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“Show the Love” is the theme of this year’s Israel Independence Week at UCLA, a weeklong list of events designed to celebrate Israel’s 56th year of statehood.

Today’s festivities in Bruin Plaza include music, dancing, Israeli food, vendors, a DJ and even a charity kissing booth.

All the money raised from today’s events will go toward Magen David Adom, Israel’s official emergency medical disaster, ambulance and blood bank service.

Each day of Israel Independence Week has its own theme, with Monday designated as celebration day.

Today’s events also include a block party from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Yitzhak Rabin Hillel Center on Hilgard Avenue.

The block party will feature a DJ playing Israeli music, hookahs, vendors and Israeli food.

This is the eighth annual block party organized for Israel Independence Week. There will be a $2 admission fee to take part in the festivities.

Tuesday and Wednesday are culture and social action days; Thursday is designated as a history day.

This year’s events will focus more on the celebration of Israeli life and culture as opposed to the politics of the region, something the week has been known to do in past years.

“Actually, the intention of the week was always to celebrate, but the campus climate didn’t always let us celebrate how we wanted,” said Ross Neihaus, a fourth-year biology student and president of Bruins for Israel, one of the groups organizing the week’s events.

“We want to make it more festive this year,” he added.

In past years, Israel Independence Day has also been marked by protests in support of the Palestinian people aimed at drawing attention to those who were displaced when the state of Israel was formed in 1948.

Mariam Jukaku, a third-year computer science student and president of the Muslim Student Association, said while her group has no problem with people celebrating Israeli culture, it still might organize a protest on Bruin Plaza today.

“We’re not exactly sure about the protest yet, but we want to make the campus know that although many people are celebrating Israeli creation and independence, others are mourning,” Jukaku said.

“The creation of Israel cost many people their lives and homes,” she added.

When asked about the possibility of a protest, Neihaus said, “This week is meant to be celebratory and not political, but everybody has freedom of speech.”

Like previous years, the events this year are designed to coincide with independence day celebrations in Israel, which are happening today.

Israel Independence Day, called “Yom Ha’atzmaut” in Hebrew, is a celebration of the end of the British mandate in Israel and the creation of the Jewish state.

Celebratory events this week include a presentation of the Israeli movie, “Wisdom of the Pretzel,” and a celebration of Israel’s technical achievements.

Thursday, as part of history day, the campus will host a lecture and display on the history of the nation and land.

Sam Solomeni, a fourth-year psychology student and president of the Progressive Jewish Student Alliance, said although most of this week’s events deal with celebration, students will have the chance to learn something new by attending the lectures and presentations.

This is the first year PJSA will take part in planning the Independence Week. Solomeni said logistic difficulties made his group unable to plan events last year.

PJSA and Bruins for Israel will join the Jewish Student Union and the Hillel Center at UCLA as organizers of this year’s events.