On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, and the provisional government declared the State of Israel at Independence Hall in Tel Aviv. After a long historical journey with a few bumps, Israel has risen to become a city upon a hill in a troubled region.

At De Anza College, the Jews, Israelis and Friends club held a three-day celebration in the main quad to mark the sixtieth anniversary of Israel’s independence. The festival was marked with food, music, games and excitement for all students to enjoy.

May 13: The first day of Israel@60 kicked off with students taking the opportunity to climb the “Masada” wall or enjoy a tasty falafel as music played in the background. The Masada wall climb symbolized the siege of Masada during the first Jewish-Roman War. The falafels served were vegetarian with the option of adding additional vegetables and sauce. JIF also offered refreshments for students as a way to fight the scorching heat while still trying to have a good time.

Students lined up to climb the wall, either for fun or to compete with a friend to see who could reach the top first. Many took the challenge barefoot as they climbed the wall on a hot day.

May 14: The day of independence was celebrated with a chocolate tasting event, Israel trivia and music with DJ-SPEK, real name Yevgeniy Spektor, at De Anza for the first time.

Students had the opportunity to taste and compare different varieties of Elite chocolate from Israel with their favorite Hershey’s chocolate. Other chocolates available were Kif Kef and Mekupelet from Israel.

Unrelated to the event, a small booth was set up next to the celebration where students could receive traditional Indian body art. Students and JIF members lined up for the chance to get a work of art drawn on their body.

May 15: The last day of Israel@60 was celebrated with an Israeli culture themed arts and craft workshop. Despite being the hottest day of the year, students lined up for bottles of sand or to have their name written in Hebrew.

The highlight of the day was the unveiling of a cake with candles marking 60. Students around the cake began to sing “Happy Birthday” as pieces were passed out to the crowd.

Soheil Rezaee is the features editor for La Voz. Contact him at [email protected].