BU Hillel House prepares for its grand opening

The new Boston University Florence & Chafetz Hillel House will officially open its doors at a grand-opening dedication and reception May 12 hosted by the Hillel Boston Board, the Hillel Student Board and the Hillel National Advisory Board.

Michael Noel, Steffian Bradley Architects Project Manager, said he was amazed by the enthusiastic and emotional reaction people had after visiting the building, located on Bay State Road, at last Friday's unofficial debut.

"Everyone that's come in this building has been in awe," he said. "I've never experienced this in architecture. One freshman just stood in the front lobby and cried ... for the people that have worked on this project, it became a part of them."

College of General Studies sophomore Shera Benkovitz said she was excited to take advantage of 33,000 sq. foot facility.

"It's absolutely beautiful, it's miraculous, state-of-the-art, very new, very fresh," she said. "It's gorgeous. It's really nice to have a place to go to like this."

Rabbi Joseph Polak, the Hillel House director, said he helped guide building's development, stressing that the design was geared toward students.

"I don't want any part of the building to be so institutional that you say 'yuck,' I want to go back to my room," he said.

"The building is to be used as a home for the students," Novak said. "A dorm is a place for you to sleep. This is a home."

Polak noted the prevalence of studying areas in side rooms, equipped with furniture for computer ports.

Noel said Polak requested the front desk be pushed back from the main entrance to create an inviting entryway.

BU Hillel Capital Campaign Director Marcia Novak said the building's features, from its yellow tiles to cherry wood accents, created a sense of warmth. She said the staircase, located off of the entryway, was made of yellow-toned granite from India, cherry wood and stainless steel.

The majority of rooms in the new Hillel House will be used for multiple purposes, one of which holds three sanctuaries for the three prayer groups. Noel said the room can be partitioned into three sections for religious purposes or can be used as one single room with a 200- to 300-person capacity. He said aside from religious practices, the room can be used for lectures or other functions.

According to Novak, the possibility of a new Hillel House was raised about 10 years ago, as it became apparent that the original Hillel House was not meeting the needs of those who used it.

Polak said the organization wanted to increase the building's size to facilitate program growth and student involvement.

"The old building was too small for the crowds we were getting," he said. "The volume of people was larger than the building's capacity and consequently made it very uncomfortable for them."

While SBA Principal Steve Van Ness said SBA designed the interior of the building and drew up the construction plans for both the interior and exterior, The Stubbins Associates designed the exterior of the building.

Polak said SBA was known for turning peoples' visions for a facility into a reality.

"The architects were chosen by the Hillel Lay Board's Construction Committee for their design and mechanical competence and for their overall reputation that they understood peoples' needs well and worked easily with them," he said.

Polak said he was elated that the project, which took more than a year to complete, had reached its conclusion.

"We're really happy with the quality of the work," he said. "The detail is incredible."

According to Novak, the new building has double the space of the old Hillel house.

She said the fundraising campaign for the multi-million dollar facility has a goal of $16 million, "paid for by some generous benefactors, with the particular benevolence of Boston University as well." Polak said that contributors were mostly parents, alumni and friends of BU Hillel.

Polak explained that the new Hillel House will benefit the Jewish student body.

"People are saying they're so proud," he said. "That's what we wanted to do. Jews are a minority, less than 3 percent of the total population. Jews needs to feel proud of who they are and proud of their heritage and shouldn't feel the need to drop stuff to be a true American."

Polak added that the new facility would improve the organization of Hillel's more than 25 programs.

"It will facilitate the services Hillel is mandated to deliver - it will make its program manageable and comfortable," he said.

College of Arts and Sciences freshman Johanna Bronk said the building will attract a wide audience.

"[This] building seems to attract people who aren't Jews as well as Jews," she said. "The old building was more insular - I think I'll probably come here to study more because it's more conducive to studying," she said. "I think there'll probably be more great speakers now that we have the space to host them, which I plan on attending."

Polak said the old Hillel House building, previously owned by the national Hillel organization, is now university-owned property, adding that the university had no immediate plans for its use.