A New Year, A New Start

We are excited to welcome Elad Metsuyanim to the team as our new Executive Director!

Elad was born and raised in Ariel, and studied in the local elementary, middle, and high schools.  After fulfilling his military service as a combat sergeant, he returned to Ariel for his Bachelors Degree in Economics and Business management. Wanting to diversify his education, Elad also completed his Masters Degree in Law at Bar Ilan University.

Elad comes to us from his position as the Chief of Staff for Mayor Eli Shaviro. This role put him as the right hand man to the mayor, a position he hopes to continue to fulfill but from a different standpoint. During his employment with the municipality, Elad was able to become familiar with every aspect of city life. From the “down and dirty” like garbage collection and sewage, all the way up to education and urban development. He knows the ins and the outs of how to get things done here and we are certain that will bring tremendous value to our organization.

Elad looks forward to transitioning from seeing things from the side of the city to seeing things from the side of the people – yet working hand in hand with both.

Some of the things that Elad would like to put more focus on here at the Friends of Ariel are:

1. To reach new audiences: We look forward to strengthening our connections with our current friends and supporters while putting just as much emphasis on reaching out to new audiences; in the United States, Australia, Europe, and Israel.

2. To reach out to the residents of Ariel by interacting with and listening to them in order to understand better the needs of the people. We would like to get them more involved in the planning of, fundraising for, and ultimately benefiting from Friends of Ariel projects.

3. To connect the people to the supporters by way of fundraising together and more personal updates.

One last point that we would like to emphasize in regards to Elad, and we have already seen it in his short time since starting here – he brings innovation to the table. Always.

Innovation is about asking WHY. Not just what do we do and how do we do it, but why are things done this way and how can we make them better?

Let’s not be afraid to shake things up a bit!