A day of events dedicated to the exploration of Israel and its culture was presented on Jan. 23 by the San Diego Israel Alliance with “”Got Israel?””, an exhibition of facts and figures presented by students on Library Walk in the morning, and “”The 1,000 Faces of Israel,”” a multimedia presentation by Israeli photographer Harel Stanton, in the afternoon.
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According to Revelle College junior Shelley Sorger, chair of the San Diego Israel Alliance, these events were not conducted in response to the recent Israeli-Palestinian week presented by Students for Justice, but rather had been planned since the beginning of the year.
“”The reason we did this was to educate the campus about the politics, culture and people of Israel, and to show that they’re not all the same,”” Sorger said.
In response to the defacing of Student for Justice posters during Israeli-Palestinian week, Sorger emphasized the need for peace on campus.
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“”Our goal is peace in Israel, and we would love to have peaceful relations on campus with the groups that are generally against Israel,”” Sorger said.
The “”Got Israel?”” booth featured large signs on which facts ranging from “”Israel has two official languages: Hebrew and Arabic”” to “”The test for syphilis was invented by an Israeli”” were printed for passersby to read on their way to morning classes.
One observer, Eleanor Roosevelt College junior Ty Kruck, said she felt that the display was informative.
“”It makes me think that I need to stop being apathetic, especially now there’s a need to really open up to different cultures and listen to all sides of a story before judging,”” Kruck said.
Other signs informed of numerous inventions made by Israelis, including the invention of ICQ, the Internet program that made instant messaging possible. One sign featured a blown-up picture of actress Natalie Portman with the caption, “”Born in Israel.””
“”It’s really easy for anyone who’s not there [in Israel] to see the news and look at it like it’s just a piece of land,”” said event organizer Netta Retter, a Roosevelt college sophomore. “”We want to present a more cultural side of Israel, and to connect to people on a human level.””
She and co-organizer Eddie Cohen, also a Roosevelt college sophomore, planned the event after attending an Israeli Advocacy Mission conference last year.
The UCSD event also included a hookah bar and sales of Hebrew-text T-shirts.
“”We’ve been successful in getting a lot of people stopping by to read the signs,”” Cohen said. “”People are interested in tidbits.””
Stanton’s presentation, which took place at 2 p.m. in the Davis and Riverside room in the Price Center, narrated a slide show of the international photojournalist’s pictures of Israel’s natural landscapes, cities and faces.
The first presentation showcased landscapes ranging from the desert to snow-covered hills. The following series depicted images of large ad billboards, night lights and crowded outdoor cafes, among other scenes.
“”Tel Aviv is the city of freedom,”” Stanton said. “”Israel is a country where you can drive just an hour from a gay bar in Tel Aviv to a strict orthodox city near Jerusalem.””
While narrating the third segment, which included faces of young and old, rabbis and drag queens, Stanton described the different segments of Israeli society and the problems its constituents face, including mass immigration to Tel Aviv.
“”If New York is like a melting pot, Tel Aviv is like a mosaic,”” Stanton said.
According to Stanton, there are so many Russian speakers that signs in the window shops of real estate agencies, for example, will be written in Hebrew, English and Russian.
There is also a large group of Ethiopian immigrants, who, according to Stanton, are as discriminated in Israel as they were in their homeland.
“”They were sure they were coming to the land of milk and honey,”” Stanton said. “”Now, however, the new generation is ashamed — they don’t feel Ethiopian or Israeli, so instead they identify with American rappers.””
The “”big melting pot”” of Israel, according to Stanton, is the country’s mandatory two-year military program, which brings all ethnicities together in mandatory service.
Stanton went on to show photographs in his field of expertise: religious ceremonies. He showed images of Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall, where children, old men in orthodox dress and police officers alike gathered in prayer.
Stanton is currently on a nationwide tour sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel.
