Hillel at Ohio University Opens New Space with Gift from Jewish Alums
Terry and Sam D. Roth met six decades ago at Hillel at Ohio University, forming a connection that would last a lifetime. Now, the couple is giving back to the place where their story began, helping create a home for the next generation of Jewish students.
With a milestone $500,000 donation from the Roths, Hillel OU has been transformed into a space for today’s Jewish campus community, complete with an overhauled kosher kitchen, mini-cafe, wellness lounge, and outdoor patio. To mark this new chapter, Jewish students, alumni, university leaders, and community members gathered for a rededication ceremony and weekend celebration, honoring the couple and officially renaming the building, the Terry & Sam D. Roth Center for Jewish Life.
“We met at this Hillel as students in 1960, and the friendships we made here have lasted a lifetime,” said Terry Roth, who graduated from OU in 1963. “We wanted to help make it a place the next generation of students will want to spend time in. Today’s rededication marks a new chapter for Hillel at Ohio University, and we’re excited to watch this community keep growing in it.”
While the doors to the updated building officially opened in August, the weekend was an opportunity to take a step back and recognize the people and relationships that made the transformation possible.
The festivities began with a community Shabbat dinner and comedy show, bringing students, alumni, and local residents together. Then, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony, attendees heard from the Roths, Hillel OU Executive Director Juli Goodman, OU Interim Vice President for Student Life Kathy Fahl, and Athens, Ohio Mayor Steve Patterson. There, the Roths committed an additional $100,000 to a new building fund that Ohio Hillel is establishing.
“This building has anchored Jewish life in Athens, Ohio for 60 years, and this renovation means it will keep doing that for the next 60,” Patterson said. “I want every student and every family here to know they have a place in this city.”
Hillel OU has a long history on campus as a place where Jewish students can make friends, explore traditions, hone their leadership skills, and build connections that continue long after graduation. And as one of the only Jewish institutions in southeast Ohio, Hillel OU also serves the broader Athens Jewish community. The current building has been home to Hillel OU since 1966, and with support from the Roths, has undergone significant renovations for the first time in decades.
These updates were also made possible through a Hillel partnership with OU, which supported the renovations and helped secure state funding for security. The collaboration reflects a shared commitment to creating a campus environment where Jewish students can thrive.
Fourth-year student and Hillel student leader Alexys Rudd said this is an incredible moment for Jewish life. “I know I’m not just speaking for myself when I say how excited we all are for this new chapter on campus,” Rudd said. “This weekend’s rededication truly shows the commitment of our university and Hillel to Jewish students.”
For Hillel OU Executive Director Juli Goodman, the rededication was particularly meaningful because of the Roths’ personal connection to Hillel and their desire to create inspiring experiences for today’s students. “We are incredibly grateful that Terry and Sam chose to honor the place that brought them together in such a generous way,” Goodman said. “Their support will shape the lives of future generations of students, and we’re excited to see our community already starting to make the most of this modernized space.”
“[This] rededication celebrates Hillel’s key role at Ohio University in supporting and catalyzing vibrant and diverse Jewish life on campus,” added Hillel International President and CEO Adam Lehman. “This new space will ensure Jewish students and community members at OU can continue to engage in meaningful and joyful Jewish life, find a sense of communal belonging, and grow as Jewish individuals and leaders.”