History
In 1929, Columbia alumni led by Arthur Hays Sulzberger, Justice Benjamin Cardozo, and Judge Irving Lehman formed the Jewish Advisory Board to support the Counselor to Jewish Students.
The Jewish Advisory Board incorporated in 1971 as the Jewish Campus Life Fund (JCLF) to strengthen and sustain Jewish life on campus. In 1990, the JCLF led a successful proposal to establish a dedicated Jewish center, launching a major capital campaign that culminated in a ceremonial groundbreaking in 1995.
In 1999, Columbia’s Jewish community formally affiliated with Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life (Hillel International). The Robert K. Kraft Family Center for Jewish Student Life—named in recognition of the generosity of Columbia Trustee Robert K. Kraft and his family—opened its doors in 2000.
