At MSU, things like Hillel Jewish Student Center, 360 Charles St., and Israel Fest, an event encompassing the culture of Israel, help other students connect to the place known for its strong Jewish culture.

Israel Fest brought some of the music, jewelry, food and atmosphere of the country to campus on Thursday at the Union Ballroom. Harel Skaat, 2004 winner of Israel Idol, performed at the event.

The goal of the event was to bring some of the essential parts of Israel to students who have not had the opportunity to go there, as well as those who feel the connection, said Aaron Levin, cultural chairman for the Jewish Student Union.

“Jewish students in America are having an identity crisis in a kind of a way,” he said. “There is a definite concept of an American Jew, and it’s a separate culture from other Jews.”

Levin said he went to Israel for five weeks in 2004 and spent the 2005-06 school year there as well.

“The second time I went, it was much more meaningful,” he said. “There hasn’t been a better choice made in my life than to go there for that year.”

Besides the gorgeous scenery and delicious food, Levin said he felt a heightened sense of relationship to Jewish people after being immersed in the culture he had learned about.

The experience, he said, impacted the level of leadership he has sought in the Jewish community.

For Robyn Berkowitz, a student leadership fellow at Hillel, the 10-day trip to Israel she went on two summers ago made joining a Jewish student organization on campus less intimidating.

Taglit-birthright Israel, the trip she went on, is a free 10-day trip to Israel for Jewish people ages 18-26 who have never been on a peer-group trip to Israel.

Events like Israel Fest let Jewish students reconnect with the culture they experienced while they were there, Berkowitz said.

“It was weird but great at the same time,” she said.

“I felt like I was at home even though I was in a foreign country.”