Every month, Bar-Ilan University’s International School arranges various events for international students. Although there were no Jewish holidays in May, students were treated to an assortment of entertaining experiences this past month. These included an Open Stage Night; an Israeli Night to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day; and a tour of Haifa in the north of Israel. Read about these exciting events below.
Open Stage Night
BIU’s International School hosted an enjoyable “Open Stage Night” for international and Israeli students in BIU’s Music Department on Monday, May 9, 2022. More than 50 students attended the event, which included singing and dancing, music recitals, and more.
The evening was opened by Hadar Giat, Coordinator of Students Affairs and Well-being at the International School
“Hello everybody and welcome to our first Open Stage Night. Thank you for your coming. This is your opportunity to showcase your talent,” she said.
The Couch Breakers
The Couch Breakers, a band made up of 11 international and Israeli students, was the guest band that played during the evening. A popular choice of entertainment, the musicians included Shunsuke Sawada from Japan (MSc in Chemistry); Costa Rican Dr. Orlando Marin (PhD in Physics graduate from BIU, who is now a postdoc fellow at the Weizmann Institute); Israeli student, Meir Abuaf (PhD in Chemistry); Ti-kai Chang from China (PhD in Physics); Rene Daniel Mendez Lopez from Mexico (PhD in Chemistry); Jing Zhang from China (postdoc fellow in Mathematics); Amirlan Nazhmetdinov from Kazakhstan (BA in Political Science and Communications); Cijy Mathai from India (postdoc fellow in Physics); Jannick Troebs, visiting student from Germany; Paul Brookes, visiting student from England (research workshop); and Israeli Dror Sasson (BA in Optometry).
Qiongfang, wife of Caihua Luo from China (postdoc fellow in Mathematics), played a charming piece on a side flute, while Dr. Kuldeep Tripathi from India (postdoc fellow in Neuroscience) sang Israeli musician, Eliad Nahum’s song, “Or” (Light) in Hebrew. At the end of the performances, students participated in Karaoke and everyone had a wonderful evening.
An Israeli Night in Celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut
International students gathered together for a games evening with BIU’s International School staff to celebrate “Israeli Night” following Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day.
The evening was organized by Hadar Giat, Coordinator of Students Affairs and Well-being, with the help of Tal Koor, Advisor for Graduate and Postgraduate Degrees: Admissions, and Zvi Swisa, the Students’ Academic Advisor, who moderated the event.
Kahoot!, a game-based learning platform that includes a trivia quiz about Israel, was played to find out who knew Israel the best out of the students. First place went to a group of three students: Ismael Lucas De Paiva (PhD in Engineering), Melodie (postgrad fellow in Mathematics), and Siddhesh Wagh (postgrad fellow in Mathematics).
A game of Bingo was played using Israel-related concepts and drawings. Prizes were awarded to the top three students. Another game involved students placing the names of cities on the map of Israel. Each student had to place a piece of paper with the name of the city in the right place on the map until the full picture was completed.
The evening of games ended with students singing Karaoke songs together.
A typical Israeli meal including falafel, chickpeas, chips, and salad was enjoyed by all.
Experiencing Haifa with BIU’s International School
Haifa is the third-largest city in Israel after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Built on the slopes of Mount Carmel, the city has a history spanning more than 3,000 years. Haifa is the regional center of northern Israel and is a major seaport located on Israel’s Mediterranean coastline in the Bay of Haifa.
The Bahá’í Gardens
At the end of May, BIU’s International School arranged an interesting, educational, and fun trip to Haifa for the international students, hosted by Alyta Pitaru, Director of Academic Administration for Israel XP and MASA Programs Coordinator at the International School. The tour started with a walk on the Louis Promenade on Mount Carmel, which is one of the best and most beautiful places to take in all of Haifa. After breakfast, the tour continued on foot towards the Bahá’í Gardens, the spiritual and administrative center of the Bahá’í Faith, where a guided tour took the students through the gardens.
The German Colony
Avraham Kantor, a tour guide, took the students through the German Colony, explaining its history and how it developed, after which the group lunched at Wadi Nisnas Market. The tour finished in the afternoon with a visit to Nesher Park and a walk on the spectacular suspension bridge. Everyone had a wonderful time and experienced some of the most amazing views in Israel.
The Suspension Bridge
