The Founders and the Advisory Board are comprised of Christians and Jews who recognize God's love of Israel and His people. We believe in the ideal of dialogue and reconciliation between two faith communities which believe in God the Almighty, bound together by God's Covenant and the anticipation of redemption. From the Jewish perspective, The Galilean stands as a testament that Israel welcomes the Christian support and commitment to the Holy Land, and it is a means to share their homeland and their Jewish faith. For Christians, the center offers an opportunity to learn about the Jewish foundations of their faith, to gain a deeper understanding of God's Word, and to experience a deep joy while celebrating their faith in Israel. We will enjoy the commonalities of the two faiths, and respect the differences.

The individual programs and facilities of the Galilean Resort  are all combined under one project.  Here we see the synergy between the separate business units, creating something greater than their individual parts, each program feeding and complementing the others. A.D. Galilean Estates purchased the land with the express purpose of developing The Galilean Resort and Campus. It is an Israeli business development company with several goals which also work together to create something larger than itself -- to the benefit of Israel and its people. 

• Mrs. Anne Ayalon, Founder and President, Israel
• Mr. David Zwebner, Founder and Vice President, Israel

The Galilean is endorsed by Jews and Christians around the world:

The Team Bios

Anne Ayalon -

Founder and President

Anne Ayalon is President of A.D. Galilean Estates, whose primary object is to develop the Galilee and educate Christian tourists about Israel and the Jewish faith. Anne is the Director of Hod Ayalon, a private consulting and investment firm, and Founder and President of Friends of Israel Arts, a not-for-profit organization, which promotes Israeli arts in the U.S. as a means for building understanding of Israel through culture.  As the wife of Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. from 2002 through 2006, Anne traveled extensively, lecturing about the realities of Israel, and championing causes that build communication and joint efforts between American and Israeli organizations, in the spheres of culture, and Christian and Jewish interfaith relations. For the past 25 years Anne has been involved primarily in business-to-business marketing and has served in numerous senior management positions in the hi-tech industry prior to founding Springboard, a marketing consulting firm from 1997-2002. A U.S. citizen, she was graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Hotel Management, and holds an MBA from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, specializing in international business. It was her work in the hotel industry with Hilton International that brought her to Israel in 1978, where she lives with her husband and two daughters.

David Zwebner -

Founder and Vice President

David Zwebner is Managing Director of A.D. Galilean Estates. David is the Founder and CEO of Commstock, a commodity trading company since 1981.  He was a founder of a precious metal recycling company, Recycling, Ltd. in  1977, and was the exclusive representative of S&P since 1991 and now of TrackData Corp. in Israel. Among several boards David is on are the Begin Center, Yad Ben Zvi, Beit Sefer Ma'aleh,  and he is the President of his synagogue, Hovevei Zion in Jerusalem.  He still serves in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) for which he volunteered in 1973. Due to his love of Israel, David became a licensed tour guide in Israel, which requires rigorous training in the history and archaeology of the Land, its people, the religions, and the institutions. It is through this study that Dave realized the commonalities of the Christian and Jewish faiths, and the need to stimulate communication through constructive dialogue. An 8th generation Jerusalemite, his grandfather was a member of the first Knesset, and his father was chief rabbi of Rodesia. David was raised in South Africa and Rodesia, and returned to Israel in 1967 to study in Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh, and graduated as a computer systems analyst. An Orthodox Jew, David resides in Jerusalem with his wife, Ronit, and 4 children and 8 grandchildren.

Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin -

Educational Advisor

Internationally-renowned educator, speaker and author Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin's outstanding contributions to Israel and to world Jewry have made him one of the leading voices of today's Modern Orthodox Jewish world. Rabbi Riskin became a major spokesperson for Modern Orthodoxy early on in his career, as the founding rabbi of Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York. During his tenure, the synagogue became renowned for its outreach, educational and social action programs, including his early activism on behalf of Soviet Jewry. Nonetheless, in 1983, at the peak of his professional career, Rabbi Riskin left New York to become the founding chief rabbi of the City of Efrat, in Gush Etzion. Rabbi Riskin is the Chancellor of Ohr Torah Stone Colleges and Graduate Programs, a network of institutions serving over 3,000 students, which he founded in 1983. Ohr Torah Stone has been in the forefront of generating Jewish societal change, charting new educational, legal and social paths in the realms of women's rights within Judaism, bridging gaps between observant and secular Jews, and promoting dialogue between Jews and members of the world's other major religions. He writes a weekly column which is syndicated in newspapers worldwide, and has also published five books.as well as numerous articles and monographs on Judaism and contemporary issues. Rabbi Riskin earned his BA in Greek, Latin, and English Literature from Yeshiva University and his rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. He holds a Masters Degree in Jewish History, and in 1982 he was awarded his Ph.D. from New York University's department of Near Eastern Languages and Literature.The Brooklyn-born Rabbi Riskin has been married to Vicky since 1963; they have four children and fourteen grandchildren, all of whom live in Efrat.

