Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach has opened a renovated and expanded building at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, giving the campus’s growing Jewish student population more room for worship, study and social life.

The building, attached to the university’s S.E. Wimberly Library on a busy covered walkway, now has a security vestibule and a 1,000-square-foot terrace that seats 80 for the chapter’s Friday night dinners, held every other week.

A record $2.5 million gift in 2024 from Boca Raton philanthropist Debra Newman Bernstein funded the expansion. The gift anchors a $10 million campaign for every campus the chapter serves, including Nova Southeastern University, Lynn University, Broward College and Palm Beach State College. Donors have given just over $5 million so far.

About 1,750 FAU students, roughly 7%, are Jewish. Hillel International ranks the school among the 40 American public universities with the largest Jewish enrollment.

Executive director Jason Harris said 680 students have attended at least once this school year and 165 have come 6 or more times, a 19% increase over the same point last year. He aims to reach 90% of Jewish students on each campus.

“FAU wants Jewish life to have high visibility,” Harris told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Ariela Fischer, 21, a Jewish studies major from Orlando, is now the chapter’s vice president and visits daily. Edin Abenaim, 21, a sophomore from Columbus, Ohio, turned to Hillel after his roommate posted anti-Semitic comments involving him on social media; campus police removed the roommate from their dorm. Abenaim now serves on the student board and is working to bring the Jewish fraternity ZBT to campus.

The expansion comes as FAU builds the Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building. The campus also has a Chabad-Lubavitch center for students.