Today we celebrate.

The first day of Hanukah is a time for us to consider just why the City of Ariel is so important. The message of witnessing miracles “in those days, and in these times” resonates with us. To fully appreciate why, we need to take a look at the greatest challenge that Israel faces today.

Yes, Iran is building up a nuclear program that threatens Israel and the entire free world. True, the so-called “international community” consistently attempts to find fault in Israel. Indeed, Prime Minister Netanyahu is condemned by the United Nations for building homes for Jews in our ancestral homeland. The list goes on and on. But there is an even more profound challenge that we face.

The greatest danger that we face today is the transformation of Zionists into Israel’s greatest adversaries. It’s sad but true. As time goes on we see the impact of the anti-Israel propaganda campaign hitting harder and harder. For the first time, growing numbers of Jews are proud to be critical of Israel. They are fed not only by the general anti-Israel media bias, but by a small but vocal group of extreme leftwing Israelis who fight Israel from within. Politicians such as Yossi Beilin, who cannot influence Israeli politics due to lack of domestic support, opt to apply international pressure on Israel through foreign governments and organizations. Our greatest challenge is our very own people.

As opposed to other holidays when we celebrate the survival of the Jewish Nation, on Hanukah we celebrate the survival of the Jewish soul. The Greeks waged a spiritual war against the Jews, attempting to strip us of our culture and our faith. The Greeks were extremely successful, with significant numbers of Hellenist Jews adopting the Greek culture and its anti-Israel perspective. Ultimately, it was a small group of Jews who successfully resisted the Greek Empire. Their message was simple; the spirit of the Jewish People cannot be extinguished. Our light will live on, forever.

As disturbing as it is to see just how many have fallen into the anti-Israel camp, be reassured that there are people in Israel with a proud Jewish spirit. Everything that we have built in Ariel – and everything that we continue to build– proclaims the success of Zionism. From immigrant absorption to education, from culture to youth development and from community health to regional stability, every element of life in Ariel is enhanced and enriched with a sense of purpose. Whoever visits Ariel is infused with sincere pride in the Zionist Enterprise – and for good reason. Ariel is a reminder to all that the Jewish spirit is alive and well, and it will never fall prey to the empires of the world that choose to undermine it.

I invite you to celebrate with us. I am extremely appreciative of our many friends, both Jews and Christians, who walk with us and lend us encouragement. Now, during this holiday season, I want you to be inspired. Every time you think about Ariel, be proud. Think of what you have done and will do in partnership with us. Let that sense of pride grown within you. Let it motivate you as you celebrate this special time with your friends and your family. And don’t forget to tell them about the City of Ariel, where the light shines as strong as ever.

Happy holidays,

Ron Nachman

Mayor of Ariel

Friends of Ariel

Ever since Mike Huckabee’s visit, it seems that the path to the White House runs through Ariel. On Friday, August 26, our friends Jerry and Deborah Strober brought Presidential hopeful Herman Cain and his wife Gloria to the City of Ariel. It was quite the visit.

Herman Cain and Mayor Ron Nachman

Mayor Ron Nachman met the delegation at the Oranit Checkpoint on Highway 5. He opened with explanations regarding the history of the region and a geopolitical background as it relates to current events. From Highway 5 the group took a driving tour through the Ariel and Barkan Industrial Parks, where they were exposed to the success of Israeli industry and the significance of coexistence between Israelis and the Arabs who reside in the region.

The first stop in the residential area of Ariel was the Eshel Hashomron Hotel, where Mr. and Mrs. Cain got a glimpse of Ariel’s position as the tourist’s capital of Samaria. From there the group went to the Ariel National Development Center, where Ariel’s role as a contributing force to the State of Israel became crystal clear.
The Cain’s met a number of Ariel’s residents along the way, including Irena and Kuba Vadislavsky – the Holocaust survivors who run the Ariel Holocaust and Heroism Memorial Museum.

All throughout the visit, as Mr. Cain internalized the centrality of Ariel and it’s national significance, he was dually impressed by Mayor Ron Nachman’s vision and success in establishing a city in the heart of Samaria. A stop at Ariel University Center only served to draw that point home, following an informative tour at some of the Center’s research laboratories.

Shortly after they met, it was obvious that Mr. Cain and Mayor Ron Nachman have quite a lot in common. Amidst conversation they discovered that, in addition to their respective entrepreneurial successes and their bold approach to tending to their nations’ needs in spite of the undesirable elements that may arise in politics, they are both proud and healthy cancer survivors who know the value of life and are doing their best to make the most of it.

