July 30, 2013
A delegation from the San Antonio church community in Texas visited Ariel on July 30 to round out their study tour of Israel led by Pastors Scott Heare and Adam Schindler of Riverside Community Church.
They started off at the Ariel National Center for Leadership Development, which was modeled after the JH Ranch in California, to foster teamwork, leadership, and self-empowerment through physically challenging obstacles and Biblical narrative.
At the ANCLD, the delegation simulated the Israelites crossing the Jordan River into the Land of Israel through the Odyssey course which has participants suspended on ropes, working together to reach their destination without falling. Acting as Joshua, Pastor Adam led the group into the “land” with his ingenuity, quick-thinking, and leadership.
They were treated to a special introduction to Ariel with a delicious homemade lunch at the home of Dorith Nachman, wife of the late Founding Mayor Ron Nachman. From her table at one of the first permanent homes built in Ariel, Dorith regaled them with stories of the tough beginnings at Ariel, when the pioneers lived in tents and off generators. She answered many questions about the founding and aims of Ariel.
The group then got to see coexistence in action at the Lipsky plastics factory at the Barkan industrial park, which employs both regional Arabs and Israelis. They paid a quick visit to the
Ariel Regional Center for Performing Arts, a state-of-the-art theater showcasing the best of Israeli and world culture. Connecting with his theatrical flair, Pastor Adam left the hall singing.
The delegation got a rare peek into the new Ariel University campus synagogue, built on the first floor of the majestic library now under construction. Campus rabbi, Rabbi Hillel Maizels, likened Israel to a developing construction site that thrives on ingenuity, creativity, and aspiration.
But along with feeling hopeful for the Jewish future in Ariel, the delegation experienced the
Jews’ tragic past with a visit with Irena Wodislavksy at the Ariel Holocaust and Heroism Museum that she founded with her late husband, Kuba.
Irena was eager to usher them into Kuba’s study for an exclusive peek at a rare document she found among a collection she and her late husband painstakingly amassed. It was an official Nazi document sealing the fate of a Jew with an actual Gestapo stamp. As always, Irena touched the group with the story of her own survival and her life’s mission to tell the stories of those who can’t tell them anymore.
The group finished the day with lighthearted play at The Oraita teenage clubhouse that instills Ariel youth with Jewish values through meaningful activities and social interactions. Pastors Scott and Adam proved no match for the teenagers at pool and ping pong.
But in Ariel, they realized that everyone is a winner and that a vision for a strong Israel rooted in Biblical values is one worth visiting, living, and realizing.