Tufts Friends of Israel kicked off its first-ever Israel Fest (iFest) in the Mayer Campus center on Apr. 7 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
"We've been planning this event all year," said iFest co-chair Yael Muhlrad, a senior. "We want to show our solidarity with Israel and show the Tufts community what Israel has to offer to the world."
iFest's presentation of Israeli culture aimed to offer a different perspective on Israel than the one that frequently occupies the American public consciousness.
"The goal of iFest [is] to show the Tufts campus this real side of Israel, one of a vibrant and flourishing culture, and go beyond the conflict," said Friends of Israel Political Chair Amy Spitalnick, a sophomore.
On the grass on the downhill side of the campus center, students gathered in groups to chat and smoke shisha from several hookahs, traditional Middle Eastern pipes.
There was also a mehndi booth, which offered students a traditional Middle Eastern form of temporary tattoo that often called henna in the United States. The artist present applied a paste made from dried henna leaves to students' skin, leaving a temporary design which may last anywhere from two weeks to several months.
Inside the campus center, Israeli flags and posters with peace slogans and quotes from modern Zionism's founder Theodore Hertzl hung over booths that provided information on Israeli technology, geography, politics, and language.
Volunteers gave out plates of Middle Eastern foods such as falafel, pita chips and dip. Representatives from the Israeli Consulate and many off-campus Israeli and Jewish-American groups offered information on their programs.
Those groups represented included the David Project, a group that tries to build Jewish leadership and reach out to other faith groups to build a better understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict; Hamagshimim, a group that works to strengthen Zionist identity on university campuses; and Combined Jewish Philanthropies, a federated charity organization.
Students could also donate money to Yad Sarah, Israel's largest volunteer organization for the sick, elderly, disabled and their families, and to Seeds of Peace, an organization that brings together Israeli and Palestinian teens.
Although there are no plans as of yet for a second iFest, the University's Jewish Chaplain, Rabbi Jeffrey Summit, thinks it will be an annual event.
iFest was co-sponsored by Tufts Hillel, the Tufts Community Union Senate, the Tufts Student Life Fund and the Israel Campus Roundtable.
Nearly 300 Tufts students and community members also signed a petition pledging their support for Israel's "right to exist in peace and security," including Bacow and his wife, Adele.
