University of Florida Hillel announced that it will be renamed the Diane and Howard Schilit Hillel at University of Florida, thanks to the D.C.-area couple’s seven-figure donation.
“Howard and I are huge fans of Hillel,” Diane Lipson Schilit, a University of Florida alum, told Washington Jewish Week. “The University of Florida has the most, they say, the most Jewish college students of any campus in North America, and we felt it would be a great investment in Jewish Life.”
The funds will be used to renovate the Hillel building, Norman H. Lipoff Hall, and to help create an endowment fund, part of the Hillel’s $10 million campaign to support the university’s Jewish life.
“The opportunity to renovate our facility is going to enable Hillel to better meet the needs of students today. Lipoff Hall is over 20 years old. The world has changed a tremendous amount in 20 years, and having state-of-the-art facilities enables our students to have the best possible Jewish experience on campus,” said Rabbi Jonah Zinn, the executive director of Schilit Hillel. “The endowment funds that the campaign is generating are going to enable Hillel to achieve a degree of both sustainability and vibrancy that’s going to, I think, improve the Jewish student experience here in really powerful ways.”
The facility, which opened 21 years ago, saw its first round of renovations last summer, with the construction of the outdoor pavilion. The next renovations will focus on the ground floor of the building.
“We’re just incredibly grateful to Diane and Howard for their generosity and their leadership, and I think that their philanthropic gift is going to help ensure vibrant Jewish life at the University of Florida for generations to come,” Zinn said. “I was just so humbled and honored that they chose to invest in our students in this way.”
Diane Schilit joined the university’s Hillel board in 2020, but she has been involved in Hillel boards at different universities. Previously, she served on the boards of University of Maryland Hillel, University of Miami Hillel, Hillel International and more.
“UF has become a destination for students seeking both academic excellence and a flourishing Jewish community, and this extraordinary gift from Diane and Howard will take Jewish life at UF to the next level,” Adam Lehman, president and CEO of Hillel International, said in a press release. “This investment demonstrates confidence in UF Hillel’s work and sets an inspiring example for others who want to make a lasting impact on Jewish student life at public universities.”
The couple raised their three children in Maryland, all having attended Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. After their youngest graduated from CESJDS, the couple started splitting their time between Bethesda and Key Biscayne, Florida, where they spend their winters.
Diane Schilit served as the program and youth director at B’nai Israel Congregation in Rockville for 15 years. She also spent her junior year of college at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
“We’re super thrilled to be in a position that we could do this, and we’re excited,” said Diane Schilit. “[Hillel] serves a really important place in a college student’s life.”
In addition to serving on Florida’s Hillel board, Diane Schilit serves on the board of the Foundation for Jewish Camp and is board chair of the Den Collective.
“I think they’re doing such an incredible job with the Jewish students at University of Florida,” added Diane Schilit.
Howard Schilit serves on the investment committee of the Jewish Community Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and has previously served as chair of that committee. He is also an influential name in financial analysis and has influenced investors, analysts and regulators to not focus solely on profits.
“As a long-term stock investor, I’ve learned to recognize potential,” said Howard Schilit in a press release. “We see tremendous opportunity for University of Florida’s Hillel to become a national model, and Diane and I are excited to make that vision a reality and watch, with pride, as Hillel grows from strength to strength.”
