July 14, 2013
Ariel’s remarkable growth over the decades to include Israel’s newest university, an industrial complex, a state-of-the-art performing arts center, and a community sports and recreations center has made Ariel a popular destination for diverse groups: Israel advocates, Israel critics, students, journalists, politicians and diplomats, clergy, businessmen and artists. It is the first stop for almost anyone seeking to cross the “green line” to gain a better understanding of the entire region as well as to witness a Zionist dream in the making. Given the growing interest of tourist and groups, American Friends of Ariel hosted a group of 15 tour guides from all over the country on July 14, 2013 to showcase the city’s treasures in the fields of education, industry, culture, and social action.
Of course, as tour guides, we showed them where tourists to Samaria often choose to stay. The Eshel HaShomron hotel fits right into the ancestral Jewish heartland with its
Biblical themes, reflected by its large murals of Biblical landscapes, a Biblical garden, and replicas of Temple objects, including a full-scale replica of the Tabernacle.
The Biblical theme continued with a visit with Prof. Yishai Netzer of Ariel University who is conducting studies on the composition of vineyards and grapes in Biblical times through field work and analysis of Biblical and Talmudic texts. The tour guides gathered in a control room located in a vineyard where experiments into the makeup of grapes and wine provide insight into the culture of winemaking in the region millennia ago. Fast forward to modern times, the group toured the School of Communications with Eyal Boers, head of the Film/TV track, and got a peek inside the state-of-the-art studios where students are producing films that compete in the most prestigious film festivals.
We visited the Ariel and Barkan industrial parks to learn about coexistence between Jews and Palestinian Arabs in Samaria, with both populations working together peacefully and under equal conditions at Israeli companies.
The group was particularly moved by Holocaust survivor Irena Wodislovsky’s tour of the
museum she built with her late husband in their home: The Holocaust and Heroism Memorial Museum. This Ariel landmark provides a deeply personal Holocaust education experience set against the revival of the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland.
The Ariel Regional Center for Performing Arts serves as the seat of culture in Samaria, with the best of Israel’s theater and dance companies making their way here. We also toured the Ariel National Center for Leadership Development which has become an increasingly popular tourist spot for its exhilarating team development experiences through challenging obstacle courses against a majestic backdrop.
We look forward to welcoming them back to the marvel that is Ariel, along with their groups.