Dear Friends,

Before sharing my thoughts on the recent discourse between the Prime Minister of Israel and the President of the United States, I wanted to let you know that I am alive and well, working full force on behalf of the City of Ariel as always. All tests show that the cancer that I fought this past year is long gone. Everything is back to normal – challenges, successes and all.

When putting the recent Washington D.C. speeches in perspective, it’s important to stress the centrality of the U.S. – Israel relationship. As the Middle East and North Africa erupt with ever-growing instability, the mutual interests of the U.S. and Israel become clearer and the ties between us are tightened.

Regarding the speeches themselves, President Obama’s recognition of Israel’s needs for security measures is extremely important. However, beyond rhetoric, what does that commitment amount to? How is Israel expected to defend itself In the face of military attacks and the recent tactic of civilian masses charging our borders? We heard much about international expectations of what Israel has to sacrifice, but nothing about what the international community will do to ensure Israel’s security. This is worrisome.

Prime Minister Netanyahu did an excellent job identifying the issues as they are. In a time when the Arabs try to convince the world that we have no rights to our Land, Prime Minister Netanyahu stressed our biblical connection to the home of our forefathers – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Both houses of Congress rose to their feet repeatedly in support of Israel, as our Prime Minister proudly proclaimed that Israel is our ancestral land – a land which is ours and which we reserve the right to defend as we see fit.

Indeed, watching the overwhelming support for the Prime Minister in Congress reminds us of our friends across America. Whether Jew or Christian – the impact of your unwavering love and active support for Israel echoed across Washington DC and resonated throughout the world. It is astounding and heartwarming to see what you have accomplished. Thank you.

I urge you to be encouraged and steadfast in your commitment to Israel. We hear much of a supposed unilateral attempt at recognition of a Palestinian Authority state. Fear not. No matter what may be in September, Ariel will continue to be strong. The undeniable reality of the City of Ariel will not be undermined by those who wish Israel harm. We have, are and will be here. The world will continue to go round in September, and in October and thereafter. We will continue to do our part, and we know that you will continue to do yours.

In conclusion, Prime Minister Netanyahu has graciously offered the Palestinian Authority an opportunity to declare their recognition of Israel as the Jewish State. If they deny our existence then the problem is theirs and theirs alone. Similarly, the Arabs need to understand that Israel simply will not commit suicide by returning to the pre-1967 armistice lines. The Jewish People will not forfeit our Homeland, only to wait another 2000 years for its rebirth. Everyone – both our friends and our enemies- need to understand that Ariel will continue to be the backbone of Israel’s security. We’re here to stay.

Friends; take pride in Ariel, and in your relationship with this wonderful city. Although wse have much to accomplish we’re well on our way.

Sincerely,

Ron Nachman

Mayor of Ariel

by Maayana Miskin

May 6, 2011

Mayor Ron Nachman

Israel is not an occupier in Judea and Samaria, according to Mayor Ron Nachman of Ariel, who spoke this week with Arutz Sheva’s Hebrew-language news service. If Arabs living in the region are under a form of occupation, the occupier is the Palestinian Authority, he added.

Nachman recently joined several other Israeli leaders in Judea and Samaria in sending a strongly-worded letter to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon arguing on behalf of Jewish and Israeli rights in Judea and Samaria, and against the establishment of a PA state in the region.

International law clearly shows that Israel is not an occupier, Nachman said. He noted that several leading figures in the field of international law have reached the same conclusion.

Israel is not an occupier because Judea and Samaria were never an independent political entity, he explained. Historically this was understood, he said, pointing out that Egypt and Jordan were never referred to as “occupying” Judea, Samaria or Gaza when they controlled those territories between 1949 and 1967. During that time local Arabs did not accuse them of occupation or seek to establish an independent state.

The real occupying power is the Palestinian Authority, which oppresses Arabs in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, denies them rights such as freedom of speech, and steals their money and worsens their lives through corruption, Nachman accused. “They should ask the Palestinian leaders how they got to be multi-millionaires. I remember when they came from Beirut… They took control of everything here,” he said.

The PA itself is proof that Israel is not an occupier, he noted, as the PA operates entirely independently of Israel, with complete freedom to appoint its own leaders, make its own laws, and enforce those laws on residents of areas under its control.

He expressed concern over the PA’s plan to unilaterally declare a state in the entire region of Judea and Samaria, as well as in Gaza and eastern, northern and southern Jerusalem. “The instant they establish a state, they will immediately accuse Jews in Judea and Samaria of invading their state, and it won’t matter that the state was created that day and we were there the day before,” he said.

Israeli politicians must speak strongly on behalf of Israel’s rights, and must openly state that Israel is not an occupying power and has national rights in Judea and Samaria, Nachman said. He called on Ban Ki-Moon and on European leaders to recognize that fact as well.

