Team “Lions of Tzion” (Run4Ari) will run in the Jerusalem Winner International Marathon on Friday, March 15, 2019, in collaboration with The ARI FULD Project and Standing Together, to keep the late Ari Fuld’s mission alive. The team’s name recalls the name “Ari” (Lion in Hebrew).
The Jerusalem Winner International Marathon invites participants to run through the holy city’s 3,000 years of history. How fitting is it, then, that Ari Fuld’s team will run in the modern, democratic Jewish state of Israel, through the streets of the old city and on the sacred hills which Ari fought for, every day of his life.
Ari Fuld dedicated his life to Israel and the Jewish people. He fought for the truth, with daily live video broadcasts that cited facts in confronting individuals who attacked Israel.
He exposed the lies of hostile activists and the media, despite the unceasing attempts to shut him down on Facebook.
He also used videos to teach Torah, living and breathing the ideal of the people of Israel living in the land of Israel according to the Torah of Israel.
In that spirit, Ari’s life was also about unbound giving – whether it be helping Jews or Arabs; and tirelessly serving the organization Standing Together, which assists IDF soldiers in need, laboring to make the world a better place.
The story of Ari Fuld’s transformation from an already remarkable individual into a heroic figure began in the summer of 2006, when he was called up to fight in the war in Lebanon as a reservist. He left his family and fought up north, until the war ended and his unit was ordered to return to Israel.
Speaking to the Jewish Journal a few years later, Ari recalled:
“We trekked back to Israel all night long. We hadn’t eaten anything, we hadn’t slept. When we arrived at the border, we literally collapsed. We felt so alone, and the IDF said they couldn’t pick us up because they were scared of missile fire, so they told us to walk. We just couldn’t move, we had no energy left, so we collapsed.”
He continued: “Then we heard a motor coming. There was a jeep with a trailer, driving up from the Israeli side. On the top of the jeep was written ‘We love the IDF!’ and we were rubbing our eyes.”
“A guy got out and said in Hebrew, ‘Welcome home! What do you need?’ The group answered that they needed food and water. He goes back into the trailer and starts pulling out juice, water, soda, sandwiches and chocolate. I will never forget that chocolate!”
The man in the trailer was Rami Landau, who today runs the organization Standing Together. His father, David, started the organization to be there for soldiers whenever they were needed.
“We felt so alone until that guy came to the border, and we wanted people to understand that the men and women of the IDF are keeping us safe,” Ari said.
A few years later, David Landau called Ari and asked if he would help run his organization. Ari accepted the offer on the spot.
This became Ari’s life, until September 16, 2018, when he was shopping at a local supermarket and a savage 16-year-old terrorist stabbed him, severing his main artery. Miraculously, Ari found the energy to chase the terrorist and shoot at him, attracting the attention of a fellow Israeli who helped neutralize the murderer. Ari’s final act on earth was to save others from a homicidal monster. Ari died shortly thereafter.
Ari’s last project was to raise $300,000 to purchase a ten-ton hospitality truck, fitted with pizza ovens, refrigerators and additional equipment for Standing Together, in order to expand the group’s capabilities in supporting IDF soldiers.
One of the ways Standing Together and The ARI FULD Project are working to complete Ari Fuld’s final act of kindly giving is to publicize it through Team Lions of Tzion’s participation in the March 15 Jerusalem Marathon.
The funds raised through this effort will go to purchasing Ari’s dream, and the remainder will be used to fund The ARI FULD Project.
Ari’s widow, Miriam Fuld, has created The ARI FULD Project, a center dedicated to the memory and mission of Ari Fuld HY’D, spreading his message through learning and activism.
The Ari Fuld Project will establish a physical center with conference and classroom facilities and a visitor’s center. An annotated archive of Ari’s videos will be available for downloading online, to be used by scholars as well as interested visitors. Ari’s teachings will be published in book format, comprising edited and annotated transcripts of Ari’s weekly Parsha videos, his live video reports and his blog posts, alongside his published articles.
The project will offer scholarships for academic research of Ari’s teachings. A Think Tank will be established to debate and issue policy positions. A fund will be created to assist pro-Israel activists and finance worthy projects in the spirit of Ari’s life’s work.
The project will organize tours of Israel to disseminate Ari’s messages on Israel and Judaism. The project’s Center will offer classes teaching the art of speaking and debating pro-Israel positions in today’s media environments.
The marathon team organizers are Ari’s nephew Eli Fuld and Yacov Segal.
Our personal message to the readers, “We felt this would be a wonderful way to raise money for this incredible cause, in memory of such a hero of the Jewish people. We hope you will join us.”
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