Israel is truly “the startup nation,” and for  the last 25 years, Gary was an integral part of Israel’s hi-tech industry as an entrepreneur and executive at several startup companies. He found the journey both thrilling and satisfying, but often found himself looking out of his office window, dreaming of the outside world - the sun, the fresh air, and the freedom. Therefore, after the acquisition of his last company, he decided to become a licensed tour guide and rappelling instructor. During his trips to Jerusalem, he encountered piles of soil and stones excavated from the Temple Mount, and learned that they were destined to be discarded. As a man of faith, he found it unacceptable that stones from the holiest place on earth should be discarded in a pile. Together with his team and other lovers of the Land of Israel, he came up with a solution; one that would rally faithful people from around the world to be custodians of these unique and holy objects.

Uri is a ninth-generation Israeli, who is passionate about creating strong bridges of cooperation, understanding, and industry between the Christian community and Israel. After completing four years of service as Israel’s Tourism Commissioner for North America, through which he gained extensive experience in creating and implementing successful tourism, marketing initiatives for faith-based communities and other target audiences, Uri returned home to pursue his passion of connecting more and more people to the Land of Israel. He believes that Israel and Israelis are often misunderstood, and that by helping people connect to Israel by being in the Land of the Bible and working with Israelis, a peaceful and productive partnership among men is possible. Uri is an avid runner and loves exploring the length and breadth of Israel on foot. He has an intense fascination with the archaeology of Israel and is especially moved by the ancient stones of Jerusalem as they reveal, stone-by-stone, the remarkable and eternal story of the Jewish people.