UConn Hillel launches major campaign for state-of-the-art facility By Judie Jacobson This month, the Hillel Foundation at the University of Connecticut at Storrs officially launches a major capital and endowment campaign to build a bigger and better home to replace its aging and, by all accounts, ailing facility. Highlighted by a media center, sanctuary, library, modest fitness center and dining facility, the new building will be more suited to accommodate the school’s growing Jewish population n now 10 percent of the undergraduate student body (including graduate students, approximately 2,000 students.). But just because they’re cutting the official ribbon on the campaign this month, doesn’t mean the campaign’s leadership hasn’t already been hard at work soliciting pledges. In fact, under the guidance of campaign co-chairs Claude Bernstein, Herbert Dunn and Henry Zachs, as well as Hillel Director Pam Newman and Director of Development Diane Generous, the campaign kicks off with $3.5 million in pledges. Recently, the Ledger sat down with Zachs and Generous to discuss the campaign and what it means for the Jewish students, UConn, and the Jewish community. Ledger: First, can you explain the need for a new Hillel building on the UConn campus? Henry Zachs: The current building was built in the 1950s. It’s in a super location n at the axis between the campuses n but its infrastructure is crumbling and it needs a great deal of work. We’ve been advised by several architects that it needs to be replaced. We want to make it a Hillel community center that services the UConn students. Diane Generous: This is a tremendous opportunity for the Hillel UConn to move forward. Hillel has spent the past few years really focusing on programming and making sure we were offering programs and events that the students wanted. Each year we try to reach out to more and more students and each year we do. They get involved and continue to stay involved. Now, we need to bring our facility up to date with our programming. The fact that we need a new building is a sign that we have been successful. That’s why we have begun this capital campaign. Ledger: What is the dollar goal and timetable of the campaign and when can we expect work to begin? DG: We have undertaken a campaign to raise a total of $12 million -- $8 million for the building and $4 million for endowment. Both amounts are of equal importance to us. Our plan to break ground is for May 2008, and we have laid a very good base of fundraising while we’ve been in what some call our “silent phase” of fundraising. Now we are going public with our capital campaign and we expect to have sufficient funds to stay on track with our May groundbreaking date. We are not quite at that point n we have approximately $3.5 million in commitments and we would like to have $6 million before we break ground. Ledger Do you have a fundraising team? DG: We’ve got a very dynamic campaign committee. It’s a small but devoted group and they have done an outstanding job in providing a base for our capital campaign by raising $3.5 million in commitments. Certainly, however, we welcome more participation in our campaign committee. The group is a mix of alums and non-alums. We have one alumnus on the group n Herb Dunn who is a member of the class of 1961 n and we hope other alums will join him. We estimate that there are over 10,000 Jewish UConn alumni living in Connecticut now alone. We think that participation is vital to our success. Ledger: Has the university shown support for the project? DG: The university has been extremely supportive of our efforts, and we’re very appreciative of what they’ve done. We’re very proud of the arrangement we have with UConn that a gift to Hillel is considered a gift to UConn. That’s not always the case in fundraising efforts at institutions. It means that, for example, if someone wants to do a naming gift of $2 million to Hillel it would also be considered a gift to UConn. There are some donors n especially alumni n who feel a strong bond to both UConn and Hillel and want to be listed as UConn donors, and so we expect that this will be very attractive to them. This is a tremendous opportunity to have an impact on UConn and to support the outreach that Hillel does to Jewish students. It’s kind of a twofer. That’s the bottom line. HZ: We have also been getting cooperation from the UConn Foundation and we hope to get greater cooperation from UConn with the new president Michael Hogan. We are very excited about working with President Hogan. Ledger: Why should UConn support this project n what’s in it for the school? DG: UConn is a top ranked public university in the northeast and a facility that we can be proud of and that reflects well on Hillel to the Jewish community, but also our state and our region in a very positive way. This has really resonated with donors and that’s why it has attracted some people who are not necessarily alums n they like this