After British occupants left Israel on May 14, 1948, it declared its autonomy, becoming the state of Israel known in the world today. Oregon Hillel is celebrating Israel’s 60th anniversary with a week’s worth of festivities known as “Israel @ 60.”
Each day of Israel @ 60 has a theme that is incorporated into all of the scheduled events. Monday is about history and communication, with a film and a panel discussion; Tuesday covers Israeli history and Biblical history; Wednesday focuses on the environment and alternative energy; Thursday is Israel’s “birthday” celebration carnival; and Friday is teaching the Israeli way of having a Friday Shabbat.
Oregon Hillel has been organizing this event since January.
“It’s been going on for months,” says Israel @ 60 Supervisor Jodi Meyerowitz.
One of Oregon Hillel’s main goals for this event is to educate non-Jewish students about Israel and relate Israel to student’s lives.
“We’re trying to showcase the cultural aspects of Israel and also aspects of Israel that can relate to us,” said Meyerowitz. “So for example, on Wednesday with environmentalism, (which is) such a huge issue in Eugene to so many students, we’re having activities, like community service and a speaker who can talk about environmentalism in another country … with which we’re trying to bring other people (into the celebration.)”
The main fundraiser of the week is a kosher raw foods dinner being served in the Gerlinger Lounge Wednesday, May 7 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The dinner will feature a presentation about environmentalism in Israel from the director of the Green Zionist Alliance, Noam Dolgin.
It costs students $5 and the community $10. All proceeds will go to the Arava Institute, an organization located in Israel whose goals are to educate future Arab and Jewish leaders about environmentalism in their area and peaceful solutions to environmental problems.
Raw food is primarily vegetarian fare that hasn’t been processed or cooked above 116 degrees, leaving all the natural enzymes that help digestion and food absorption intact. Proponents of the raw foods diet believe that eating this way at least 75 percent of the time increases energy and aids in weight loss, among other health benefits.
This dinner, being catered by raw foods chef Chaya Rivka, features a lemon and mint beverage called limonana, pita with olive spread and vegetables, a zucchini pasta with a lemon pesto sauce and lemon cups for dessert.
Also Wednesday, an eco-friendly community service project in Alton Baker Park will be held in the morning. Participants will plant, pick up garbage, pull ivy and recycle.
Everyone is to meet in the EMU Amphitheater at 9 a.m. to register with coordinators, and the group will then walk to the park where the project will start at 9:30 a.m. The hours individuals put into this community service project can be applied to a community service hour requirement.
The first 40 participants will receive a free royal blue T-shirt that says “Israel @ 60” and the dates of the celebration on the front in white writing and the names of sponsoring organizations and the week’s schedule on the back.
Thursday’s “Carnival on the EMU Lawn” is for Yom Ha’atzmaut, or Israel’s official 60th “Birthday,” and will feature birthday cake, cultural games, the “Dead Sea Dunk” tank, Israeli dancing and music from student bands Muke and The Campaign.
At the carnival, Hillel members will be teaching people how to do various Israeli dances including the Turkish Kiss, a popular line dance, and the Ushaftim Mayim, a circle dance.
“It’s definitely a group building activity, and it’s something that is a group effort,” said Tamir Lehrer, Israel @ 60’s marketing and publicity coordinator. “It’s a very social dance event; it’s not like Dance Dance Revolution. You’re dancing with other people all in unison.”
Throughout the week there will be an “Israeli Culinary Institute” being held at the Hillel House, located at 1059 Hilyard St., where participants will be taught how to make such Jewish delicacies as falafel and schnitzel. The Friday “Institute” will be Israeli-themed and the food prepared will be for the night Shabbat that will be closing out the week’s events.
For more information about any of the week’s events e-mail Israel @ 60 supervisor Jodi Meyerowitz, [email protected], or see any of the blue and white flyers displayed around campus.
[email protected]