B’nai Brith Canada Walks Forward with the City of Ariel

May 22, 2013

“And people call Ariel a ‘settlement’?” remarked Frank Dimant, the CEO of B’nai Brith Canada while leading the B’nai Brith delegation into Ariel’s Center for the Performing Arts. So impressed was he by the beauty of the facility, he gathered the delegation of the dozen B’nai Brith visitors for a group portrait in the velvet chairs to challenge their international constituents with the question: “Where was this picture taken?”

While Frank was well-acquainted with Mayor Ron Nachman (z”l) and his vision for a city in the heart of Samaria, this was a first visit to Ariel for most of the group, and it assisted them in understanding, as Frank was keen to point out, that Ariel defies stereotypes of Jewish communities in Judea & Samaria as isolated, primitive, illegal “outposts.”

A drive through Ariel and Ariel University illustrated the remarkable development it has undergone in the past few years as the hub of Samaria, offering every major municipal, educational, recreational, and social service to its diverse residents and beyond.

Dorith Nachman, Ron’s widow, greeted the group at the Ariel National Center for Leadership Development (ANCLD), where Ron is buried atop a hill overlooking the city, demonstrating how Ariel is poised as a place where Zionist leaders are born and bred. The Center was, sadly, the last major dream project that Ron did not get to see to completion. While many of the obstacle courses designed to build teamwork and leadership have been completed, the Center’s full-fledged vision is still in the process of materializing.

We are pleased that our B’nai Brith guests they were inspired by the City of Samaria’s trailblazing Zionism. And we are proud that they will carry on as Ariel’s new ambassadors, not only for B’nai Brith but all of Canada.