Even though it’s halfway across the world, Israel’s 61st year of independence was celebrated by hundreds of Binghamton University students in the Dickinson Amphitheater on Wednesday.
The celebration was headed by Hillel and sponsored by numerous student organizations, as well as BU organizations.
“We’re celebrating Israel’s 61st birthday,” said Arielle Sokoloff, the co-chair of the event and a sophomore political science major. “We want to raise awareness between non-Jewish and Jewish students about what Israel is really about.”
For many, this event hit close to home because of how passionately some feel about Israel.
“The state of Israel has been a home for all Jews for 61 years, and in order to keep it everyone needs to know about it, and that’s what this event does,” said junior accounting major Brian Liebmann.
The theme of the event was “Israel in a Day.” According to Sokoloff, “we wanted students to experience the culture and geography as well as the different kinds of foods in Israel.”
At the event, students could participate in a variety of different activities, like making bracelets, playing on inflatable rides or just enjoying the atmosphere. Kaskeset, an a cappella group, sang Israeli songs and there was an Israeli-style barbeque available to students.
The event’s purpose was to educate anyone interested in what Israel is like and how important it is to Jewish people everywhere.
Rebecca Forman, a freshman human development and English major, explained how passionately she felt about Israel.
“I think this is a really cool way to show people how important Israel is,” she said.