Cornell Hillel Breaks Ground on New Jewish Student Center

The $52 million facility is designed to strengthen campus Jewish life and community.

Mar. 20, 2026 at 12:00am

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Hillel International has broken ground on a new $52 million Jewish student center at Cornell University. The Grinspoon Hillel Center for Jewish Community will replace the organization's current space in Annabel Taylor Hall, providing a dedicated home for Jewish students on campus. The new Harkavy Hall building will feature a kosher cafe, study areas, prayer spaces, event spaces, and security measures designed in consultation with the Secure Community Network.

Why it matters

The new Hillel center represents a major investment in supporting and growing the Jewish community at Cornell. It will provide a centralized hub for Jewish student life, events, and programming, helping to foster a stronger sense of belonging and connection for Jewish students on campus.

The details

The new Harkavy Hall building will include a lounge with a fireplace, the kosher Herb's Cafe, study areas, prayer spaces, meeting rooms for student organizations, a large kitchen for catering and initiatives like challah baking, and a 220-person multipurpose room for events like Shabbat dinners and community gatherings. Architects are also planning custom ritual objects like an ark and bimah, as well as a 'bespoke' sukkah on an upper-level terrace. Security features were a major consideration, with passive security measures like a rain garden instead of bollards, cameras throughout, and a 'man trap' entry designed in consultation with the Secure Community Network.

  • Hillel International broke ground on the new center on March 8, 2026.
  • The $52 million capital campaign has raised $37.2 million from 1,286 donors so far.
  • Harkavy Hall is expected to open in the fall of 2027.

The players

Rabbi Ari Weiss

The executive director of the Grinspoon Hillel Center for Jewish Community at Cornell University, who has served in this role for 10 years.

Harriet Harkavy

A Cornell alumna and lead donor to the new Hillel facility, which will be named Harkavy Hall.

Hillel International

The organization that is overseeing the construction of the new Jewish student center at Cornell.

Secure Community Network

The security arm of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, which worked closely with Hillel on the security design of the new building.

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What they’re saying

“We really want this place to live Judaism, to live community and to breathe belonging. For me, that is really like the hope of this building, that this will be a home for Jewish students. It will be a place for them to gather, to belong, to be together.”

— Rabbi Ari Weiss, Executive Director, Grinspoon Hillel Center for Jewish Community

“We tried, whenever possible, to have passive security. Instead of installing bollards to prevent car rammings into the building, a rain garden to catch water runoff will be designed as something impossible for someone to drive a car and ram through.”

— Rabbi Ari Weiss, Executive Director, Grinspoon Hillel Center for Jewish Community

What’s next

Harkavy Hall is expected to open in the fall of 2027, providing a new permanent home for the Cornell Hillel and strengthening the university's Jewish community.

The takeaway

The new Hillel center at Cornell represents a significant investment in supporting and growing the Jewish student population on campus. By providing a dedicated space for community, programming, and security, the facility aims to foster a stronger sense of belonging and connection for Jewish Cornellians.