The Ron Nachman Legacy Center and Ariel Pioneers Museum was dedicated on Sunday, named after the late founding mayor of Ariel, Ron Nachman, who passed away three years ago after a lengthy battle with cancer.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Science and Technology Ofir Akunis, Immigrant Absorption Minister Ze'ev Elkin, Deputy Defense Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan and MK Nurit Koren.
The new center was made possible thanks to generous donors from members of the American Friends of Ariel organization, who wished to remain anonymous. The donation made it possible for the center to open just one year after the cornerstone was laid.
“We’re celebrating all that [Nachman] did, all that the pioneers of Ariel did and the fact that Ariel is alive and well and continuing under the leadership of Mayor Eliyahu Shaviro,” said Avi Zimmerman, Executive Director of the American Friends of Ariel.
Zimmerman noted how Ariel has withstood boycott attempts in the framework of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and pointed out how just recently BDS suffered a defeat when the University of Ariel won a lawsuit against the Spanish government.
“We don’t suggest that the BDS is a good idea, but if it does rear its head, we’re prepared for that,” he stressed.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Akunis said, "What is common to Tel Aviv, Ness Ziona and Ariel - cities that are milestones in the life of the late Ron Nachman - is that they are the fulfillment of the Zionist dream. Turning barren hills into cosmopolitan cities. From here I say to the EU Ministers: No decision you can make will get rid of us...You should learn from history and be ashamed. We are here to stay."