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Ari Louis
ארי לואיס
Jonathan Pollard on the Ari Louis Show.
Born	Ari Louis (1983-03-26)26 March 1983 Phoenix, Arizona
Occupation(s)	talk show host, public speaker

Ari Louis (Hebrew: ארי לואיס, born 26 March 1983) is an Israeli-American talk show host who became the first man to interview Jonathan Pollard (in a long form format) after his release from prison. Louis also founded Israel Sports Radio in the summer of 2010.

Personal life

Louis was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and grew up in Glendale, Arizona, where he attended Horizon Elementary, Landmark Middle School, and eventually Apollo High School. While in high school, Louis began filming the Ari Louis Show with Matt Turley, cameraman Gus McDanny and Danny Louis, currently a musician living in Israel. The show was modeled after the Conan O'Brien show.

Louis attended Arizona State University in 2001 and studied online at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, eventually graduating with a degree in Religious Studies. Louis suffered a great deal of anti-Semitism and as a result focused much of his attention in college to Judaism and Zionism.

While in college, Louis founded the Chabad at Arizona State University and was the vice-president of ASU for Israel. During that time, Louis filmed his first broadcast television show Louis Live on a public access station in Tucson, Arizona.

Louis graduated in 2003 and worked as a teacher.

Israeli broadcasting career

In 2008, Louis moved to Israel; although he figured his broadcasting career was over, his Zionist dream helped propel him to move. However, Louis's broadcasting career was not over. In 2009 he teamed with Andrew Gershman to host a talk show on the Jerusalem-based station Rusty Mike Radio. Entitled the Andy and Ari Show, they discussed American sports, becoming the highest-rated show on the station.

Louis and Gershman were approached by Joshua Halickman "the Sports Rabbi" to start Israel Sports Radio in summer of 2010. he was courted by Sirius and Fox but chose to remain in Israel rather than relocate.

In 2013, Louis was approached by TLV1, a Tel-Aviv based internet radio station to broadcast Louis Live Sports, which he hosted for two years.

Later that year, Louis was approached by Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, where he hosted Is It Prophesy?, a call-in talk show that compared contemporary headlines with Biblical verses. Guests included Rabbi David Katz, Rabbi Ken Spiro and others.

In 2013 Louis began a blog for the Times of Israel focusing on both sports and politics.

In 2014 and 2015 Louis organized and hosted the Jerusalem Festivus Comedy Festival. Proceeds went to charity.

In summer 2015, Louis inaugurated the new venture Israel Sports and News Radio.

From 2016 - 2021 Louis completed his five-year military service at the City of David archeological site in Jerusalem.

In 2023 he started the Ari Louis Show which features serious interviews with Israeli political and religious figures. His interview with Jonathan Pollard was the first long-form interview Pollard did since being released from prison.

References

1. "AriLouisShow". YouTube. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
2. "Can't Wait - Full album, by Danny Louis". Bandcamp. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
3. Writer, JOSH SAYLES Staff (6 May 2011). "ASU grad starts sports station in Israel". www.jewishaz.com. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
4. "The dream of sports radio is finally coming to Israel". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. October 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
5. "Sports Rabbi | The Leading Source For Israeli Sports". sportsrabbi.com. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
6. Israel Sports Radio
7. "Israel Sports Radio to launch Monday". Ynetnews. 2 October 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
8. "Can a Sports Radio Station Work in Israel? - Radio - Arutz Sheva". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
9. "Sports talk radio station to debut today". Haaretz. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
10. "Jerusalem - All-sports Talk Radio Debuts in Israel". VosIzNeias. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
11. "Israel Sports Radio set to expand its reach". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
12. "Louis Live Sports Archives - TLV1 RADIO". TLV1 RADIO. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
13. "About Ari Louis - Radio - Arutz Sheva". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
14. "Ari Louis | The Blogs | The Times of Israel". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
15. "The Jerusalem Festivus Comedy Festival". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
16. "The 2nd Annual Jerusalem Festivus Comedy Festival". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
17. jfeldhamer (14 December 2015). "The 2nd Annual Jerusalem Festivus Comedy Festival Teaser Trailer - v3". YouTube. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
18. Borschel-Dan, Amanda. "Unusual minuscule 1,000-year-old Arabic clay amulet unearthed in City of David". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
19. "The Ari Louis Show - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
20. "WATCH: Jonathan Pollard Explains Why and How He Became a Spy for Israel". United with Israel. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
21. "The Ari Louis Show Episode #21 - Jonathan Pollard". YouTube. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2024.

• 1983 births
• Living people
• People from Glendale, Arizona
• Israeli broadcasters
• Israeli radio presenters
• American expatriates in Israel
• Arizona State University alumni
• 20th-century American Jews
• 21st-century American Jews