Students visiting the Hillel Jewish Student Center on Wednesday afternoon discovered the second floor filled with Israeli-themed decorations, falafel and cards highlighting facts about Israel.

Hillel at ASU and Sun Devils for Israel organized an event to celebrate Israel’s 61 years of independence.

The David Project, an Israel advocacy organization — with centers in Boston, New York City and Tel Aviv — provides campuses with the knowledge and skills to ensure effective support for Israel.

Andrew Gibbs, president of Sun Devils for Israel, said the event was an opportunity to celebrate the independence of Israel without focusing on the problems in the Middle East.

“It’s an opportunity for ASU students to celebrate the accomplishments Israel has achieved over the last 61 years in the field of medicine, entertainment and many other areas,” said Gibbs, a political science freshman.

The celebration included an Israeli lunch and a screening of the movie “Walk on Water,” which is about an Israeli intelligence agent who is given the mission to track down and kill an ex-Nazi officer who might still be alive. The agent sets out on a tour of the country, where his values are challenged.

“[‘Walk on Water’] is a well-done Israeli-made film that doesn’t revolve around the conflict for land that takes over the nightly news,” Gibbs said. “Instead, it stands as a huge accomplishment for Israel’s entertainment industry.”

Gibbs said it’s a thought-provoking film that deals with the Holocaust, the state of Israel and how they are related.

“It challenges the viewers’ morals and values,” he said.

Hannah Wasserman, a philosophy freshman, said it’s important for people to learn about Israel’s history.

“It’s really near and dear to our hearts, and we wanted to bring that to the rest of the community,” she said.

Because the United Nations voted for Israel to become its own state, people from all different countries should be able to share in the celebration, she said.

Shauna Tasa, a political science freshman, said it’s important to show that Israel’s independence day is a celebration of democracy.

“It’s so important to spread Israel’s ideals on campus and to educate the ASU community about how Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East,” Tasa said. “It’s America’s ally, and its independence should be celebrated whether we’re in America or anywhere else in the world because it’s a day of celebration and excitement.”

Erin Searle, director of programming and outreach for Hillel at ASU, said Israel has created many devices that the rest of the world uses.

“They’ve created a lot of technology, like AOL Instant Messenger and the little cameras that doctors use in surgery,” Searle said.

“People don’t realize what exactly Israel has contributed to the rest of the world, and it’s important to recognize that,” Searle continued.

“There may be a conflict going on there, but there are a lot of good things coming out and we need to celebrate that,” Searle said.

Reach the reporter at charlsy.panzino@asu.edu.