We’re back from our grand tour of the eastern and southern US with our Celebrate Ariel Performance Troupe in honor of Ariel’s 40th anniversary! Our delegation of teen performers, Mayor Eli Shaviro, and American Friends of Ariel (AFA) Executive Director Avi Zimmerman had a blast meeting our dedicated supporters and making new friends.
We kicked off our two-week tour with a set of back-to-back performances in Silver Spring, MD. We began with a spectacular evening show at the Silver Spring Jewish Center on November 8, with a lively local crowd — who loved the teens so much they asked us to come back for an impromptu encore performance the next day. We had a great time!
After a meaningful Shabbat in Brooklyn, NY, we were all fired up for our Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) Annual Gala Dinner performance in Manhattan on November 12. Our singers gave a special performance for an appreciative crowd. We thank the ZOA for inviting us to be a part of their annual dinner and for giving our singers an extra opportunity to perform.
From New York, we quickly headed south to Texas for three grand dinners and performances in Tyler, Dallas, and Fort Worth from November 13-15. We thank Billy Hibbs of Tyler for throwing a first-class event in his home — and the continued dedication and special friendship of Dallas Friends of Ariel for filling the Belo Mansion with friends, both old and new, and providing spectacular hosting for our delegation in the Lone Star state.
In Fort Worth, we were especially humbled by both a gift of the key to the city from Mayor Betsy Price and the hospitality of the Eagle Mountain International Church for featuring us in their services – and televising it! Special thanks to Pastor George Pearsons, Mary Kurth, and the EMIC team for making this opportunity a reality.
After our whirlwind tour in Texas, we headed to Florida for a multi-partner mega-event at the Aventura-Turnberry Jewish Center in the Miami area, performances at the Krop Senior High School, and a special Shabbat in Boca Raton. Special thanks to the ATJC and our partners – Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI) South Florida, the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), the South Florida chapter of the ZOA, the Israeli Youth Parliament, and the Israeli American Council Florida chapter for pulling off our Thursday night performance. And we can never forget the enthusiasm of our Krop Senior High School audience! Mayor Shaviro also received a key to the city of Surfside – we look forward to our continued relationship with the Surfside community in the future.
We ended the tour with performances in Birmingham, Alabama, and our sister city, Mobile, Alabama. We began our Alabama leg with a warm welcome from the Birmingham community – thanks for making us feel like all-stars! We then gave a fantastic performance at Temple Emanu-El, backed by the support of our longtime Birmingham friends.
In Mobile, we ended the events tour with a two-part VIP reception and performance at two different locations across our sister city – and with a special send-off from Mayor Sandy Stimpson, who declared November 21 “Ariel Day.” We look forward to seeing Mayor Stimpson during a visit to Ariel in the future!
[srizonfbalbum id=10]