After a close vote, The Penn State Israeli Association was accepted into the International Student Council at their meeting last night.

The ISC voted 11-8 to accept the Israeli Association.

"I am glad that we are accepted as a member of the ISC, although I am disappointed eight members voted against us," said Amit Mor, president of the Israeli Association.

"(The vote) shows a few organizations see the ISC as a political organization," he said after urging ISC representatives to put their political views aside during the vote.

Unlike Hillel/B'nai Brith and Yachad/Tagar which both represent American Jews, the Israeli Association represents a small community of graduate students and faculty who are Israeli citizens, Mor said.

ISC President Frederik Wenzel said he supported the association's inclusion as an addition to ISC's 25 cultural groups.

The acceptance signified that the Isreali Association fulfilled all ISC requirements by attaining the alloted number of group members and approval of their constitution.

In other business, the council asked for suggestions of cultural items such as as food, crafts, music, personal hygiene products and jewelry to be sold at the recently proposed diversity store.

The council also reminded members that nominations for ISC positions should be submitted by Feb. 25. Elections for new officers were postponed until the next meeting on Mar. 13 because the election committee needed more time to garner candidates, Wenzel said.

Wenzel said he hoped that continuity of the council's goals would be maintained through the elections and transition between outgoing and incoming officers.