The Koret Pavilion Joins Taube Hillel House
at the Ziff Center for Jewish Campus Life
Catalyst
From the CEO
The colleges and universities in
the Bay Area provide the perfect laboratory for engaging ideas
important to Koret. With its
renowned scholars, dynamic
student body, and worldwide
reach, Stanford University is a particularly fruitful environment for this work.
At Stanford, Koret supports the public policy research and analysis conducted by the Hoover Institution and Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), particularly as they pertain to the advancement of democratic societies, free-market economies, and education reform. We advance Jewish intellectual pursuits by funding the innovative work of the Taube Center for Jewish Studies and the organizations and programs that bring Judaism to life on campus, including Chabad and Hillel at Stanford. And we work to address specific unmet needs wherever they appear, from establishing a Jewish chaplaincy at Stanford Medical Center to creating a new home for recreational sports for students and faculty. Much of our work is in partnership with Taube Philanthropies, leveraging our investment in the life of the mind.
Through this support, we not only encourage academic inquiry but also develop resources that enrich our entire community.
We hope you enjoy learning about the impact of our support for Stanford University projects and programs, and we invite you to keep an eye out for a future issue of the Catalyst highlighting Koret’s investments at UC Berkeley.
Jeffrey A. Farber, CEO
Living out its mission to connect students with the religious, cultural, and social aspects of Jewish life, Hillel at Stanford celebrated the opening of the new Koret Pavilion at the Ziff Center for Jewish Life in April with several events.
On April 1, buzz built up at an outdoor barbecue, and students’ curiosity about the new building was satisfied with an Open Mic night on April 3, which drew over 150 students from across the campus for an evening of music, poetry, and comedy. Shabbat dinner on April 4 was followed the next night by a “Bat Mitzvah” theme party. The formal Grand Opening Celebration occurred on April 13, which included a student-produced film about the history of Jewish life at Stanford, remarks by Avraham Infeld, President Emeritus of Hillel International, a ribbon cutting by Koret President Tad Taube, and mezuzah hanging by donor Lela Sarnat, daughter of Harold and Libby Ziff, for whom Stanford’s Center for Jewish Life is named. The a capella group Talisman performed, and University President Emeritus Don Kennedy offered welcoming remarks.
The Koret Pavilion greatly expands Hillel’s capacity to serve the Stanford community. Adjacent to the existing Taube Hillel House, the new 9,500-square-foot building provides additional meeting, dining, and prayer space. The Koret Pavilion has space to seat up to 150 students at a time for Shabbat dinners, to accommodate large lectures and celebrations, and to offer the KoPa Café lounge space for students, faculty, and community members to relax and exchange ideas.
Noted developer and Stanford benefactor John Arrillaga was instrumental in the project. After attending Stanford on a basketball scholarship and graduating in 1960, Arrillaga has been one of the university’s most generous donors. Through his generous offer to shepherd the development of both the Taube Hillel House and the Koret Pavilion, Hillel at Stanford is now able to provide the full range of programming necessary for the university’s dynamic Jewish student population.