Hillel celebrates holiday, gains approval for new Center
by EMILY HULEN
The local Jewish community will
gather Friday, March 9, to celebrate Purim, one of their most colorful
of religious holidays. Students involved in Washington and Lee
University’s Hillel chapter will be including a few of the Purim
practices into their regular monthly Shabbat service in the Alumni
House.
But local Jews have more than just Purim to celebrate this year.
Last month, the University Board of Trustees approved the location for a new Center for Jewish Life on campus.
Because there is no synagogue in Rockbridge County, students and approximately 45 Jewish families in the area have been without a place of worship to call their own. For years, these students and families have been commuting to synagogues in Roanoke and Staunton. Families with children especially have struggled to introduce their children into Jewish culture in the face of such a long commute.
But now even those outside the university will have a place to gather in Lexington for Jewish services.
The Board approved the site of the Howard House on Washington Street for the new center. The fate of the current building is still up in the air. The Howard House is not handicap-accessible and would be costly to renovate. The university is deciding whether to renovate, or to start over with a brand new facility and move the existing building to a different location.
Meanwhile, the Board’s approval has given Hillel leaders a green light to begin fundraising. These leaders estimate that it will require $4 million to make their ideal building a reality. Director of Hillel Joan Robins said that the facility will be named after a donor yet to be determined, which she hopes will be an incentive for larger donations that will reach their goal more quickly.
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Claudette Artwick
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd