The Campaign for the Future of Jewish Life at Brandeis 

This is more than a campaign for a building. It is a call to affirm Brandeis University’s role as a center of Jewish life, thought, and leadership.

Brandeis was founded as a bold experiment: a university rooted in Jewish values, committed to excellence, and open to all. Today, that original mission still calls to us. Hillel is where students shape their values, build enduring community, and grow into leaders. It is the heart of Jewish life on campus. 

Students come to Hillel for many reasons: to express their values, deepen their identities and learning, connect with Israel, and find a warm, welcoming home. Through community and mentorship, they cultivate purpose, courage, and resilience — qualities they need to navigate our complex world. 

At Brandeis, Hillel is more than a hub of Jewish life. It is a formative space for students’ growth as 21st-century Jews. A dedicated, modern destination for Jewish life in the center of campus will raise the visibility of Jewish expression and leadership, enhance the student experience, and secure Brandeis’s role as a national model for Jewish flourishing in higher education. 

Our Campaign Goal is $25 Million

In an increasingly virtual world, students yearn for a warm, welcoming space on campus where they can connect with Jewish peers, immerse themselves in Jewish culture and community, and express their Jewish identities with pride.

After 76 years, Brandeis Hillel finally has the opportunity to create that home.  While Brandeis University has graciously made Kutz Hall available to us, transforming this vision into reality requires us to raise $20M for renovations, security upgrades, and an additional $5M for a building endowment. 

Where Jewish Life Belongs: At the Heart of Brandeis 

“Brandeis Doesn’t Have a Hillel Building?!” 

We hear that all the time, and it speaks to how closely Brandeis is identified with vibrant Jewish life. 

Brandeis is one of the most welcoming campuses for Jewish students in the country. For decades, the story has been that Brandeis didn’t need a dedicated Hillel building. But the campus was never designed to support the full breadth of extracurricular Jewish life. Now, Hillel has fully outgrown its patchwork of programmatic spaces, and Brandeis urgently wants to invest in a dedicated Center that will sustain Jewish life on campus. 

Why Now? A Once-in-a-Generation Moment 

For decades, Brandeis’s Jewish identity was implicit. But in this moment, we must declare it proudly and lead by example. 

The Center for Jewish Life will underscore Brandeis’s ongoing role as a hub of Jewish thought, values, and leadership. It will bring visibility and vitality to Jewish life at a time when students and the world need both. 

This Center will help attract Jewish students, nurture talented professionals, and affirm Brandeis as a leader in shaping the Jewish future. It will ensure that every Jewish student finds both belonging and purpose. 

Hillel at Brandeis: Where Jewish Students Flourish 

Hillel supports hundreds of students each week with programs ranging from Shabbat dinners and Israel education to civic action, music, wellness, feminist, and LGBTQ+ groups. With a deep commitment to tolerance, and a tradition of rabbinic mentorship, Hillel fosters an extraordinary Jewish community. The new Center will give these programs a true home that matches and amplifies their energy and impact, while anchoring Jewish life at the heart of the campus.

This campaign is about far more than bricks and mortar. It’s about sustaining Brandeis’s place as a center of Jewish life, thought, and leadership now and for the future. 

Where Identity and Leadership Are Formed 

Our work spans every dimension of Jewish life and student development, including: 

  • Weekly Shabbat dinners and services 

  • Holiday celebrations and communal meals across the Jewish calendar 

  • Learning fellowships, chavrutot, and beit midrash programs 

  • Cultural events, music, and arts 

Jewish Life

  • 25+ active student-led committees, boards, and initiatives 

  • Mentorship in public speaking, event planning, and facilitation 

  • Hands-on experience with Jewish social entrepreneurship 

  • High-impact internships and national Hillel leadership cohorts 

Leadership

  • Retreats and immersive experiences that foster lasting friendships 

  • Inclusive spaces for Jews of all backgrounds and denominations 

  • Programs that build empathy, connection, and pluralism 

Community

  • Israel learning and engagement 

  • Dialogue and diplomacy across difference 

  • Training and confidence to navigate and lead in a world where antisemitism and polarization are on the rise 

  • Skills for navigating complexity with Jewish confidence 

Resilience & Responsibility 

Hillel nurtures the next generation of Jewish leaders, equipping them with the deep roots and broad perspective they need to thrive in Jewish life, civic life, and professional life.

  • "As proud alumni and alumni parents, and as a Trustee of this remarkable institution, we have experienced Brandeis as both an outstanding American university and a cornerstone of Jewish life and learning. Hillel has long been the heart of the Jewish community here, shaping generations of students with enduring commitments to their heritage and values. The Center for Jewish Life is critical to sustain, enhance and expand this vital mission. It is not just about bricks and mortar; it’s about ensuring that Brandeis remains a beacon for Jewish learning and leadership for decades to come.”

