About Harvard Hillel
Harvard Hillel is a Jewish home on campus that seeks to:
- Welcome students to experience the variety of Jewish identity, tradition, practice, values, culture, and community.
- Inspire and enable Jewish connection, celebration, and action.
- Prepare students to join, create, shape, and lead Jewish communities; strengthen the Jewish people, and live proud Jewish lives.
- Share Jewish sources, traditions, ideas, and innovations, and their relevance in our world.
- Forge connection and engagement with the State of Israel.
- Foster friendship in a nurturing and refreshing sanctuary amid the stresses of student life.
- Engage the unique opportunities of Harvard and make Jewish thought and culture integral in the life of the University.
History of Rosovsky Hall
On March 17, 1993, more than 200 friends of Harvard Hillel gathered as ground was officially broken for to make way for architect Moshe Safdie’s magnificent building, The Riesman Center for Harvard Hillel, Rosovsky Hall.
Mr. Safdie’s notes indicate that
“The building’s centerpiece is a circular courtyard defined by three skylit, vaulted spaces that open onto Plympton Street. The versatile green space, enclosed by load-bearing steel columns, can accommodate a sukkah during festivals. On the building’s ground floor is a student lounge, dining hall, and a multi-purpose room. Upper floors feature a library, offices, and multi-purpose rooms for worship and meetings. Clad with brick and pre-cast concrete, the building has a leaded copper roof.”
The building was completed and dedicated on May 1, 1994, after five years of planning, negotiating, designing, and fundraising. Today, Rosovsky Hall continues to house a catalyst for Jewish life at the heart of one of the word’s great universities: a vibrant meeting place for Hillel’s many educational events, lectures, and social celebrations; a pluralistic center that includes four distinct congregations; and the home of kosher dining at Harvard.
Facility Rental
Rosovsky Hall would love to host your meetings, events, and milestones. For information regarding rentals, please email Michael Maffeo, Operations Coordinator.