TOP TO BOTTOM: JCC building, c. 2000s; First event held on the proposed site of the Dell Jewish Community Campus celebrating Israel’s 45th Anniversary, May 2, 1993; Construction of JCC building on the Dell Jewish Community Campus, c. 1999-2000. Courtesy: Shalom Austin

By Wendy Goodman and Allison Teegardin 

This year marks a momentous milestone for the Austin Jewish community. 25 years ago, in 2000, the Dell Jewish Community Campus officially opened. It sits on the oak tree studded 40-acre tract of land on the original site of the Hart Family Ranch in Northwest Austin, which was acquired by Michael and Susan Dell in August 1992. 

“It’s an honor to celebrate 25 years of the Dell Jewish Community Campus. When we donated the land, we hoped it would bring people together—and it has. Seeing these 40 acres thrive, thanks to the dedication of so many, has been incredible. This milestone is about the community that made this place what it is. We’re grateful to have played a part in it,” Michael and Susan Dell said. 

Also marking 25 years is the integrated business model that is known today as Shalom Austin. In 2000, the same year the Dell Jewish Community Campus officially opened, the Jewish Community Association of Austin was established as a single combined nonprofit organization consisting of three entities at the time: Jewish Community Center, Jewish Federation of Austin and Jewish Family Service. The Jewish Foundation joined when it formed in 2014.  

The JCAA (now Shalom Austin, the umbrella organization for the Jewish Federation, Dell JCC, Jewish Family Service and Jewish Foundation), eagerly adopted an organizational model that centralized community fundraising, education, Jewish communal activities, and social services with the aim to efficiently serve the entire Jewish community.  

For the past quarter-century, the Campus has provided the experiences important for building Jewish culture and community, creating a transformative ecosystem for families and individuals of all ages. What’s more, the design and forward-thinking operations have proven to be adaptable to the growing and changing needs of the community. As a beacon of innovation and impact, the Dell Jewish Community Campus has become a model for similar initiatives and regarded as a blueprint for success for building unity across Jewish communities in North America.  

In addition to Shalom Austin’s offices, the Dell JCC and JFS, the Campus is home to three religious denominations – Temple Beth Shalom (Reform), Congregation Agudas Achim (Conservative) and Congregation Tiferet Israel (Modern Orthodox) – as well as Austin Jewish Academy day school. It also serves as a home away from home for other local congregations such as Congregation Kol Halev and Shalom Rav. Other synagogues, like Congregation Beth Israel, have partnered on community programs at the Campus. Jewish institutions across Greater Austin and Central Texas also utilize its spaces. 

The Jewish Outlook will continue to share stories throughout the year of the flourishing Jewish life the Campus has fostered, including highlighting congregations, AJA and other Jewish institutions and leaders. 

“As we celebrate 25 years of Shalom Austin and 25 years of the Dell Jewish Community Campus, we reflect on the incredible impact this space has had on our community. It is a hub of learning, connection and innovation – helping us grow together in ways we never imagined. I am deeply grateful for Michael and Susan Dell for donating this beautiful property to the Jewish community which created the renaissance for Jewish life in Austin, and for their unwavering support of our community. I am also so thankful for the original pioneers and benefactors of the Campus, without whom this would not be possible,” Shalom Austin CEO Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus said. 

Building the Future 

Following years of planning in the early 1990s with a group of local Jewish leaders known as the Austin Jewish Community Plan, Michael and Susan Dell acquired the lush land of the Hart Family Ranch on Hart Lane in 1992. Then they, along with members of the Austin Jewish Community Plan including Phil Spertus, Harriett Kirsh Pozen and Keith Zimmerman, worked together to raise at least $5 million to build a center that would meet the basic needs of the community. 

“25 years ago, we dreamed of building a vibrant hub where our community could come together. We knew it would take the sweat, support and muscle of community leaders and the community at large to help us achieve this dream. Many obstacles were overcome. Seeing that vision come to life has been nothing short of extraordinary. For more than 25 years, so many volunteers and professionals have put in countless hours and dug deep to help make this dream a reality. Our theme back then and now is ‘for generations, for generations to come,’ and with everyone’s help, we have made that happen,” Zimmerman said. 

A tremendous amount of planning, fundraising and work took place from the time the land was purchased in 1992 and the official opening in 2000 – it was a true community effort.   

To gain excitement and interest, the first community event was held on the proposed site of the Dell Jewish Community Campus on May 2, 1993 celebrating Yom HaAzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, as well as offering site tours. 

In 1996, an official groundbreaking ceremony for the first buildings on the Campus was held. The event was attended by more than 800 people, including U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett, then Austin Mayor Bruce Todd and then State Comptroller Bruce Sharp.  

By June 1997, the capital campaign to raise the funds to develop the first buildings on the Dell Jewish Community Campus was called “For All Generations, For Generations to Come,” and it had secured close to 1,000 donors who pledged a combined $8.8 million dollars to help fund the project. Philip and Sylvia (z”l) Spertus made a lead pledge to the campaign. 

“It was so important to me that we have a central address where all Jews would feel it was their home, and where they could all meet each other (in our rapidly expanding community). There was so much excitement in the air, we knew we were creating something vital for today and for generations to come. There had never been anything like this,” Kirsh Pozen said. 

A project of this magnitude spanning over several decades was no easy or small feat. Numerous community members and leaders stepped up to help along the way to ensure no detail was ignored. The Jewish Outlook looks forward to sharing even more about the work of these individuals in upcoming stories throughout the year. 

A New Era for the J 

Since the mid-1990s when the original vision for the Dell Jewish Community Campus began to take shape, the Austin Jewish population had more than doubled from an estimated 6,000 to 12,500.  

This prompted the public phase of the Generations Campaign, the first capital campaign since the Dell Jewish Community Campus originally opened in 2000, to kick off in 2014.  

After the community raised nearly $30 million, including the $6.25 million Michael & Susan Dell Foundation match, in 2023, a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and a community event were held to celebrate the grand opening of a newly renovated and expanded Dell Jewish Community Center. The new two-story, 37,805-square-foot facility includes a state-of-the-art fitness center, living room, café, education center, meeting rooms, a new aquatic center, tennis and pickleball courts, renovated locker rooms, a refreshed community hall and preschool, and many other upgrades – many of which are named for generous donors. The original 1,508 square-foot group exercise facility was transformed into a versatile space that is home to numerous classes.  

Mel Wexler has been a member of the Dell JCC since day one. “I am so in awe of them and those who stepped up throughout 25 years of Campus history,” Wexler said.   

“Through its cultural and educational programming, its public affairs and pro-Israel engagement, and a state-of-the-art fitness center staffed with knowledgeable and friendly people, I spend some part of almost every day on the Campus. We are deeply grateful to the power of more than 25 years of vision and generosity and commitment and strong leadership, and results, that have become about our whole family. I feel certain the Campus will be a big part of the lives of our great grandchildren, when we have them, as well as my wife’s and my own, well into our future.”  

Mark F. Goldberg, PhD, a Dell JCC member since 2000 and former AJA board member said, “For me, the Fitness Center has always been important. I am a regular but wish to emphasize the social aspect of the place. Yes, I exercise, but I also have had a wonderful relationship with, perhaps, 50 people over the years. There are short conversations between machines, and so much talk about anything from football to Israel with members and trainers and staff.”  

As the 25-year celebration continues throughout the year, The Jewish Outlook will publish articles about the past, present and future of Jewish life in Austin at the Dell Jewish Community Campus, including celebrating those who made it possible.