    — Elizabeth Jick ‘81 P’09 P’12
    — Daniel J. Jick ‘79 P’09 P’12, Trustee

  • "Brandeis University is shaping a sustainable future by creatively reimagining an existing campus building with vision and purpose. The new Center for Jewish Life, home to Hillel at Brandeis, transforms a 1960s-era structure into a welcoming, vibrant space—serving as the hub of Jewish student life and advancing the university’s commitment to innovation, community, and environmental responsibility.”

    — Jason Jewhurst, FAIA, Principal, Bruner/Cott 

  • "Having a place where students can truly feel at home Jewishly is enormously important. If we want to foster one Judaism, one community, then creating a space where a wide range of Jews can interact, learn about one another, exchange ideas, and debate respectfully is essential. That’s precisely what Hillel at Brandeis strives to nurture, enable, and inspire.”

    — Professor Jonathan D. Sarna ‘75, University Professor, Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History

  • "Hillel is the heart of Jewish life at Brandeis. As a graduate, parent, and board member, I’ve had the privilege of seeing Hillel’s impact firsthand. I’m consistently impressed by the dedication of the staff, the vibrancy of the programs, and the energy of the entire Brandeis Hillel community. I look forward to the day that Hillel at Brandeis has a beautiful, permanent home on campus.”

    — Ari Jaffe ‘83 P’15 P’20 

  • "College is one of the rare times in a Jewish person's life when they can be part of a community that brings together individuals from such diverse Jewish backgrounds. This unique environment fosters learning and connection that can shape the future of the Jewish people by building understanding and bridging divides. A dedicated Hillel building would amplify this experience, providing students from across the Jewish spectrum with a shared home base to come together, learn from one another, and grow as a community."

    — Lindsay Biebelberg '20

  • “I'm so excited for the new Hillel building so that Jewish life can finally have an expansive hub on campus. I love the magic of all of our Jewish spaces on campus, and it will be so fulfilling to have one central place where everyone can stop by, grab a nosh, and share our dreams for what our community will look like."

    – Ollie Small, ‘28

  • “I am thrilled that Brandeis will be building a Hillel building! Initially, I did not know that I wanted to go to Brandeis during my college search, and I never would have thought that I would be where I am today, not just in terms of my Jewish identity, but also with my involvement and leadership within Brandeis Hillel. After immersing myself in Brandeis Hillel’s programming these past two years and currently serving on the Hillel Student Board, I honestly could not imagine going throughout my college journey without the support, love, and amazing environment of my fellow Brandeis peers, as well as Hillel’s incredible staff! Needless to say, Hillel having its own building will really take Jewish life at Brandeis to the next level and allow it to soar. The idea of having our own building is a continual source of motivation for me to be involved within the Jewish community. I want future students of Brandeis Hillel to have a space where they feel comfortable and safe, and can create long lasting memories just like I have done in our current Hillel spaces. I am thrilled and excited to see the progress that will be made in the upcoming years!”

    – Coco Trentalancia ‘27

Where? 

The university has generously offered the former Kutz Hall — a three-floor, 28,000 square foot building built in 1959 — for transformation into a beautiful new home for Jewish student life. Positioned prominently near the campus’s main thoroughfare and adjacent to the North Quad residence halls, Kutz Hall is ideally located to serve as a hub for vibrant Jewish life. With the building already vacated, renovating it will be an environmentally responsible and cost-effective project. 

Realizing our ambitious vision for the growth of Jewish life at Brandeis will require a significant investment of resources in both our physical infrastructure and the student experiences at the heart of Hillel’s mission. 

Key opportunities for partnership and support include: 

  • Building Name 

  • Beit Midrash 

  • Program Spaces 

  • Student Lounge 

  • Café and Kitchen 

  • Conference Rooms 

  • Executive Director Office 

  • Roof Deck 

Sustaining the Future of Jewish Life at Brandeis 

Hillel raises the majority of its annual operating budget independently to provide rabbinic mentorship, cater over 6,000 Shabbat meals annually, enhance campus security, and rent program space. Unfortunately, limited resources restrict our ability to engage every Jewish student at Brandeis in meaningful experiences, and even our current programming relies heavily on the uncertainty of annual campaign support. 

To ensure the long-term growth and stability of Hillel at Brandeis, we are building an endowment that will sustain our capital operations and key programmatic initiatives. 

Hillel professionals are called upon in increasingly diverse ways — as educators, mentors, coaches, and trusted guides. As the needs of students evolve, so must our capacity to meet them with excellence. 

Key endowment opportunities for partnership and support include: 

  • Executive Director 

  • Community Engagement Rabbi 

  • Assistant Director 

  • Jewish Education Fund 

  • Israel Engagement Fund 

  • Shabbat Experience Fund

Help us meet this moment by investing in the future of Jewish life at Brandeis.