Jewish Life Center opens | The Triangle

Jewish Life Center opens

A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of the Raymond G. Perelman Center for Jewish Life Oct. 26 on 34th and Cherry Streets.

The new center will include offices for Drexel Hillel, but it will also hold Jewish education programs and social events. A six million dollar gift from Raymond Perelman made the new center a possibility.

The ceremony was attended by Perelman, Hillel student president Max Kahn and Hillel executive director Rabbi Isabel de Koninck.

“Although it took many hands to make this transformative project possible, we wouldn’t be here without the awe-inspiring generosity of Ray Perelman. The enormous good that Ray has done for people and communities, organizations across our region is an example to us all. He has changed the landscape of Philadelphia and has changed our landscape at Drexel,” John A. Fry, president of Drexel University, said.

The center will serve a population of over 1000 undergraduate students who are in Hillel. Hillel is a group that holds events for students celebrating Jewish holidays, develops social action projects, and provides internship opportunities for students.

“Our commitment to celebrating all mode of Jewish expression, practice and identity, allows us to then connect our students with the Jewish opportunities, teachings and communities that meet each student’s diverse needs and goals,” the Hillel website reads.

More information on Drexel Hillel or the Center for Jewish Life is available at http://drexelhillel.org/.