Camels, boycotts and the Shuk: Students celebrate Israel Fest and the country’s 70th anniversary

By Morgan Politzer

Students both celebrated and boycotted Israel’s 70th anniversary of independence during the Jewish Student Union’s (JSU) annual Israel Fest on April 19th on McKeldin Mall.

The event was co-sponsored by several organizations both on and off campus, including Maryland Hillel, and is designed to celebrate and educate students on Israeli culture. As per tradition, the event featured camel rides, a dunk tank and Israeli style food in celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day.

While students braved the cold and impending rain to take part in the festivities, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) peacefully protested the event with their own. The group staged a boycott of Israel Fest in front of McKeldin Library behind a makeshift wall, representing the wall along the Israel-Gaza barrier border. They encouraged students to walk around the event rather than through it. The group also held an official teach-in with information about the purpose of the boycott and their mission as an organization.

“I think it’s important to have our protest so people don’t normalize the kind of violence that’s going on there– so we have a voice for Palestinians on campus,” SJP treasurer and senior sociology major Mandy Stussman said. “We’re trying to educate people as they walk by. A lot of people just don’t know anything about the conflict, so we’re trying to engage people.”

The groups did not interact with one another.

“We’re really just trying to focus on our event,” JSU President and junior communications major Josh Goldstein said. “They’re there and they have every right to be there. We’re just really trying to focus more on our event and make sure it’s run as successfully as possible and that everyone has a really good time.”

“Last year at this time, I was actually in Israel,” freshman public health science major Lizzie Cohen said. “It’s so nice to be here, celebrating Israel properly. We’ve got the camel; we’ve got the falafel. It’s such a good time. I’m so glad Maryland does this.”

Participating groups set up around the mall, each with a different activity or part of Israeli culture for students to engage with. Full of candy and Israeli snacks, the Shuk was a popular spot for students to meet. Stephanie Bekerman, Maryland Hillel’s Birthright Israel engagement coordinator, said the Shuk is “essentially a marketplace.”

“It always has fruits and different shops, but there’s also tons and tons of candy that line the streets, so we have a bunch of candy,” Bekerman said. “Marzipan is a famous bakery in Jerusalem that has the most amazing rugelach, so we’ve brought that.” 

Also a crowd favorite, Chewie the camel was back this year to give students a ride.

“I’ve never seen a camel in real life before,” sophomore psychology major Sophia Shapiro said. “I think it’s really cool. It shows people what Israel is all about.”

To encourage attendees to visit every table, participants were given “passports” they could get stamped at an activity. One of these tables encouraged students to write why Israel is important to them on a colored ribbon and tie it to a net, forming the shape of the Israeli flag.

“The whole purpose of Israel Fest is to show the ethnic, cultural side to the state of Israel as a county and all they have to offer,” sophomore public relations major Austin Bierman said. “Each event that we have is actually based on some geographical thing in Israel. It’s really just about celebrating the culture.”