Susan and Michael Dell. Credit: David Finkel Photography 

Shalom Austin is excited to announce the official renaming of the Shalom Austin JCC to the Dell Jewish Community Center! The new two-story, 37,805 square-foot facility, nicknamed the “Dell J,” is located on the Dell Jewish Community Campus in Northwest Austin and honors Austin entrepreneurs and philanthropists Michael and Susan Dell for their generous donation to the Shalom Austin Generations Campaign through their Foundation. With their contribution, Shalom Austin achieved their initial fundraising goal of $25 million. 

“We are so pleased to support Shalom Austin in its mission to be the hub of Jewish life in Central Texas. We always seek opportunities to uplift and encourage the Jewish experience, and Shalom Austin goes above and beyond that by offering resources to those both inside and outside our faith community. We thank them for this honor,” said Michael and Susan Dell. 

The Generations Campaign was established in 2013 to build the future of the Austin Jewish community through an expansion and refresh of the JCC facilities and Jewish Family Service. Thanks to the Dell family’s contribution of a $6.25 million matching gift through their Foundation and with the help of more than 900 individual donors and organizations, that goal was achieved and surpassed. 

With this funding, the facility expanded to include a new state-of-the-art fitness center, an aquatic center, tennis and pickleball courts, renovated locker rooms, a living room, café, education center, refreshed community hall and preschool, and other upgrades. The new building is scheduled to open in early 2023. 

The new Dell Heath & Wellness Center is also named after the Dell family. 

“We are so grateful to the Dell family for their continued generosity over the years. Shalom Austin would not be where it is today without their support, and it is our pleasure to have them included as a permanent part of our expanded facility,” said Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus, chief executive officer at Shalom Austin.