The festival is a non-political cultural event to teach the MSU community the many aspects of Israel while celebrating Israel’s independence, said Sam Appel, who is the program associate of MSU Hillel. The festival is to serve as a resource fair, and a fun and light way to get to know the Israeli culture, aside from the political chaos seen in the media.

“There’s a lot to know beyond the conflict,” he said. “There’s a lot of misconceptions about the state (of) Israel and a lot of people don’t know about the amazing different cultures.”

Thirteen tables were set up, with displays ranging from the Dead Sea to Israeli art and Henna.

The tables were used to show qualities of the country that some students aren’t aware of, such as the “Green Israel” table, which displayed various technologies Israel contributed to the world.

“There’s a lot of amazing things Israel is doing to help support the entire world,” Appel said. “The cell phone was created in Israel.”

“Our aim is to attract all students with the fun and lively atmosphere,” said comparative cultures and politics sophomore Nate Strauss, who sits on the board of Team Israel Programming Committee.

Strauss said Israel has always been important to different cultures and people, not necessarily just those who are Jewish.

There are Christian ties with Bethlehem, and other Arab and Muslim ties to the country as well.

He added that while the event provided many attractions and events, free food from Woody’s Oasis was popular among the attendees.

Human biology sophomore Jamie Sacks said this year was her first time attending and she was more than impressed.

“I thought it would be a really great experience to see what the Jewish community is putting together to learn more about Israel and I’m impressed,“ she said.

“It’s a lot of fun. People are just hanging (out) and learning.”