Celebrating our Silver anniversary.

1. aMERICAN
FRIENDS OF ARIELCelebrating 25 years
of friendship

2. In 1991, Ariel was a
dramatically different place.
A modest city, Ariel was also
home to a handful of schools, a
makeshift emergency medical
center,temporarystructuresfor
theCollegeofJudeaandSamaria
(CJS), and one commercial
center. To help the 13 year-old
community get more on its feet,
a group of volunteers from the
Israel-based Ariel Development
Fund branched out to reach its
American supporters through
a new organization: American
Friends of Ariel.
Twenty-five years later,
Ariel continues to thrive.
We’ve maintained dozens of
kindergartens, five elementary
schools, a middle school and a
high school; supported CJS as
it graduated from a branch of
Bar-Ilan University to become
Israel’s newest university, Ariel
University; opened branches
of all four Israeli HMOs, four
pharmacies, a Magen David
Adom branch, the Emergency
Medical Center and, in the
future, the Helmsley Trust
Regional Medical Complex;
and seen commercial
our silver
anniversary
centers spring up in every
neighborhood. We’ve opened
municipal sports complexes,
libraries, gyms, youth centers,
entrepreneurship hubs, and
centers for the arts. We’ve built
playground after playground.
We’ve absorbed over 10,000
immigrants from 30 countries
around the world. And all with
your help.
As we look back on 25, we
celebrate and recognize
the friendships we have
cultivated with our supports,
our communities – truly, our
friends. We are honored to
serve as the link between our
trusted friends and the many,
diverse,resilientpeopleofAriel.
Every project in these pages
represents a special connection
between a supporter and the
people who benefit, every day,
from that support.
We look forward to another
25 years of friendship, growth,
and new horizons. We hope you
enjoy stepping back into our
story with us as we walk back
down the hill to see how far
we’ve come.
past &
present
Ariel's supporters are a special
group of people. You are more
than partners - you are true
friends. You have always stood
with us through thick and thin.
On behalf of the people of Ariel,
we sincerely thank you for your
friendship."
- Mayor Eliyahu Shaviro
“

3. The storyof international support for the people
ofArielbeginswithaspecialintroductionmadebyMetuka
Benjamin. In 1986, Mayor Ron Nachman flew to the
United States to rally support for the budding community
of Ariel. His friend, Metuka, a leading educator in Los
Angeles, introduced him to the man who would become
Ariel’s foremost supporter: Lowell Milken.
Lowell immediately understood Ariel’s educational needs
– and the conversation led to a fast friendship. One year
later, Milken and his family traveled to Israel for the
first time and dedicated the Bernard Milken Elementary
School in Ariel.
Since then, the Milkens have become a household name
for Ariel residents familiar with local landmarks.
“The financial support of our friends, especially the
Milken family, changed the educational system in Ariel,”
Nachman said in a 2003 Shalom Ariel interview. “Ariel
would never have been awarded first place for Education
in Israel without their help.”
Today, the Milkens support many projects which span the
spectrum of what AFA does – but never at the expense of
their commitment to excellence in education.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Bernard Milken Elementary school, est. 1987
• Equipment for Ariel schools and kindergartens since
1991
• Grants for Ariel’s excellent educators since 1991
• Scholarships for Ariel students since 1995
• Ongoing support for the Ariel Municipal Library
since 1996
• Jasmine Preschool est. 1997
• Ray Mallel Pre-School Complex est. 1999
• Scholarships for IDF veterans since 2000
• Scholarships for Holocaust Education delegations to
Poland since 2012
• K-12 Robotics Program in partnership with Ariel
University est. 2013
• Musical Kindergarten est. 2014
• New Nachshonim school campus to be completed
2018
Education
Ariel University

4. They may have sat at home, unable to provide for their
families, waiting for a change. But now, the Randolph A. Hearst Sheltered
Workshop provides them with a center and with life.
Dozens of participants in the Sheltered Workshop have made a living
assembling high technology products since 1993 – in one of Israel’s first
integrated work environments for the elderly, people with disabilities,
and skilled laborers.
The Hearst Workshop functions five days a week in two daily shifts (8:00
am – 2:00 pm and 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm), with a nominal staff comprised
of the Workshop’s manager and the vocational trainer.
More than just a place for participants to fill their days, the Workshop
provides a real sense of community for all involved – and, for participants
with disabilities, a chance to both build new skills and earn a living with
dignity and aplomb. A forefront for integration of people with disabilities
into society at large, the Sheltered Workshop truly epitomizes the power
of a visionary concept despite humble resources.
hIGHLIGHTS:
• Senior citizens’ Warm Hearts Club since 1991
• Food packages distribution since 1991
• Randolph A. Hearst Sheltered Workshop since 1993
• Senior Citizens Community Center built 1995
• Community programs through the Milken Community
Center since 1996
• Retirement village est. 2000
• Emergency Children’s Fund for evaluation and child
services est. 2010
Community/
Social Services
Randolph A. Hearst Sheltered Workshop

