By Andres Tamayo
UM News

The newly expanded and renovated Braman Miller Center for Jewish Student Life was made possible by two of Miami’s most philanthropic families.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (December 11, 2015)—In a festive celebration last Wednesday night, hundreds of members of the Miami community gathered to mark the dedication of The Braman Miller Center for Jewish Student Life at the University of Miami Hillel.

On the  fourth night of Hanukkah, students, alumni, parents, donors, and other visitors shared laughs while marveling at the newly expanded and renovated three-story building.

The expansion—made possible through gifts from two of Miami’s most philanthropic families, the Bramans and the Millers, along with Hillel International—provides an inviting space for all students and the community to study, pray, eat, and spend time with friends. The common message throughout the evening was that the building was designed to create a welcoming place where the Jewish community and others, whether from Miami or beyond, can gather and deepen their connections.

“Since students don’t always have breaks for the Jewish holidays, it will be nice to be able to come here and share experiences with students like you,” said Joey Newfeld, a junior majoring in industrial engineering. “Just knowing that there is somewhere you can go where you’ll always be accepted no matter what happens and be able to be yourself is really comforting.”

The dedication featured speeches from Eric Fingerhut, CEO and president of Hillel International; UM President Julio Frenk; and Chaim Shacham, Consul General of Israel to Florida. Each touched on the main focus of the new center: to provide students an opportunity to gain a deeper connection with Jewish culture and strengthen relationships with others.

“Here at UM, Hillel gives Jewish students a place where they can call home, a place where they can connect with their culture, deepen their spirituality, energize their commitment to community service, and develop relationships that, as we heard, will last a lifetime,” said Frenk. “We want to create an environment where everyone feels like they belong.”

UM President Julio Frenk and Felicia Knaul celebrate the dedication of the Braman Miller Center for Jewish Student Life with students who provided tours of their new home away from home.

As part of the celebration, Felicia Knaul, director of  UM’s Miami Institute for the Americas and wife of President Frenk, lit four lights of the menorah, signifying the fourth night of Hanukkah. Frenk, who is the first Jewish president in UM’s history, looked on with the couple’s daughter as the crowd rejoiced in song as part of the Hanukkah celebration.

The evening began with a networking hour where guests enjoyed drinks, food, student-led tours and a live performance by Chad Bernstein, the founder of the Guitars Over Guns Organization. The tours took guests from the first floor, where conference rooms and an open ballroom greeted them, to study rooms and lounges on the second floor, to a third-floor lounge area and rooftop balcony overlooking part of the UM campus.

To find out more about The Braman Miller Center for Jewish Student Life visit www.december9.org. For more on the University of Miami Hillel visit miami.hillel.org.

From left are Jeffrey Miller, Hillel at UM Capital Campaign co-chair, President Shalala, Sidney Pertnoy, and Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO, Hillel International.

In one of her last acts as UM president, Donna E. Shalala, who ardently supported University of Miami Hillel through her 14-year tenure, accepted Hillel International’s Maimonides Award last week. As Jeffrey Miller, who was joined by brother Stuart Miller, chair of the UM Board of Trustees, and sister Leslie Miller Saiontz, told Shalala at the organization’s annual Renaissance Gala in New York City, “Tonight’s honor is simply an exclamation point for your tireless efforts to welcome diversity and tear down the walls of ignorance. By heartfully supporting Hillel, you helped open up the eyes and hearts of both Jewish and non-Jewish kids.”

Hillel International established the Maimonides Award, named for the preeminent Jewish philosopher, astronomer, scholar and physician, last year to recognize a university leader whose dedication to higher education has promoted a deep commitment to Jewish and secular learning and devotion to the community.

“In addition to being a tremendous friend of the Jewish community and University of Miami Hillel, President Shalala has established a path of excellence for the University of Miami in the arenas of higher education, research, and health care,” said Sidney Pertnoy, chair of Hillel International.

UM Hillel’s new home on the Coral Gables campus, the Braman Miller Center for Jewish Student Life, is currently under construction and scheduled to open this fall. Jeffrey Miller is co-chair of the Hillel at UM Capital Campaign.

Special to UM News

From left are Jeffrey Miller and Debra Braman Wechsler, Hillel at UM Capital Campaign co-chairs; UM President Donna E. Shalala; and Noreen Gordon Sablotsky, chair of UM Hillel’s Board of Directors.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (October 16, 2014)—On the final day of the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot, University of Miami Hillel held a groundbreaking ceremony to officially begin construction on the new Braman Miller Center for Jewish Student Life.

