-Photo courtesy of Katie Manion
By Emily Blackner
Copy Editor
Renovations needed to create Washington College’s own Hillel House are under way, generating much excitement among students and faculty.
The plan to create a Hillel House was proposed last year by President Mitchell Reiss, and the conversion of the house at 313 Washington Ave., across the street from the Green, began over the summer.
“August was the start of the construction,” said Dr. Ryan Kelty, sociology professor and advisor of WC’s Hillel. “It was put on hold a little bit to get ready for the start of this semester, but they are making pretty fast progress.”
The work is being done by outside contractors and paid for with funds raised by a specially-appointed committee.
“We are definitely really excited about it,” said sophomore Ashley Carol-Fingerhut, president of WC Hillel. “Things seem to be going smoothly and progressing quite well.”
The bulk of the renovations are occurring on the first floor of the house.
“Two walls have been knocked down and posts put in their place for structural reasons,” said Kelty. This will open up the space to create a larger area for student gatherings.
“The second floor, with office space, will remain unchanged.”
“The kitchen area is being remodeled so we can have a kosher kitchen in there. The meat and dairy kitchens will be completely separate, because according to the law of what is kosher, meat and milk are not supposed to be consumed together,” Carol-Fingerhut said.
“The kitchen will be kosher according to Islamic law as well,” Kelty said. “Any Muslim students would then be free to share that space, so it is an inclusive area.”
The kitchens will contain a freezer and fridge as well, “to complement the options offered by Dining Services,” which Kelty says has been “really supportive.”
“Donna Dhue [the director of Dining Services] has been working with us to find ways to get kosher food without tremendous cost increases,” he said.
According to the proposed plan posted online, the remodeling project will also include adding ramps and updating the bathrooms to make the Hillel House ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.
Extensive renovations like this require a lot of time and effort.
“The house was completely gutted. But last week I did a walk-through, and they have the drywall up now,” said Kelty.
“We have picked out wall colors, floor tiles, and couptertops, and I am going to look at some furniture that the College is offering us,” Carol-Fingerhut said.
Work is expected to be completed by early December. Director of the Physical Plant Reid Raudenbush said, “It is out hope to have the Hillel house ‘open for business’ when the spring semester begins.” There will be a dedication ceremony for the building sometime in the spring, but exact plans are not finalized at this time.
Members of the WC community are eagerly anticipating the opening of the house.
“I’m really excited about students having space to accommodate both cultural and religious events. This is a space that they can create and control in terms of programming, and that makes it easier and more inviting for students to congregate,” Kelty said.
It will also permit the Hillel Club to host events that it has been unable to in the past.
“It is traditional to have Shabbat dinners on Friday nights,” he said. “In the past, my wife and I have hosted them at our home, but it is hard to get students to go that far. Now, they can be held in the Hillel House and be more central.”
“We can invite speakers for ‘Nosh and Learn’ events, where we have a little bit of food and discuss a topic of interest, like Israel or Judeism,” said Kelty.
The Hillel House will provide opportunities for more community outreach.
“There’s no synagogue in town; the only one on the Eastern Shore is in Easton, though the Havurah has done a nice job of hosting events for holidays,” said Carol-Fingerhut. Hillel House activities would attract members of the Havurah, or local Jewish community.
“People have already expressed interest in coming in and teaching students how to do some traditional holiday baking,” said Kelty. “I don’t think we could do the high holy days, but smaller ceremonial events could be hosted at the house. The fall harvest celebration, known as Sukkot, could be in the backyard, for example.”
Having a Hillel House also makes WC more attractive to prospective students.
“Most colleges and universities with Jewish populations have a Hillel House,” said Carol-Fingerhut. “It is a necessary part in increasing the Jewish population on campus.”
“I’ve already had three potential students meet with me, and they are extremely excited,” Kelty said. “From their perspective, they see it as a commitment to support Jewish students. Just advertising the house on our webpage is drawing students who are bringing lots of talents to Washington College. It is already starting to have positive effects.”