5. youth &
leadership
community/
social services
education
immigration Innovation

6. My mother always told me to love
G-d, love my family, and love Israel,” Curtis Pilot
stated during the opening ceremonies of the Ariel
National Center for Leadership Development
(ANCLD) in 2010.
Curtis’s support – a pledge from a philanthropist
who hailed from modest roots – set the tone
for youth leadership in Ariel: connecting Ariel’s
youth with inspiring mentors who would teach
them, as well, to love G-d, their families, and the
Land of Israel.
And six years since that mountaintop speech,
the ANCLD has continued to have a ripple effect
on Ariel and on the entire country. The ANCLD
sees 6,000 visitors annually from all walks of
life: Israeli and non-Israeli; Jewish, Christian, and
Muslim; schoolchildren, tourists, professionals,
and everything in between.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Youth delegations abroad to countries
around the world since 2003
• Warm Home for Teens est. 2012
• D’Orayta program for teenage boys est.
2013
• Funding for HILA program for at-risk
youth since 2016
• Young Adult Center est. 2016
Youth &
Leadership
“
Ariel National Center for Leadership Development

7. Kfir Moyal was just
10 years old when he began
programming computers from his
family home in Ariel. Now, he’s a
start-up powerhouse.
Kfir and a childhood friend began
his first company, Cyhawk Ventures,
in 2001 – and since then, he has
founded several multi-million dollar
companies. Kfir Moyal has become
known for 15 years of experience in
the technology field, for his start-up
expertise, and for his ability to build
companies and grow them to their
full potential.
In February, Kfir made a major
Innovation
exit from his start-up company
from Ariel during the opening
ceremony for Ariel’s Young Adult
Center.
Entrepreneurs like Kfir bring the
world of Israel’s entrepreneur
culture to the Israeli heartland.
Now,withtheopeningoftheField
Center for Entrepreneurship,
we look forward to guiding
more young innovators from
the heart of Samaria – through
a combination of innovative
programming, unique
mentorship opportunities, and a
partnershipwithArielUniversity.
hIGHLIGHTS:
• Community Television Studio opened 1996;
renovated and equipped, 2001
• “Smart City” project, 1998-2008
• Ariel Center for Communications and Educational
Networking Technology (ACCENT) est. 1998
• Good News Radio station est. 2000
• Hydroelectric Science Park at the Bernard Milken
Elementary School, 2001
• “Young Entrepreneurs” program, 2002
• “A laptop for every teacher” program, 2007-2011
• Wine and Vine Research Vineyard at Ariel
University est. 2014
• Field Center for Entrepreneurship est. 2016
• Supporting the Ariel Student Village since 2016
Kfir Moyal (on Right)

8. Ariel’s Emergency Medical
Center continues to thrive since its
2015 grand opening – and patient
satisfaction is sky-high.
Over 2,000 people have visited the
center during the first half of 2016,
with an average of 410 patients per
month.
Patients have given the center an
average rating of 9/10 in feedback
reports – ranking it high for patient
friendliness, efficiency, and service
among all of the emergency care
centers in Israel.
The success is just one of many
AFA has helped engender in Ariel
throughout 25 years of service.
Another project, the Child
Development Center (CDC), grew
from a small clinic for child welfare
in 1991 – with a handful of patients
Medical
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Funding the regional Child Development Center since 1991
• Emergency First Aid Center est. 1992
• Optometry clinic est. 1993
• Mobile ICU donated 1993
• Howard and Esther Rabinowitz Magen David Adom (MADA)
Center est. 1999
• Ariel Emergency Medical Center est. 2015
• Braman Regional Emergency Medical Center to open in 2020
- to a bustling full-scale
clinic now situated at
Ariel University. The
clinic now averages
1,200 appointments
per month - 14,400
appointments per year
– and demand keeps
growing.
These programs will
coalesce into a larger
medicine and health
facility already under
construction at the Ariel
University Campus.
As always, we look
forward to keeping
dedicated friends
informed of upcoming
developments.
While we look back on 25 years
and celebrate Ariel’s progress, some developments
came to be under less-than-ideal circumstances.
In 2010, the Mount Carmel Fire decimated Israel.
44 people died; 17,000 were evacuated; and 12,000
acres were damaged. The tragedy shook Israelis to
the core and raised awareness about fire safety.
Amidst the shock, Faith Bible Chapel stepped in to
make sure Ariel’s dedicated firefighters are well-
equipped and can handle anything that might face
them. We thank FBC for their true friendship –
stepping in to help when the people of Ariel need
it most.
Emergency
Services
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Support for terror victims, 1991-2003
• Packaged meals for IDF soldiers, Second
Intifada, 2000
• Bulletproof vans donated for safe
transportation, Second Intifada, 2002
• Assisted the rebuilding of the Eshel
HaShomron Hotel after terror attacks,
2002-2003
• Firefighter’s equipment updated, 2011
Ribbon-cutting Ceremony at the New Medical Center

