Israeli culture permeated the Mayer Campus Center and the area surrounding it on Friday during the culmination of IsraelFest.
Tufts' Klezmer Ensemble and BaShuk, both of which played Israeli music, were among the groups that performed at Friday's event, which also featured Shofar blowing, candle making and Henna tattoos.
"Our goal is to bring Israel to campus because many students don't go to Israel," sophomore and IsraelFest co-chair Emily Freedman said of the event, which began last Tuesday and lasted for four days. "This way, people get to learn all about Israel and have a good [time], especially people who don't know that much about the Jewish culture."
Earlier in the week, sponsors organized a variety of other events, including an "Israel 101" discussion, a study abroad information session for students interested in studying in Israel and a film screening.
Although politics were not completely removed from the events, the cultural aspects of Israel were the main focus.
"The Middle East is always portrayed in such a negative light ... IsraelFest brings Israel to the average Tufts student in a non-political way," said sophomore Naomi Berlin, the president of Friends of Israel, a group that helped sponsor IsraelFest. "This event is in the spirit of Tufts. It unites the community and goes beyond just the politics of the sensitive issues."
The sponsors of IsraelFest included Tufts' Friends of Israel, Hillel, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate and the Israel on Campus Coalition's (ICC) Israel Action Grant Project.
"We have been planning this since September, and this is the second annual IsraelFest. We hope to make it a set yearly event," sophomore and event co-chair Jenny Rose said.
