We had a wonderful event with Israeli Orthodox Jew and founder of Root Source, Gidon Ariel.
It was a live intimate conversation between Gidon and his close Christian friend and partner, Texan Bob O’Dell, about various topics of interest: Israel; relationships between Christians and Jews and where its all headed; Judea & Samaria; Netanyahu and the Likud party; Trump’s recent declaration about Jerusalem and the UN response; Jewish life; and Jewish views on the world.
Gidon and Bob have been working together daily for four years at Root Source and in their many private conversations have touched on just about every topic you can imagine. They look forward to letting you listen in on some of their fast-paced dialogue, and will fold in your questions along the way.
Who is Gidon Ariel?
Gidon Ariel is the co-founder and CEO of Root Source. Gidon made Aliyah (immigration to the Holy Land) to Israel in 1978 at age 14, and spent close to a decade in advanced Jewish studies institutes (Yeshivas) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Raised as an Orthodox Jew and still an observant Jew, Gidon has kept Jewish traditions his entire life. Quite unexpectedly, in 2005, he felt a personal call from Hashem (God) to begin to reach out to Christians in friendship and to bless and educate them about Jewish life and thought and insights about the Hebrew Scriptures. After spending a lot of time working with Christian individuals and organizations in Israel and around the world, Gidon came to see that the Jewish concern about getting “too friendly with Christians” is largely unfounded. He sees God calling upon Jews and Christians to come together in relationships, and to find ways to work together based on the truth of the Bible.
Gidon lives in Judea, just a few miles outside of Hebron, near the site where Abraham argued with God about saving the cities where Lot was residing. Besides being CEO of Root Source, Gidon teaches Jewish Prayer and the Leadership of Moses on Root Source. Gidon co-authored with Bob O’Dell the recent books Israel FIRST! and Jubilee NOW!
Who is Bob O’Dell?
Bob O’Dell is a non-Jewish Christian, former high-tech executive with Motorola and Wintegra. He has worked with Israeli Jews for over 25 years, visiting Israel frequently since 1990. Bob founded Root Source with Gidon Ariel to promote Gidon’s vision of Israeli Jews teaching Christians worldwide. Bob has been changed—and his perspective of his Jewish roots has changed—through direct contact with Israeli Jews such as Gidon and other Root Source teachers and their study of the Hebrew Scriptures. An astronomy enthusiast for more than 35 years, Bob was the first to reveal that the March 20, 2015 Total Solar Eclipse shadow would cross the North Pole for two minutes at sunrise on the first day of spring for the first time in recorded history. Gidon and Bob jointly called for a worldwide two minutes of prayer that “the earth would be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isa.11:9). Bob attends an evangelical church in Austin, Texas. He sees Jewish teaching as a way of enriching his understanding of his own Christianity. Bob co-authored with Gidon Ariel the recent books Israel FIRST! and Jubilee NOW!