9. Over the years, we have
seen thousands of immigrants call
Ariel home. After arriving from the
Former Soviet Union (FSU) to France to
the US – and everything in between --
immigrants have played a central role in
the city’s success. While we have helped
10,000 immigrants integrate into Israeli
society, immigrants have also helped us
make Ariel a better place. It’s a lesson
we here at American Friends of Ariel
learned from Sylvia and Jerry Dortz,
who made Aliyah directly to Ariel from
New York in 1995 and immediately
began to volunteer for American
Friends of Ariel. They had been recently
retired, and they wanted to come home
to the Land of Israel to live with their
extended family, the Jewish People.
They knew Ariel would be just right
for them, but they wanted more than
a comfortable and meaningful place to
live. They wanted to make their new
home everything it could be.
“Someone once said to us that you can
retire to Florida and sit in the sun or you
can come to Israel and do something
meaningful with your life,” the couple
said in a 2007 article in Shalom Ariel.
Immigration
“We feel that the most
meaningful thing we have
done was to plant our
feet in Ariel and be part of
the growth of this young,
vibrant city.”
Sadly, Jerry passed away
five years ago. Sylvia was
left on her own, but she
would not allow herself
to be lonely. She pursued
their previously shared
commitment to the
success of Ariel’s residents
by continuing with her
volunteerwork.Weekafter
week, month after month,
year after year, Sylvia
continued to light up the
Ariel Development Fund
office with a sincere smile,
an encouraging remark
and an unrelenting spirit.
We said “shalom” to Sylvia
earlier this year – but her
and Jerry’s contributions
continue to play an active
role in Ariel’s successes.
hIGHLIGHTS:
• Support for new immigrants since 1991
• “First Sabra” program 1992-2003
• Shir Balev Choir est. 1994
• Ariel Aliyah program, 2007-2011
SYLVIA & JERRY

10. SPORTS,
PARKS &
RECREATION
CULTURE
JEWISH LIFE
& HERITAGE

11. In 2010, the Ariel Regional
Center for the Performing Arts
opened its doors.
No one was more excited for the
grand opening than Mayor Ron
Nachman, who had watched and
waited for this day for over 20 years.
“Being active is my rest,” he told
Channel 2 reporters ceremony from
his hospital bed in Petach Tikva, as
he underwent chemotherapy that
morning. “If I’m not active I feel that
I’m not really alive.”
Hours later, an emotional Nachman
madetheShehechiyanublessing-the
blessing over newness that thanks
G-d for living to see the moment -
over the Performing Arts Center at
its grand opening. He received its
first standing ovation.
Culture
hIGHLIGHTS:
• Support for Ariel dance troupes since 1992
• Ariel Artists’ Center opened 1995
• Ariel Municipal Library, est. 1996
• Milken Cultural Center opened 1996
• Ariel Regional Center for the Performing Arts
opened 2010
Ariel Regional Center for the Performing Arts

