Israel Fest

MSU Hillel aims to educate about Israel amid fun.

Daniel Kuhn
Special to the Jewish News

East Lansing

M

ichigan State University hosted
its fourth annual Israel Fest, a
celebration of Israeli culture,
on Sept. 17 at the MSU Union.
MSU Hillel, with support from the
Jewish Student Union (JSU) and ASMSU,
the university's student government, orga-
nized the event.
Israel Fest has consistently been the
largest event on campus each year cele-
brating everything that is Israel. It attracts
hundreds of students for an opportunity
to hear Israeli music, taste Israeli food, see
Israeli art and learn more about Israel.
It's also an opportunity for students
who spent the summer in Israel on Taglit-
Birthright Israel trips and the univer-
sity's study abroad program at Hebrew
University to bask in the memories of
their experiences.
The theme of Israel Fest this year was
"Welcome to Israel." As attendees entered
the MSU Union, El-Al flight attendants
greeted them at the "Ben-Gurion Airport"
station. Other stations expressed the
unique qualities of the country's diverse
regions, including a Western Wall to write
notes to be sent to the real Kotel, a shuk
to purchase touristy T-shirts and Michal
Negrin jewelry, Abu Ghosh to enjoy deli-
cious hummus, and the Negev and Dead
Sea where students were given spa mas-
sages, coffee in a Bedouin tent and all the
knowledge about the desert and environ-
mental sustainability they could handle.
The event traditionally has attempted
to express Israel through the senses, like
the tastes of falafel and baklava, sounds
of live Israeli music and sights of Israel's
finest attractions. This year, however, the
planning committee, consisting of Jewish
students active in Hillel, decided to make
a commitment to build an educational
element to better inform students of what
this country the size of New Jersey has to
offer.
Aaron Levine from West Bloomfield,
JSU representative to the Academic
Assembly and an environmental econom-
ics and policy major, wanted to teach
fellow Spartans to share the same kind
of love and respect for the desert that he

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October 2 • 2008

MSU students Erin Kohn and Arielle Moskowitz, both of West Bloomfield, Jessica Langnas of Bloomfield Hills and Marla Kerwin
and Nina Patchak, both of West Bloomfield — all are freshmen, except Moskowitz, who is a senior.

developed while living there after high
school.
"We wanted to make the educational
component a priority so students, both
Jewish and non-Jewish, could see a side
of Israel that is often behind the scenes:'
Levine said. "In order to truly understand
Israel and to put what you see in the news
in context, you need to know the smaller
things — that Israel develops technology
or has a true diversity of people living in
it. We wanted to make Israel very rear
A station representing Abu Ghosh, an
Arab village outside Jerusalem and the
first Arab village to officially join Israel
after independence, was developed by
James Madison College senior Aaron
Schaer of Huntington Woods. Not only
was hummus served to please the pal-
ate, but information about Israel's Arabs
was displayed to highlight a side of Israel
many aren't able to see.
On a campus with more than 40,000
students, Israel Fest is marketed well
beyond the Jewish community. While
Jewish students are eligible for Taglit-
Birthright Israel, and many have already

traveled there or grown up in a pro-
Israel environment, many non-Jewish
students come to campus ready to form
their opinions on Israel and the world
at large. One such student was Jonathan
Ottolini, a sophomore studying interna-
tional relations.
"Israel Fest was immensely enter-
taining and informative Ottolini said.
"From the food to the music to the
interesting facts on posters and T-shirts,
I feel I have a better idea of Israeli and
Jewish culture. I had no idea that there
was skiing in Israel."
Students learned it's important to get
the truth out about Israel.
"To think that people might not go there
because they hear it's scary or intimidat-
ing, now that's just a tragedy:' Levine said.
Many students put in weeks of hard
work planning and setting up for Israel
Fest. Geoff Levin of Chicago served
as event chairperson with assistance
from Schaer, Levine, Danny Bittker of
West Bloomfield, David Minden of West
Bloomfield, Eric Dropkin of Farmington
Hills, Avram Finerman of Rochester, MSU

Hillel Israel Fellow Avi Motil and many
other volunteers. ❑

Daniel Kuhn, 21, is a senior
from West Bloomfield.

Emily Jaffe and Jillian Blitz, both

juniors from West Bloomfield, helped
students pick up giveaway T-shirts and
other free items.