Expanded study space in Shapiro Hall open for learning Jewish texts

by Michael Grillo | 09/05/2006

A newly expanded area for Judaic study in the basement of the Shapiro Residence Hall in Massell Quad re-opened this fall and was dedicated at a ceremony attended by nearly 200 people Saturday evening.The space, called a Beit Midrash, was expanded over the summer from a one-room study area by removing the wall separating the original space from a previously unused room adjacent to it, said Brandeis Orthodox Organization President Daniel Glass '07, who hosted the dedication ceremony and worked with BOO to organize the expansion.Glass said the renovation is big news for students familiar with the study space."Most of the Brandeis community has no idea that this place even exists, but for other people, it is the most important place on campus," he said.The dedication ceremony featured a speech by Glass and singing by members of the audience, who spilled out from the two rooms into the hallway.The Beit Midrash, first opened in 1992 by BOO members interested in studying Torah, was expanded in response to the increasing amount of people interested in using the space, Glass said.Glass said he and BOO began to organize the expansion project last September after a visit from his grandmother, Shirley Kotler, a philanthropist dedicated to Jewish causes.