Gift from Henry Zachs to build Trinity's Hillel endowment
HARTFORD - Trinity College Hillel has received a gift of $306,000 from former Trinity College trustee Henry M. Zachs of Farmington, who pledged to match, one-for-one, new and increased gifts received from parents, alumni, and friends directed toward building Hillel's endowment.
"Increasing Hillel's dedicated endowment," said Zachs, "will allow programs to become self-sustaining, ensuring a vibrant Hillel well into the future."
As an undergraduate student in the class of 1956, Zachs' involvement over the decades has encompassed a wide variety of projects and initiatives, among them serving as a Trinity trustee and class agent. In recent years, strengthening and supporting a vibrant Hillel at Trinity College have been a primary focus of his time and philanthropy.
Opened in Dec. 2001, the $2.8 million Zachs Hillel House was made possible largely through the generosity of Zachs and his wife, Judith.
Alan Mendelson, board chairman of Trinity College Hillel and a 1969 Trinity graduate, said, "Henry has always been an extraordinary supporter of Trinity Hillel and for him to continue to do so under the current economic environment is a tremendous credit to him and to Hillel."
Zachs serves on the Trinity College Hillel board, as well as the boards of the University of Connecticut and University of Hartford Hillels. He was awarded Trinity's Eigenbrodt Cup - the highest and most prestigious alumni award the College bestows.
Zachs has long been a leading philanthropist in greater Hartford's Jewish and general communities. Recently, he was awarded the Harold Grinspoon Award for Excellence in Jewish Education Lay Leader Award.
Photo: Left to right, Alan Mendelson, Trinity College Hillel board chairman and a 1969 Trinity graduate; Molly Goodwin, Hillel student co-president and a member of Trinity's class of 2009; Henry M. Zachs; Hillel Director Lisa Kassow. Photo credit: Rita Law