Bar-Ilan University’s International School creates and hosts a variety of social and learning activities for international students throughout the academic year. These include celebrating religious and cultural holidays in all faiths, holding memorial events, and teaching students about Israeli holidays and Jewish customs.
The past month has seen various student activities taking place around campus – a Hanukah party, Diwali celebration, Sigd market and fun day, and a Halloween party. Students from China, Denmark, the USA, France, Kazakhstan, Germany, the Netherlands, India, Israel, and more, attended these events.
Upcoming events include Christmas celebrations, a New Year’s Eve party, and a series of talks where students can learn about life in Israel, Jewish and Israeli customs, holidays, and lifecycle events under the guidance of Rabbanit Devorah Evron, BIU’s campus spiritual leader. Various professors from Bar-Ilan will participate in each lecture, including Prof. Moshe Lewenstein, BIU’s Deputy President, and others.
Hanukah, Candles, Sofganiot, and Games
The International School celebrated the third day of Hanukah, the Jewish festival of lights, with candle-lighting, sofganiot (Israeli-style donuts), card games, board games, and other fun social activities for international students at BIU’s Sports Center.
Prof. Moshe Lewenstein, BIU’s Deputy President, lighting the candles on the third day of Hanukah
Lighting up with Diwali
Diwali is one of the major festivals celebrated by millions of Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists, all over the world. Celebrating Diwali has become a tradition at the International School and this year, students enjoyed Indian music and dance, traditional foods, poetry readings, a candle-lights design competition, and more.
Kuldeep Tripathi, a postdoctoral researcher from India, gave a brief explanation of the holiday. “Diwali is a festival of lights in India, similar to other countries like Israel, that have light festivals and traditional Indian families light oil in lamps made of clay,” he said.
“Diwali, which for some also coincides with harvest and new year celebrations, is a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.
“Living out of the country, we celebrated Diwali this year with our Bar-Ilan friends. Like every year, Bar-Ilan’s International School helped make this event possible. Staff and fellow students had a wonderful time and I am very thankful to the team for arranging it,” Tripathi said.
Watch this video of the Indian students who showed everyone a beautiful traditional Indian dance.
Sigd Holiday on Campus
What is the Sigd holiday? What is its importance for the Ethiopian Jewish community? How is it marked in Israel today? These are some of the questions that were addressed at the recent Sigd holiday event on the Bar-Ilan University campus.
The event, which included an art exhibition and a display of ethnic products and traditional foods, was organized at the initiative of the Dean of Students’ Office and the Bar-Ilan Student Association. See more photos here.
Dressed for Halloween Fun
Halloween gave students an opportunity to dress up and dance the night away with the International School team.
According to Oleg Daminov, who is studying towards a BA in Political Science and Communications, the Halloween party organized by the International School was amazing. “There was so much food, many snacks, and different drinks. I especially liked the music chosen for the dancing part as well as the soft beanbag chairs all around. We all had so much fun. I’m looking forward to taking part in all the cool parties coming up in the future,” he said.