Thanks to a lead naming gift of $2.5 million from two of Miami’s most distinguished families, the Bramans and the Millers, who were on site for the groundbreaking, UM Hillel will be renovated to meet the needs of more than 2,000 Jewish and non-Jewish UM students alike. Plans include a new lobby, kosher café, dining room, multipurpose classroom space, and prayer sanctuary.

“Here at the University of Miami, Hillel gives Jewish students a place to call home—a place where they can connect with their culture, deepen their spirituality, energize their commitment to community service, and develop relationships that will last a lifetime,” said UM President Donna E. Shalala.

The event, which was attended by 80 UM students, trustees, donors, local and national Hillel leaders, and members of the local Jewish community, was held outside the current Hillel building and in front of a “sukkah,” or booth, made from branches and palms, following Jewish tradition.

“Hillel helps nurture and engage our community. Here, students find meaning and purpose. Yes, they find food, and many times, they find themselves,” said Jacob Solomon, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. “Hillel is the best chance the Jewish community has to impact Jewish identity. Across continents, 18 time zones, and on 550 campuses in North America alone, this foundation helps build the future of the Jewish people.”

Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of Hillel, said, “Our success in building Jewish life on campus depends greatly on our university partners. President Shalala, thank you for that partnership and for the good soil on which to grow and thrive here on campus.”

The new Braman Miller Center for Jewish Student Life will help inspire and shape future Jewish leaders.

From UM News

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (March 25, 2014) — Following a tradition stretching over several generations, two of Miami’s most distinguished families, the Bramans and the Millers, have joined forces to transform Jewish student life at the University of Miami with a lead naming gift to University of Miami Hillel.

Hillel is the largest Jewish organization on campuses worldwide. The gift will enable fundamental renovations and the building of the new Braman Miller Center for Jewish Student Life to meet the needs of more than 2,000 Jewish students at the University of Miami.

“Our families are proud that the Braman Miller Center for Jewish Student Life will be the center of Jewish life on campus at the University of Miami for many years to come,” said Debra Braman Wechsler and Jeffrey Miller, co-chairs of UM Hillel’s Capital and Endowment Campaign. “UM Hillel is extremely important to us, as we have deep roots in the community and in the University.”

Through their philanthropic gifts, the local Braman and Miller families will support UM Hillel in focusing its efforts on providing students with a new, state-of-the-art, welcoming, and spacious facility to attract both Jewish and non-Jewish students alike. The vision includes spaces designed to inspire, such as a rooftop lounge with a balcony, a Café Hillel serving Kosher food, a renovated chapel, worship spaces, as well as offices and a multipurpose room for event programming.

“This modern ‘home away from home’ will help to inspire and shape the future leaders of the Jewish community,” said UM President Donna E. Shalala.

These spaces will provide students with room to engage, grow, socialize, and connect with their peers, making UM one of the most dynamic Jewish communities in North America. The expected completion date of this project is summer of 2015.

Over the years, members of both families have served on the University’s Board of Trustees. Miller family members have been ardent, long-time supporters of Judaic culture and studies. Their commitments have extended to the Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies at UM, which provides an objective, in-depth exploration of the issues and trends that have affected the Jewish people over the last 100 years.

“The Hillel at the University of Miami not only represents the center of Jewish life on the UM campus, but it is also an important source of pride and connection between the entire Jewish community and the University,” said Jacob Solomon, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. “As a result, to have the building bear the names of two of the most respected and loved families in Miami is beyond perfect! All of us at Federation are so excited about what’s happening with the UM Hillel and are so proud to be a part of it.”

UM Hillel currently provides Jewish students with a vibrant community where they can deepen their identity, strengthen their relationships, and challenge themselves with new perspectives. Hillel celebrates a weekly Shabbat on campus, participates in Alternative Breaks and other community service events, coordinates Birthright Israel trips, and offers its students a variety of leadership and professional development opportunities.

“I am excited and committed to build a world-class facility that will enable us to foster a strong sense of community and pride for our students,” said Noreen Gordon Sablotsky, chair of UM Hillel’s Board of Directors.

The naming gift is part of Momentum2: The Breakthrough Campaign for the University of Miami and Hillel’s Capital and Endowment Campaign. Hillel is an agency of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and participates in Create a Jewish Legacy Miami. The Capital and Endowment Campaign is still ongoing, and gifts are needed to complete this worthy project.

To learn more, contact Shana Kantor, 305-665-6948 or [email protected].