Thousands of students across Canada partied Israel-style at a series of discos run by Israeli house-music sensations DJ Lucky Lou from Club Lemon in Tel Aviv and VJ Eitan Einwohner, the CEO of Belong to Israel. The DJ provided a uniquely Israeli sound while the VJ flashed pictures of the Tel Aviv nightlife on the walls. The event virtually transported the party to Tel Aviv.
The events in Toronto, London, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver were sponsored by National Jewish Campus Life, the Canadian network of Jewish campus organizations, in coordination with local Hillels. Each disco was open to the entire campus and welcomed students back to school. It engaged students unfamiliar with Israel in a project that showed Israel at the cutting edge of music and contemporary culture.
In Toronto, National Jewish Campus Life, the Canada-Israel Experience (CIE), Hillel of Greater Toronto and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto came together to co-sponsor the party and put a special twist on the event: The event preceded Rosh Hashanah and was promoted as a pre-New Year's party.
"As part of our initiative to inject greater enthusiasm and interest in Judaism and Israel, we went to the source and brought a piece of Israel to Canada," said Barbara Bank, national chair of Jewish Campus Life. In Calgary and Vancouver, the events took place in popular downtown clubs and the entire campus was invited.
"Whether it was to reunite with friends from a past Birthright Israel trip, to hear a world-renowned DJ from Tel Aviv or to taste an apple honey martini, our community came together like never before...To be standing in the middle of that room and to feel the energy circulating was an experience I'll never forget." said Ivy Ackerman, CIE Marketing Manager, who co-organized the event.