David Nekrutman -

Educational Director

David Nekrutman serves as the Executive Director for The Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding & Cooperation (CJCUC) in Efrat, Israel, leading the first ever orthodox Jewish institution to dialogue with Christians on a religious and theological basis. He has a column for The Jerusalem Post Christian edition and  is a radio personality for Frontpage Jerusalem. Prior to immigrating to Israel, David served four years as the Director of Christian Affairs for the Consulate General of Israel in New York. He was instrumental in the successful launching of The Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, The Israel Experience, The Christian Jerusalem Day Banquet, and The Watchman on the Wall program with Reverend Robert Stearns of Eagles Wings, resulting in millions of Christians praying & supporting Israel and the Jewish people. Before his calling in the field of Jewish-Christian relations, David worked as a Legislative Analyst for the City Council of New York. He received a Bachelors of Arts in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Nekrutman resides in Netanya with his wife and three sons.

Matti  Avshalomov -

Consulting Architect

Avshalomov Architects & City Planning Ltd. is a regarded as one of the leading Architectural firms in Israel, and specializes in hotels and tourism on an international level. It was founded by lead Architect Mattityahu Avshalomov in 1994 following his immigration to Israel from New York where he had earned his degree in architecture. Matti and his design group have created the Mediterranean eclectic style that resonates with the region. He was appointed by the Migdal Regional Board to design the layout and infrastructure, and prepare the zoning regulations for the Migdal frontage along the Sea of Galilee. Avshalomov serves as a senior consultant for the Ministry of Tourism in Israel, and is a lecturer at Ariel University. 

Rodney Sanders -

Hotel Consultant

Rodney Sanders' career spans 35 years within the hotel industry, and now serves as a consultant to select Israeli hotels. Having begun his work in Finance, he has held positions of Financial Controller, Resident Manager, and General Manager of several Hilton Hotels, including the Amsterdam Hilton and Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Hiltons. He qualified as an assessor for the development of high potential Hilton employees to senior management positions. After a 25 year career with Hilton international Sanders was contracted as the Owners representative to the hotel owners for the 600-room Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa at the Dead Sea, the 600-room David InterContinental and the 200-room Grand Beach Hotel, both in Tel-Aviv.  In addition, he was engaged as the consultant for the investors on the pre-opening, budgets, manpower, purchasing, planning and marketing of the 450-room Grand Court Hotel in Jerusalem. Rodney took over the management of the 300-room Inbal Jerusalem Hotel, a five star deluxe property and successfully repositioned, renovated and successfully brought the property to profitability. Well-known in the Israeli tourism scene, he has extensive connections with tour operators in Israel and worldwide.

Alan Shuchalter –

Business Advisor

Alan Shuchalter is a qualified attorney licensed in New York since 1981 and in Israel since 1987. His legal practice in Israel specializes in real estate and commercial matters. For more than 20 years Alan is the principal owner and managing director of a real estate development company specializing in high quality residential and commercial developments primarily in the Jerusalem region. Primary business activities include negotiating and closing terms of acquisition and sale of developments, negotiating terms of finance from private investors and financial institutions, organizing and managing private investment capital funds. Prior to making aliya to Israel, Alan began his career with a major Wall Street law firm, working on mergers and acquisitions, financings, public offerings and other securities matters for large corporate clients. Alan resides in Jerusalem with his wife and five children.

Yona Goshen-Gottstein --  

Corporate Counsel

Yona Goshen-Gottstein is a senior partner and head of the Banking and Finance Department at Agmon & Co Law Offices. Previously, Yona was the Chief Legal Counsel and Executive Vice President at the First International Bank of Israel. She has served as the head of the Central Services Division and Executive Vice President at Ubank; and prior to that, as the head of the Legal Department at the Bank of Jerusalem. A graduate of the Hebrew University, LLB, MBA (summa cum Laude). Born in Israel, Yona also worked four years for a law firm in Toronto, Canada.