Broadcasting Ambition

Ari Louis made aliyah in 2008 from Phoenix, Arizona, co-founded Israelsportsradio.com in 2010 and believes Israelis should be tougher.

By JOSH HASTEN
Ari Louis 521 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Ari Louis 521
(photo credit: Courtesy)
■ What gets you out of bed in the morning? The desire to live life, and not to waste time.
■ What keeps you up at night? The extra energy that I have from doing my radio show keeps me up. The show ends at midnight, and the adrenaline is still flowing through me. In terms of what I worry about, I worry about not fulfilling my potential. But I believe that if I fix myself, I can help fix the world.
■ What’s the most difficult professional moment you’ve faced so far? When we started Israelsportsradio.com that first week, we had all kinds of technical glitches. Our phones went down, also our Internet; at one point we got locked out of the studio and missed an interview with a professional football player. What a week! ■ How do you celebrate your achievements? I haven’t achieved all my goals yet, so I don’t celebrate much. My goal is that Israelsportsradio.com will become the ESPN of Israel.
When that happens, I am throwing a huge party for my family and friends.
■ If you were prime minister, what’s the first thing you would do? I would focus on making Israel a truly independent country where we utilize all of our natural resources. We need to stop being so dependent on other countries.
■ Which Israeli should have a movie made about him/her? Shay Doron [the well-known women’s professional basketball player]. She had a lot of guts at age 18 to play college basketball in the United States for Maryland, a less known program. She represented Israel well, and we should be proud that she returned home to Israel to play professionally.
■ What would you change about Israelis if you could? Believe it or not, I think Israelis need to be a little tougher. I think they are too sensitive and emotional at times. I also think Israelis can be childish.
■ iPad, BlackBerry or pen and paper? Pen and paper.
■ If you had to write an advertisement to entice tourists to come to Israel, what would it say? Those who have ever read the Bible – this is the place where it all happened, and where great things continue to happen.
■ What is the most serious problem facing the country? I think we have an identity crisis. People here try hard to be European, and are influenced by other cultures. This causes them to leave their Jewish roots.
■ How can it be solved? People need to delve more into their Jewish roots – the history of our people. They need to learn and appreciate how Jews finally returned home to Israel. I also think there needs to be more of a focus on Torah and the commandments.
Finally, we need to demonstrate more Jewish pride.
■ In 20 years, the country will be: A top power in the world: socially, economically and militarily.