Ground was broken Nov. 3 for Hillel's future home, the Smokler Center for Jewish Life in the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building.

Situated at 3109 N. Charles St. across from Homewood campus, the Smokler Center will become the first permanent home for Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, which currently resides in second-floor offices at 3301 N. Charles St. and uses campus facilities for meetings and social functions. Hillel coordinates programming and activities for the campus's estimated 400 Jewish students.

In keeping with its Charles Village neighbors, the three-story home of Hopkins Hillel will be sheathed in a mix of brick and precast stone. Completion is scheduled for fall 2003.

The center will be named for Johns Hopkins alumnus Irving Smokler and his wife, Carol, who were catalysts in the project, and the building for the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.

The $5 million building is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2003. In total, the campaign for the center is seeking $10 million, with the balance beyond construction costs to be used for programming and endowment. The Smoklers have committed $1 million toward the project. The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation committed $1.8 million, designating $1.5 million for construction and $300,000 as a challenge grant for the endowment fund. A total of $5 million has been raised to date.

Commitments to the campaign, a cooperative effort of Hillel of Greater Baltimore and the university, will be credited toward the university's Knowledge for the World fund-raising campaign.