Carnival brings culture of Israel to campus

The smell of falafel and the sounds of Israeli music filled the Hall of Flags on Tuesday as Hillel hosted the Israel Carnival — the first main event of its annual Israel Week festivities.

“People connect to Judaism on campus and in life through Israel,” said College freshman Josh Cooper, who helped organize the carnival, “and this event touched on different elements of Israeli culture.”

The event also featured Israeli trivia for prizes, Bedouin tea and coffee and a henna tattoo station as per custom at Yemenite weddings. In addition, posters with the phrase “Israel makes me think of…” were on hand for attendees to sign.

“People show their love for Israel in so many ways … The Israel Carnival is a celebration of Israel through all of these different ways in which we can express our connection,” Engineering freshman Naomi Hachen explained.

The carnival was one of many events in Israel Week to focus on the rich culture of Israel rather than its political aspects, such as Israeli dancing lessons and short story discussions that took place earlier in the week. Today, Israel Week will host its keynote speaker, Mike Granoff of Better Place — a company that focuses on sustainable transportation ­—­ as he discusses the future of environmentally friendly electric cars in Israel.

Former Penn-Israel Coalition President and College senior Seth Bluestein said, “Israel Week combines political and cultural events to show that Israel isn’t just about the conflict. It’s a unique country in and of itself.”

College freshman Noah Feit was pleased with the turnout, adding that “this event took an eye off Israeli politics and engaged with Israeli culture, which is especially important on a college campus. It definitely wasn’t just for Jews and had something for everyone.”

Note: This article was updated from its original version to reflect that Better Place is a company, rather than a blog.

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