixon's resignation, he continued to serve in the Ford administration until his retirement in 1977. After retirement, he worked as a consultant in various companies that advise countries and corporations on foreign affairs.