Israel After Dark was a night was filled with dancing, lights and party music, making the event a true Israeli experience.

Put on by Sigma Phi Epsilon, Alpha Epsilon Phi, StandWithUs, The Student Alliance for Israel (SAFI) and The David Project, Israel After Dark gave Jews and non-Jews alike a taste of Israeli nightlife along with the fruits of Mediterranean cuisine.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a fraternity, and Alpha Epsilon Phi is the Jewish Sorority at the University of Massachusetts. StandWithUs is a world-wide non-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving the state of Israel as a pathway to Peace. The David Project, based out of Boston, is also a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and informing students on college campuses all across the United States about Israel.

The event, was held at the club Lit in downtown Amherst. It was a charity fundraiser with 50 percent of the proceeds going to the Baystate Children’s Hospital and 50 percent of the proceeds going to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. With an age requirement of 18, the vast majority of attendees were students of UMass. Aside from the suggested $5 donation, admission and food were all free along with the great dance music, which lasted for the duration of the event.

Upon entering the bar, one could feel the palpable light nightlife atmosphere, with the elegant bar, nicely illuminating in amber colors. To the side of the entrance lay Israeli helmets, bracelets and sunglasses for anyone to take at some point during the evening. Israeli flags lined the walls of the space, which provided the path for the dance area, forever illuminated by the blue floor lights.

“There was a turnout of nearly 150 people at Lit this past Thursday. Many of these people were old friends and there were many new faces as well,” said Josh Arons, a senior political science major at UMass. “We heard raving (sic) reviews about how people enjoyed the musical selection which ranged from house music to a variety of Israeli music.”

Mediterranean food, which was presented in the form of appetizer, was served throughout the evening. As someone who has been to Israel, the food served was as appetizing as what’s served in the region.

“People certainly enjoyed the falafel, pita, and hummus as well as other Middle-Eastern foods,” said Arons. And while the event brochure said, “Experience a taste of Israeli nightlife,” it could have been understand as experiencing a taste of Israel.

All in all, the event was a success, and as Arons puts it, “A good time was had by all who attended this event.”

Isaac Simon is a Collegian contributor and can be reached at [email protected].