It’s hard to escape the sounds of jackhammering, drilling and assorted construction work around Towson University these days. As the 156-year-old institution continues to grow by leaps and bounds, the campus Hillel also harbors ambitious expansion plans.
Early next month, Towson Hillel aims to move into a space on the lower level of the Towson Commons complex, located in the heart of the commercial center of the Baltimore County seat.
The 2,500-square-foot space — formerly occupied by a virtual reality center — will house a full-service kosher kitchen for holiday gatherings, family events and cooking demonstrations; a multi-purpose room to accommodate 100 guests or more for meals, worship services, programming and recreation; workspace, study, lounge and library areas; private offices for meetings, counseling and learning; and a conference room for educational seminars and meetings for students in Jewish and Israel Learning Fellowship courses.
The multi-purpose room will also be available to local businesses and community groups for rentals.
Last October, Towson Hillel signed a five-year lease for the space and is in the process of a renovation exceeding $100,000. To help raise community funds for the project, a matching challenging grant of $50,000 was established by Becky Brenner, a former Towson Hillel director, and her family’s Ronnie H. and Allie Russel Charitable Foundation.
Founded in 1997, Towson Hillel is a program of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore. The Hillel estimates there are approximately 2,300 Jewish students – about 10 percent of the student body — currently enrolled at Towson University.
Lisa Bodziner, Towson Hillel’s executive director, said the organization will continue to operate its 400-500-square-foot on-campus lounge and headquarters on the second floor of Newell Dining Hall. The space was gifted to Towson Hillel by the university.
“We just couldn’t do large programming there,” she said, noting that Shabbat and High Holiday services will be held at the Towson Commons location. Bodziner said the new space lends itself to holding multiple services simultaneously, such as egalitarian, traditional and learners’ minyanim.
Bodziner said Towson Hillel is following in the footsteps of its counterparts around the nation in setting up off-campus locations to accommodate students residing in different geographic areas and at different stages of their college experience, as well as serving as venues for the broader community.
“When we started this process, I was in conversation with colleagues around the country and they said [holding off-campus programming] was the best thing for them because there isn’t always enough room on campus,” she said. “This is a trend at Towson [University] as well, to have different groups and services in the centralized downtown area.”
In particular, Bodziner said she hopes Towson Commons Hillel will serve as a gathering place for Jews living in the I-83 corridor. She noted that around 90 percent of Jewish Towson alumni relocate within an hour’s radius of the university after graduation.
“We want it to be a communal space beyond the campus community,” she said. “Businesses, families, conferences can rent it out. It’s a great location, with so much development going on in downtown Towson. We’re so excited, and we couldn’t have done this without The Associated. They were there every step of the way to provide support and encouragement.”
To alleviate safety concerns at a time when antisemitic incidents are on the rise throughout the nation, Bodziner said Towson Hillel has consulted with The Associated, Hillel International, the Baltimore Jewish Council and the Towson University Police Department about security for the new space.
Besides 24-hour security at Towson Commons, the Hillel location will have an entrance welcome desk, camera surveillance and an emergency exit.
“Because it’s downtown [Towson] and so visual, the police frequent the area and watch the high traffic,” Bodziner said.
Regarding parking, she noted that there is a lot located on the upper level of Towson Commons as well as free and metered parking on the street level.
“It’s easier than parking on campus,” she said. “The vision here is that, hopefully, this will be a perfect location at a perfect time for the campus community and a space for the larger community. I welcome anyone to come out for a personal tour. Everyone has a connection to Towson, and when people come back to the campus they just can’t believe it. We’re truly investing in the next generation.”
For information, towsonhillel.org.
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