On March 19, Emet Israel hosted the first annual Israel Fest at the UC patio. The main event of Israel Fest was the Falafel Eating Contest, in which ten different student organizations participated. The winner was Skyler of Alpha Epsilon Pi, second place went to Rabbi Mendy Fellig of UM Chabad, and third was Angel from UM College Republicans. There was also free henna and a spread of falafel, pita, hummus, and salad.
The most interactive part of Israel Fest was the “I love Israel because…” photo campaign, in which participants wrote on a whiteboard why they love Israel, took a picture, and then got their free T-shirt! Emet posted all of these photos on our page and awarded prizes to the top three people whose photos got the most likes. Out of 1,000 likes, first place went again to Skyler of Alpha Epsilon Pi with 85 likes, second to Justin Goldsman of Phi Delta Theta with 71 likes, and third to Kevin Mitchel with 62 likes.
Emet Israel is a student-led organization with a goal of engaging the University of Miami campus with Israel through outreach, education and casual hangouts. Every Wednesday at 2 p.m., Emet hosts Walla Sesh on the Green students casually discuss different aspects of life in Israel. Emet Israel has co-hosted collaborative events with the students of SpectrUM, Middle Eastern Studies Society (MESS) and Organization of Arab Students Instituting Solidarity (OASIS), and is planning to work with No Zebras, Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and National Organization of Women.
Emet Israel is running a UMiami Birthright Israel trip this May and we had the opportunity to meet many of the students at Israel Fest. You can like our Facebook page to keep updated at fb.com/EmetIsrael.
Israel Fest 2014 was a great success for Emet Israel! It was a great way to get our name more visible on campus and we loved having the opportunity to have other organizations participate. We encourage all students interested in Israel to contact us at EmetIsraelUM@gmail.com to find out ways to get involved with our new and growing organization!
words_becky taylor. photos_rori kotch.