Muhlenberg College breaks ground for new Hillel House this spring
Muhlenberg College will break ground for a new Hillel House that will involve a major renovation and expansion of its existing Hillel House.Tuesday, March 2, 2010 00:23 PM
Muhlenberg is the only small liberal arts college in America with fully accredited Hillel Foundation. The College’s Jewish population is the fifth highest in the country. Jewish students represent approximately 34.5 percent of the Muhlenberg student body.
A public groundbreaking ceremony will be held April 25 at 11:30 a.m. and will be followed by a brunch.
In addition to the changes at the Hillel House itself, at the start of the academic year, the Student Union will open two Star-K supervised kosher kitchens that will be accessible to all students as part of the College’s meal plan.
Hillel Director and Jewish Chaplain Patti Mittleman looks forward to the changes at the College. "We have a growing number of kosher observant students who helped guide the College through the addition of the kosher kitchens in the Student Union. Having kosher kitchens in both the student union and at Hillel will help our chef in preparing for the hundreds of students who join us at Hillel for Shabbat each week."
With over a 300 percent growth in Jewish students at the College in the past 20 years, Hillel staff, student leadership and the College administration have created a vision for the addition of a Shabbat Dining Room with seating for over 300, a dedicated sanctuary, an institutional kosher kitchen, additional student and staff office space and a student-designed lounge. The new Hillel House will have close to 20,000 square feet. The space will be available to students 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Jonathan Falk '10, Muhlenberg's Student Body President and past Hillel President, explained Hillel's need for the new property, "The Hillel House isn't just a building on campus. For me and hundreds of other students Hillel is our home at Muhlenberg. I am proud to say that in my four years at Muhlenberg I have seen my Jewish family on campus outgrow our family's home."
Spillman Farmer, the architect leading the project, is committed to preserving the home-like qualities of the existing Hillel House, ensuring that it will remain a comfortable space for students to congregate.
Commitment to this important project is growing each day. The capital campaign for this project began with an anonymous $1 million challenge gift. Naming opportunities are still available.
For more information on the Hillel House renovation and expansion project, contact Mittleman at 484-664-3244 or [email protected].
