photo by: Bremen Keasey

The Chabad Center for Jewish Life at the University of Kansas, 1203 W. 19th St., is pictured Monday, Oct. 13, 2025.

The Chabad Center for Jewish Life at the University of Kansas will officially open its new building in November.

A grand opening ceremony for the new two-story center at 1203 W. 19th St. is scheduled for Nov. 2. The new building will replace the former duplex that the center had operated out of since 2006.

Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, the co-director of the Chabad Center, said the day would be “truly historic” as the new center is the first building in Kansas that was specifically built for Jewish students.

The 10,000-square foot center includes a student lounge, dining hall and study areas that are intended to serve as a “home away from home” for Jewish students, according to a news release from Chabad, as well as a welcoming hub for the broader community. The center will also have wellness and mental health spaces, and it will house the first commercial kosher kitchen in Lawrence.

Additionally, the building will have a 12-foot tall menorah that will change colors to mark Jewish holidays and moments of celebrations; a sculptural installation of the Ten Commandments; and a 50-foot mural by Solomon Souza that blends Kansan imagery with Jewish imagery.

The facility will also honor the memory of Sarah Midgim, a KU alumna who was shot and killed in May while leaving an event at a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. A serenity garden at the center has been named “Sarah’s Stream.”

Tiechtel said he hoped the new center could serve as a beacon of Jewish pride, culture and resilience, especially at a time when “antisemitism and hate are rising around the world.”

“This building will shine as a symbol of light, love, and understanding,” Tiechtel said in the release. “It’s not just a milestone for the Jewish community, but for all Kansans who believe in inclusion, education, and shared values.”

The center’s grand opening on Nov. 2 will start at noon and will include a one-hour program with remarks from KU Chancellor Douglas Girod and others. Following the program, an open house will feature food, live music and activities.

In December 2023, when the center filed plans for the new building, it launched a $5 million capital campaign to fund the project.