When students come on campus, they want to feel like they are home. They try to find communities based on past experiences. One of those experiences can be Jewish Life.
The University of Rochester has over 10 different religious and spiritual groups. Most of these groups can be found located across Eastman Quad at the Interfaith Chapel. However, due to the diversity of groups and each group’s traditions, finding a space in the chapel can sometimes be challenging. Last year the Mack Catholic Center was built, and now the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life is being built.
The Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life will also be combined with a new student life space to make the Student Life building and the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life. It is set to be open in Fall 2027 with its location right behind Rush Rhees, the main library on campus, near University Health Services.
Early in October, the groundbreaking took place for a new building. This building is for the new Student Life and the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life building. The first floor will have rehearsal space for dance groups, and the second floor will be for the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life. The ceremony was not simply breaking ground on a new building. It was creating a physical home for the experiences that make college meaningful.
A place where students can meet friends, discover new interests, practice leadership, celebrate traditions, rehearse choreography, and find communities they may not even know they are looking for.
At a University as large and diverse as URochester, having a place to gather matters. It tells students that what they do outside the classroom matters, that their communities matter, and that they have a place here where they belong.
Ultimately, this building is about much more than the rooms and walls we are creating. It is about what will happen inside them.
Now, let’s talk about what will happen inside of the building.
Having a dedicated Jewish Life space makes this especially meaningful to Jewish students.
Having been a part of Hillel and Chabad, Jewish Life has given me a place to connect, celebrate traditions, such as Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, and Passover, and build friendships. Some of my favorite memories have been participating in Hillel’s annual trips to a local dairy farm for ice cream, which have become a fun tradition and an opportunity to connect with other students outside of campus. I hope the Greenbaum Center will give future students that same opportunity.
As Joy Getnick, the Executive Director of Hillel at the University of Rochester stated, “The Greenbaum Center will have a transformational impact on Jewish life on campus. It will ensure Jewish students have the space they need for programs, Shabbat, holiday celebrations, and events, but also to socialize and connect with each other, and with Jewish community.”
Jewish Life on campus means Jewish students will have a place to connect, celebrate traditions, and build friendships. As Joy Getnick explained during her groundbreaking speech, “Jewish life at URochester is already vibrant, and the Greenbaum Center will empower students to create an even stronger community,” said Getnick. “Having this beautiful designated space will be transformational for Jewish campus life, ensuring students have a true Jewish home away from home to gather, learn, celebrate, and grow together.”
For more information regarding Jewish Life and the building, take a look at this link here! From the groundbreaking ceremony that happened over Meliora Weekend, Hillel International also wrote an article found here.
Not only will Jewish Life activities take place in the building, more rehearsal spaces will also be in the building. The University of Rochester has performing arts spaces in five buildings on campus already. However, with 6 acapella groups, theater groups, and 18 different dance groups that can rehearse from 1-6 times a week, the spaces tend to fill up fast. Therefore, this space will allow groups to have another space to reserve for rehearsals more and to receive another space to reserve.
These groups will have more time to explore different genres of dance and fine tune choreography. Some of the dance and acapella groups compete, so this space will allow them to create memories at competitions that will last a lifetime.
The new building is a great opportunity for students and is being used to make the student experience “ever better.”