When the Freeman Center for Jewish Life opens next month, it will change more than just the landscape of Campus Drive.
The CJL and Hillel-which currently organizes programming for Jewish students-will officially become affiliated July 1, creating what planners see as a powerful new force for the Jewish communities of Duke and Durham.
"It's really a great opportunity. The best aspects of each will become the new entity. It's not easy, but the will was so strong and the logic was so strong," said CJL board member Dr. Harold Kudler. "What we have is unique. In fact, I think it's a wonderful model and it may be a model for campuses elsewhere."
The consolidation will also replace the Hillel director with a position called CJL assistant director and rabbi.
Thus far, the one snag in the arrangement has been finding a rabbi to fill this new job. Joe Blair, the current rabbi and Hillel director, has decided to leave the University after his contract expired. He did not apply for the newly created position.
The CJL conducted a national search for a rabbi and brought three finalists to campus for interviews, but all three have decided to take positions at other places. Blair could not be reached for comment.
One likely possibility is that the University will temporarily use a rabbi from the community, CJL Director Roger Kaplan said, but he will not know the plans for sure until Wednesday. "It's disappointing, because we were really excited about opening the center with everything in place," Kaplan said.
The new conglomeration may help solve some of the financial problems that are common for Hillels across the country and that have plagued Duke's chapter for years.
"Every year since freshman year there's always been some sort of dark cloud in relation to money that hangs over Hillel," said Trinity junior and Hillel student board President Matt Weiss. "We always have to go against the grain to raise money, but there's always been a small miracle."
At one point this year, Hillel found itself $30,000 in debt and unsure whether it would be able to fund the Passover celebration. Luckily, a donor provided the needed funds.
"We made a bet that we'd get donors and that we'd raise more than we'd ever gotten before, a $30,000 bet," said Kudler, an assistant clinical professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral science. "We'd been biting our nails, even down to about a month ago. I believed somehow we would make it, but I didn't know for sure. We will finish this year with even some money in the till, which is remarkable."
Through the affiliation with the CJL, Jewish activities will gain more University funding. Furthermore, Hillel will no longer have to rent space for its larger functions, and the new facility is more likely to attract donors.
The CJL will also encompass a much broader scope than Hillel. Whereas Hillel focuses on improving Jewish life for students on campus, the CJL will expand its focus to non-Jewish students at the University, as well as the community outside of Duke.
"We want to help educate the general University, provide opportunities for dialogue among Jews and non-Jews," said Kaplan, who was appointed last summer and has been working out of an office in the Flowers building. "Given our center, we're able to offer these facilities to the general population. We encourage everyone-groups that need space and usually use Von Canon-to call us up. This will be a major turning point at Duke, not just for the Jewish community."
Durham is unlike many other cities where top-tier universities are located because it does not have a strong Jewish infrastructure, Kaplan said, noting that there is only one small Jewish Community Center in the Triangle.
The CJL will attempt to provide resources to the Durham community, such as bar mitzvah and wedding services. The center will also serve kosher food on food points daily.
"We hope to break down invisible walls between the campus and the community," Kaplan said. "Integrating into Durham helps Duke to give something back to the community."
Officials said the CJL will also help the University recruit top orthodox and conservative Jewish students.
"Jewish students that might have looked at Duke as a Southern school with a very small Jewish population might take a second look," Weiss said.
The CJL will open May 15 for the Jewish baccalaureate ceremony and will be fully functional by the fall. The center will hold its grand opening Oct. 25, during Parents' Weekend.
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