Ari Fuld, a Fighter for Israel in Life and in Death

Fuld moved to Israel in the early 1990s. He studied in a yeshiva and served in the Israeli army. He grew up in Riverdale, New York, and studied at SAR Jewish Day School there, where he father served as principal.

His childhood friend, Avi Abelow, moved to Israel at the same time. Both men settled in Efrat, a suburban community south of Jerusalem, with a large American émigré population. They lived on the same street, sat next to one another at synagogue every day, and raised their children together.

Both men also devoted their lives and careers to defending Israel against hostile media coverage on social media and other platforms. Fuld was about to embark on a world speaking tour when he was murdered.

Speaking with apparent shock at the sudden loss of his closest friend, Abelow said Sunday afternoon, “Every day we sat next to each other at synagogue. Every day we’d talk about what we were doing to advocate for Israel. Ari was committed to what he referred to as ‘changing the narrative about Israel.’”

“He always called out the media for their lies. He emphasized always that the Jews are the indigenous people in this land. He had a meme he would post over and over again. It was a picture of the Western Wall and the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock Mosque above it. He circled the Western Wall and wrote that it was below the mosque because it was built first. The Jews were here first.

“Ari’s was a unique and big voice for Israel on social media. He had a very in-your-face style. He called people out as liars forcefully. He had live video feeds from Jerusalem’s Old City – virtual live video tours of the Old City. He also broadcast from Hebron. In Hebron, two weeks ago he went up to the TIPH volunteers [Temporary International Presence in Hebron] and got them to admit that they aren’t neutral.