12. TheideawasbornduringtheSecond
Intifada. In the early 2000s, attacks on Jews across
Israel and around the world left many wondering
whether they would be able to return home safely
at night – especially Israelis living in Judea, Samaria,
and Jerusalem.
Much of Ariel’s residents then, as today, work in the
Tel Aviv metropolitan area and commuted despite
the dangers. They, like many Israelis, needed a
place to relax and focus on daily life during the most
difficult of times. And so the question was raised:
Why should Ariel residents have to commute to go
to the gym?
Planning of the complex began in 2002, alongside
plans for the city’s sprawling Jabotinsky Park. While
the Intifada trailed off just a few years later, building
for the complex kicked into high gear. Tennis courts,
a gift from our generous friend Victoria Hearst,
opened that year; the Rosa Herbst Fitness Center
opened in 2003.
Six years after planning began, the Lowell Milken
Family Sports and Recreation Complex in its entirety
opened its doors in 2008 – and the rest has been
history. Countless friends and supporters played
Sports,
Parks &
Recreation critical roles with significant donations to make this
solely donor-funded initiative a reality.
Thousands of people use the center to take classes,
get fit, sit and have coffee with friends, or go for a
swim every day – and it is a staple of student life
that brings university students into Ariel proper.
Now, due to Ariel’s rising population and the
Center’s skyrocketing popularity, we look forward
to expanding the facility in the near future.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Building playgrounds since 1991
• Dutch flower gardens est. 1991
• Betty Oaks Memorial Vineyard dedicated 1997
• Brenda Wygant Memorial Vineyard dedicated
2001
• Mini-golf center since 2001
• Hearst Tennis Courts est. 2002
• Rosa Herbst Fitness Center est. 2003
• Jabotinsky Park completed 2007
• Lowell Milken Family Sports and Recreation
Complex opened in 2008
• Moriah gymnasium to be completed in 2018
Hearst Tennis Courts

13. Mayor Ron Nachman (1942-2013),
the pioneering Mayor of the City of Ariel, succeeded in
establishing and developing the city against challenging
odds.
He was first called upon by the Israeli government in
1973 to mobilize a group of families who would come to
a barren hilltop in the heart of Samaria. Nachman went
from house to house, parlor meeting to parlor meeting, to
find Israel’s true pioneers.
Nachman dedicated his life to Ariel — heading the nucleus
of founders in 1978 and serving as mayor from 1985 to his
passing in 2013. He had built up a booming city of 20,000
residents and 15,000 students from next to nothing – just
40 families, one generator.
Today, 38 years after Ariel was founded, the Ron Nachman
Legacy Center and Ariel Pioneers Museum brings the
vision, history, and legacy of Nachman and the city’s
founders to the next generation.
Dedicated in January, the Center includes Nachman’s
gravesite, facing the city he loved and nurtured; an
amphitheater; a stand with audio playback with Ron’s life
story and Ariel’s history; and a Museum with Ariel’s story
told in photos.
The site overlooks Ariel – the city these intrepid families
built – and is situated next to the Ariel National Center
for Leadership Development. The goal: to bring the past
into the present – and connect Ariel’s incredible ability to
thrive, a microcosm of the Jewish people’s resilience, with
the city’s and the nation’s future.
Jewish Life
& Heritage
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Providing Bar and Bat Mitzvah training since 1991
• “Passover pledge” project and communal Passover Seder
since 1991
• Renovating synagogues since 1992
• Funding Ariel Municipal Bible Quiz since 1994
• Ohel Yosef Synagogue est. 1997
• World War II Veterans Memorial est. 2000
• Annual Hanukkah party for Ariel teens est. 2000
• Funding the Samaria Regional Bible Quiz since 2002
• Holocaust and Heroism Memorial Museum est. 2003
• Shvut Ariel expansion completed 2016
• Rambam Synagogue building completed 2016
• Ron Nachman Legacy Center and Ariel Pioneers Museum
established 2016
Ron Nachman Legacy Center & Ariel Pioneers' museum

14. celebrating 25 years of friendshIp
& looking forward to many more years of
NEW OPPPORTUNITIES
NEW
LANDMARKS
&nEW fACES

15. Since 1991, American
Friends of Ariel (AFA) has become
a leading force for the City of Ariel.
AFA’s mission is threefold:
• To develop resources for, renew,
and maintain humanitarian
projects in Ariel in the fields
of education, social welfare,
immigrant absorption, culture,
health and religion;
• To educate and provide
information about the City of Ariel
to visitors, foreign press, and the
general public;
• To establish relationships and
partnerships with a domestic and
international cadre of supporters–
and to work together for a brighter,
better future in Ariel.
AFA activities have enabled the
City of Ariel to provide its residents
with vital programs, services, and
facilities for a better quality of life.
The programs and buildings in
these pages have touched the lives
of Ariel residents of all ages and
backgrounds, and your support
continues to pave a smooth path for
the city’s continuing growth.
About
American
Friends of
Ariel
American Friends of Ariel
P.O. Box 880714
Boca Raton, FL 33488 USA
info@friendsofariel.org
www.friendsofariel.org