UM celebrates Israeli Independence Day

Wednesday was Israeli Independence Day and University of Massachusetts Hillel collaborated with Student Alliance for Israel to host a Tel Aviv-themed Independence Day party on the campus lawn where hundreds of five-college students celebrated Israels’ 61-year anniversary of independent existence.

The event was planned and coordinated by Dana Golan, an Israeli fellow at UMass Hillel.

The celebration – complemented with live music, a variety of food, crafts, hookah tents, activities and a moon bounce – lasted all afternoon.

Earlier this month, Israel’s second largest city, Tel Aviv, celebrated its 100th birthday, and UMass Hillel commemorated Israeli Independence Day by creating models of the famed parts of the city.

Each section of the event was representative of a famous area of Tel Aviv. The grill station emulated the Carmel Market, Tel Aviv’s largest market place, where fresh meat and produce are sold. A tabling area selling hookahs and other crafts was called Shenkin Street, a trendy area in Tel Aviv home to  clothing stores and cafés. Tented hookah stations imitated the Florentine area of Tel Aviv, where travelers find many hookah cafés.

“This event signifies that Israel is independent and this is something that all Jews can be proud of in the world today – that we have a Jewish state we can call our own,” said UMass freshman Ethan Sobel. “I think it’s unique that even people who don’t live in Israel are celebrating its independence just to show our loyalty to our state and to show how much support is there for the Jewish people and the Jewish state of Israel.”

A small gathering of protestors showed up to the event promoting their disagreement with the Israeli occupation of Gaza, but left shortly after their arrival.

 “In Israel people are faced with this all the time in a much more violent way, they have rockets coming down on them all the time yet still on the independence day in Israel they find a way to celebrate life and freedom and it’s amazing,” said former SAFI president Mike Feder. “They came and it’s just like Israel, so they can be happy with what they are doing and we can be happy with what we are doing and all is well. It’s a beautiful day.”

Josh Walovitch can be reached at jwalovit@student.umass.edu.

Comments

7 comments

Uri

Mon May 4 2009 18:14

The apartheid state of Israel is a source of shame to democratic-minded people everywhere, and a danger to Jews. Some people conflate Jewry with Israel, like certain Islamic and Christian extremists, white supremacist groups, and SAFI. With such anti-semitic views holding sway, there is a danger that people will try to hold Jews accountable for Israel's crimes.

Your name

Sun May 3 2009 12:38

Either Mike Feder's being misquoted, or Mike Feder's a complete dick. Knowing Mike and his constant demand for moderation in all official SAFI statements, I'm going to say that the Collegian "journalist" didn't really write that up all too well.

Or Mike could just be a dick and was hiding it all this time.

Ohiller

Sat May 2 2009 23:50

Why were there Hookahs you ask? In Israel they're everywhere. SAFI brought Israeli culture to Umass, so there were Hookahs. Furthermore,much of Israeli culture comes from Arab culture. i.e. Falafel, hummus, hookah,slang words etc. Sababa!

Ed

Sat May 2 2009 16:42

Why were there hookahs, when has Israel demonstrated any real support of Arab culture or Arab peoples (including Arab Jews). I'm sorry but wrapping yourself up any nations flag is just plain creepy.

Joe

Fri May 1 2009 13:05

this is pathetic. Please stop saying that you speak for all Jews everywhere, because you absolutely do not, least of all the Jews in Amherst.

Matteo

Fri May 1 2009 01:53

I'm sorry, is this journalism? This seems like a SAFI promotional press release. And protesting genocidal occupation is a less violent way of firing rockets?! More protestors IN Israel are killed by the IDF than Israelis by rockets!

George Washington

Thu Apr 30 2009 22:50

George Washington on Israel

“A passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification.” ~George Washington Farewell Address

“The nation which indulges toward another habitual hatred or habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interests." ~ George Washington

"Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none." ~ Thomas Jefferson

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