The Ari Fuld Project announced on Wednesday the official launch of the Ari Fuld Fellowship Program, in partnership with Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh, which is the Yeshiva were Ari Fuld z”l taught and learned at.
Ari Fuld was a popular pro-Israel activist, defender of Israel and teacher. He was murdered by a terrorist in Gush Etzion, just days before Yom Kippur in 2018. The Ari Fuld Project was established to disseminate Ari’s teachings and ideology.
The Fellowship program is designed to help build a next generation of Jews who will be familiar with Ari’s teachings and ideology and live those teachings and spread that knowledge.
Two students from Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh, Akiva Galamidi (Shana Aleph), and Johnathan Boxer (Shana Bet), were selected as the first two Fellows in the program. Over the past few months, they have been watching, transcribing and editing transcripts from Ari’s Grill and Torah parsha videos and learning more about Ari and his teachings.
The Fellowship Program has granted them scholarships towards their yeshiva tuition, thanks to a donor who asked that he remain anonymous.
Their project is being overseen by Benjy Lamm, the Shana Bet Madrich at Netiv Aryeh. Partnership relations is being overseen by Rabbi Dani Bader also of Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh.
On Sunday, the members of the Fellowship program met with Ari’s widow Miriam Fuld and Rav Aharon Bina, the Rosh Yeshiva of YNA.
In their meeting with Miriam, the students described to Miriam some of what they’ve learned so far from and about Ari, and how they’ve grown from working on this project.
Both Fellows had met Ari in the past. Johnathan Boxer did his Bar Mitzvah Chesed project with Ari Fuld, raising money to buy tactical gloves for an IDF army unit. Akiva Galamidi, who made Aliyah in 2015, first met Ari at a self-defense class which Ari was teaching in Israel.
Rav Bina told Miriam that “No one can replace Ari and Klal Yisrael needs Ari,” and he hopes this Fellowship program will help “build generations that know and live Ari’s teachings.”
Benjy Lamm said, “Ari’s perspective on life and Torah was insightful, eye opening and so unique, and his legacy and values live on currently through those who knew him, and to be able to take part in spreading it to Am Yisrael is a zechut and honor.”
Rabbi Dani Bader said, “Having known Ari personally it is my pleasure to bring joy to his family and enable future students to be inspired by all that Ari was and all that he stood for. This partnership is a legacy for Ari and a true honor for Netiv Aryeh.”
It was very moving when Johnathan and Akiva told over to Miriam some of the life lessons and advice they picked up from learning and transcribing Ari’s teaching.
