'Israel 4 Real' event shows country's peaceful side

Sara Santora
Staff Writer

On Thursday April 7, Noles for Israel tabled at the integration statue to show their support with Israel in an effort to educate students on the country's culture.

The 'Israel 4 Real' event aimed to show that Israel is more than a war-torn country.

“We’re a pro-peace and pro-Israel organization,” says Noles for Israel Sectratary Michelle Sanabria.  “Our main goal is to show people a different side of Israel because they always hear about it in the news and usually, Western media covers it in a biased way that is against Israel.”

The event held at the integration statue last Thursday was called “Israel 4 Real,” the purpose of which was to educate FSU students about seven major cities in Israel.  Each table at the statue represented one of the seven different cities or regions, and each table contained fact sheets as well as something from that region, whether it was food, flowers or even condoms.

“So many people just focus on the political tension of the area, but we need to just take a step back and realize that people live here and that there’s so much going on,” says Noles for Israel Communications Chair Elyssa Ronik.

The overarching goal of the event was to showcase the culture within Israel.  The cities and regions were chosen based on their importance within the state.  Places like Jerusalem and Bethlehem were chosen to illustrate the religious aspects of Israel, whereas Tel Aviv illustrated part of Israel’s culture as up-to-date with modern socio-political issues.

“[Tel Aviv] is home to some of the greatest universities in the world and is the number one gay pride destination and is something people should know about and be able to experience,” says Sanabria.

Ultimately the club wants to remind students that Israel is a place that holds far more than just a religious significance.  With its diverse culture and wide arrange of opportunities, Noles for Israel aims to encourage students to stand united with Israel.