Hillel Falls Short of $75 K Fundraising Goal

Over a month after sending out a plea asking parents to donate money to fund its kosher dining hall, Harvard’s Jewish center will not be forced to cut back on its seven-meal per week schedule.

But because Hillel’s fundraising drive has raised only about $10,000—well short of its $75,000 goal—the center will likely have to decrease funding for several of its special events.

Events that might see reduced funding next year include Hillel’s popular-themed dinners. Last year, for example, the center hosted a “Southern Comfort” dinner to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina, and also took over Annenberg Hall with “Shabat 1000,” which was attended by then-University President Lawrence H. Summers.

“We’re not cutting the meal plan in any way that will cut the number of meals,” Bernard Steinberg, Hillel’s executive director, said. But he added, “if we don’t raise the money that we need, it will affect certain kind of quality issues.”

Steinberg said that a decrease in the amount of china used at meals was one example of quality loss.

He also said that Hillel might have to decrease its funding for a “highly subsidized” program that allows graduate students to eat at the dining hall for only $5 on Wednesday nights, though he added that Hillel would continue to welcome all undergraduate students on a meal plan—including both kosher and non-kosher students.

“Hillel is committed to inclusion,” Steinberg said. “At the heart of the Harvard experience is interaction between diverse groups of people.”

According to Paula Dahari, Hillel’s director of development, Hillel has received over $10,000 as a result of the letter sent on June 6 by Judy Z. Herbstman ’07, the president of Hillel’s undergraduate steering committee.

Dahari refused to give out the exact figure for fear of impeding the fundraising effort.

Dahari said that one parent has offered a challenge grant—offering to donate an undisclosed amount of money if Hillel reaches a certain target—which she hopes will motivate others to donate. Dahari declined to say what the required target was for the challenge grant to be made.

Herbstman said she was optimistic that Hillel would resolve the dining hall’s financial situation.

“I’m hoping that through the challenge grant and all the other efforts that Hillel is engaging in we will able to reach the target,” Herbstman said.

While Herbstman’s letter said that Hillel needed to raise the money by June 30, the fundraising effort has continued into July, Dahari said.

Steinberg said the deadline on the letter had been set for June 30 because that date represents the end of Hillel’s fiscal year. In order to file its 2006-2007 budget, Hillel needed to calculate the amount of fundraising in the previous year.

Hillel’s budget is based on very conservative revenue estimates—without including any estimated increase in fundraising—to prevent the budget from falling into deficit, Steinberg said.

He added that discussions with Harvard University Dining Services are still ongoing in an effort to negotiate a new contract.

Herbstman said she was hopeful that HUDS and Hillel would find a contract to ensure that any changes made to the Hillel dining hall “won’t be noticeable.”

“At this point, we’ve done well enough so that there aren’t any serious considerations about any restrictions that would really hurt the experience,” Herbstman said.

—Staff writer Claire M. Guehenno can be reached at guehenno@fas.harvard.edu.