“The truth must come to light. The truth is that Israel is the state least guilty of occupation. It does not occupy, but is here by right, we have a right to this land, and that is what we must explain. You cannot be the owner and an occupier at the same time,” he declared.

Herb embraced a genuine Zionism which is hard to come by today. As Founder and Chairman of Americans for a Safe Israel, he worked to share his breadth and depth of knowledge concerning the Jewish People and the State of Israel with others. His firm grasp on Jewish history and current events provided him with a clarity of vision and a call to duty.

For me, Herb’s passing is a personal loss. For the Jewish People and the People of Israel, I simply don’t know how the vacuum of his absence can be filled. In an age when reality is replaced by anti-Israel propaganda “narratives”, an era when the delegitmization and isolation of Israel are the norm, and at a time when Israel’s advocates need to be strong and steadfast, we need a true leader who will stand for what is right and encourage others to do the same. We need Herb Zweibon.

May his soul be bound in the ties of life.

Ron Nachman

Mayor of Ariel

Mr. Barack Obama

President of the United States of America

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

USA

Dear President Obama,

Ariel Demands to Grow

I, Ron Nachman, am the elected Mayor of the City of Ariel since its establishment 32 years ago.

Over three decades ago I dreamt of establishing a city in Samaria, in the heartland of the State of Israel. My dream was to create a home for Israeli citizens, replete with education, culture, employment and a high quality of life. My dream has been realized.

The City of Ariel is named after Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem. Approximately 20,000 residents call Ariel home. In addition, the city’s population swells daily, with an influx of 12,000 students that study at the Ariel University Center.

I believe that you and I have a great deal in common. You are a productive person who believes in the value of actions and in those who take action, irrespective of race or creed. I, too, believe in concerted effort and meaningful actions, through which we can achieve our goals. If I would have to choose a motto that could summarize my belief system it would most likely be “yes we can”.

Please allow me to recognize our achievements. Peace is a lofty goal, which we achieve on a daily basis, here in Ariel. We live alongside our neighbors, we share our employment, we share our infrastructure and resources, we make higher education available to all and we conduct ongoing initiatives which successfully demonstrate the successes of a viable co-existence.

Similarly, I would like to recognize the United States’ significant contribution to peace in this region, as well as your personal efforts to achieve a feasible agreement, for which I am very grateful. Having said that, it is my personal belief that we will not achieve a true and lasting peace through negotiations on the White House lawn, rather through human interaction and cooperation amongst neighbors.

Mr. President, I cordially and respectfully invite you to the City of Ariel. I would like you to see with your own eyes the very issues that are currently being discussed, as maps and even photographs fall far too short of capturing reality. Only the land, the people, the views and the environment are capable of presenting the backdrop for creative and, ultimately, successful solutions.

Both of us, Mr. President, are driven with an intense motivation to achieve a lasting peace in the region.

This letter represents my official invitation to you to visit the City of Ariel, as an integral element in our pursuit towards achieving a true solution that will bring and end to the conflict, improved relations with our neighbors and a better future, forever.

Respectfully,

Ron Nachman

Mayor of Ariel

By TOVAH LAZAROFF
01/06/2011 19:59

Ran Nachman tells ‘Post’ he wants US president to see for himself that it is “not a stumbling block for peace.”

Ariel Mayor Ron Nachman has invited US President Barack Obama to visit his settlement and see for himself that it is not a stumbling block for peace.

“All the wisdom is not just in Washington or Jerusalem,” Nachman told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, as he described the letter, which he sent out last week.

Nachman said he hoped such a visit to Ariel, located in Samaria, would shatter the ignorance that exists about the settlements.

His community boasts a university and an industrial park in which thousands of Palestinians work, he said.

In his letter, Nachman told Obama, “Mr. President, I cordially and respectfully invite you to the City of Ariel. I would like you to see with your own eyes the very issues that are currently being discussed, as maps and even photographs fall far too short of capturing reality. Only the land, the people, the views and the environment are capable of presenting the backdrop for creative and, ultimately, successful solutions.”

He added that he believed he had much in common with the American leader.

“If I would have to choose a motto that could summarize my belief system, it would most likely be ‘Yes We Can,’” he wrote. “Both of us, Mr. President, are driven with an intense motivation to achieve a lasting peace in the region.”

The residents of Ariel want to live in peace with their neighbors and in an atmosphere of coexistence and shared resources, the mayor said.

“Peace is a lofty goal, which we achieve on a daily basis, here in Ariel,” Nachman wrote.

A heartwarming video of Ariel’s Mayor Ron Nachman – his victory against overwhelming odds with the opening of his Theater for the Performing Arts, and his new struggle with cancer.