idea that this will be an influential facility that will be a positive influence on Jewish students and will help strengthen their Jewish identity and thus help ensure Jewish continuity. HZ: Hillels are so important to a college. They attract better students, along with alumni and parent donations. That’s a general rule. That’s one of the reasons why I believe having a Hillel is so important, not only Jewishly for kids to get together, but for the college itself. No question about it n there’s something in it for the school itself. Ledger: As someone who is not a UConn alum, Henry, can you explain what motivated you to take a leadership role in this campaign? HZ: I’m not an alum n I graduated from Trinity and the University of Pennsylvania. I became involved because, number one, I believe in the University of Connecticut. My wife Judy was on the UConn Foundation board and we have supported the fine arts and the school of social work, where we have endowed a chair. I also supported the kosher kitchen, which has worked out well not only for the Jewish students, but also for the Muslims who use it. Ledger: Claude Bernstein is another non-alum…and he was the first person to come on board as a campaign chair. Claude is out of the country at the moment and therefore could not speak with us. While we understand that you can’t speak for him, perhaps you could give us some insight into why he decided to undertake this project. HZ: Claude Bernstein has been involved with UConn Hillel for more than 10 years. He was one of the first to donate $10,000 annually. He’s not a graduate, but he believes strongly in Hillel, he believes in UConn, and he believes in this state. DG: Claude is very committed to reaching out to young people to involve them in interesting and important Jewish programs. For example, he funds and works with a program that teaches Jewish teens in lower Fairfield County to value philanthropy. Claude is also heavily involved in supporting and funding Taglit Birthright. He believes that you really need to give these kids a home on campus n a place where they can be comfortable and explore their faith. Therefore, even though he’s not a UConn alum he understands the tremendous value of the Hillel program. Ledger: Herb Dunn was not available to speak with us n but perhaps you can tell us a bit about his involvement. HZ: Herb is a UConn grad (’61) and was very involved in UConn athletics. We already have several alum who are major supporters, including Jerry Lieberman, UConn class of ’69, who is the chief operating officer of Alliance Bernstein, one of the largest investment firms in the world, headquartered in New York. Herb and Jerry had their beginnings in Hartford. Ledger: What is the connection between the UConn Hillel and the local Jewish community, and will that connection be maintained once the new building is up? HZ: The Beth El congregation that uses the facility will continue to use the building. There are two congregants in particular who have stepped up to the plate n Harry Berkenruth and Sam Schrager. Sam is a UConn grad who teaches at the law school. Both have been very involved in the campaign and we hope that others in the congregation will join them. It’s interesting to note that one of the original donors to the current Hillel building was Israel Hoffman, the grandfather of (Jewish community philanthropists) Bradley and Jeffrey Hoffman. So there is a continuity here. Prof. Stuart Miller, who is associate director of UConn’s Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, is a member of our board and meets with students for lunch at Hillel on a regular basis. The new facility will encourage and enable more faculty to interface with the student population. DG: This building is also important to the Jewish life of the community in the Storrs/Mansfield area. So there is a broad base for this project. The Beth El congregation has been worshipping at Hillel for many years. They are a very active group. UConn Hillel also reaches out to Jewish communities throughout the state. The recent gift of two Torahs to Hillel from B’nai Israel of New Britain, which closed its doors recently, demonstrates that affinity. (See story on the B’nai Israel gift in a future issue.) Ledger: The Zachs family funded the construction of the Hillel at Trinity College, which is just a few years old. Has it made a difference on campus? HZ: I believe it’s made an enormous difference. Last Friday night there were more than 50 people at services n generally, there are more than 50 people every Shabbat. [Hillel Director] Lisa Kassow has done a great job at programming. In terms of fundraising…we had more than 50 percent of parents of students who used Hillel at Trinity donate. One alumnus gave us $200,000 for endowment. That’s spectacular. The new building has worked out very well and, along with the new building at UConn, we hope to someday build a new Hillel facility at the University of Hartford.