Bruriah High School for Girls in Elizabeth is now home to a beautifully designed and fully renovated event space, known to all in the JEC community as “the ballroom.” The ballroom was recently inaugurated with an incredible performance by Mordechai Shapiro at the Chanukah chagigah, featuring the improved and brighter ballroom stage.

According to Yael Baker, director of communications and admissions, the school embarked on a focused fundraising campaign last May to fund the project. Current and former students, parents, and alumnae from across the globe mobilized to raise over $200,000 to fund several important projects at Bruriah, primarily the ballroom.

Rabbi Pinchas Shapiro, executive vice president of the Jewish Educational Center in Elizabeth, related, “For students and graduates, the Bruriah ballroom holds special and meaningful significance. It is part of the culture and fabric of the school. We are blessed that so many friends and alumnae contributed so generously to support this important project.”

“Everyone who is a part of the Bruriah community attends events in the ballroom, whether it is a Bruriah alumna enjoying an alumnae brunch, a Bruriah parent attending a parent-school partnership event, or an audience member who attends the annual student production. It really is a place to gather to create Bruriah memories,” commented Baker.

Dr. Bethany Strulowitz, Bruriah principal, noted: “The ballroom chandelier was really the focal point of the renovation. It is an iconic symbol of Bruriah. Every student at Bruriah, current and alumnae, has fond memories of experiences in the ballroom under the chandelier. The chandelier is the consistent background of every program, guest shiur and daily davening from Bruriah’s inception until today. Students, their mothers, sisters, and even grandmothers remember sitting under the chandelier in the ballroom as they experienced the transformative power of a Bruriah education. So everything was designed around it. Ultimately, we wanted to create a space that was a tribute to Bruriah’s impressive legacy while at the same time, speaks to Bruriah’s bright future.”

The space was designed by Bruriah alumna and current parent Hinda Landa. Baker explained, “She understood the significance of the space as the heart of Bruriah with its activities, programs, davening, etc., and she designed a space that reflected this vision.”

Summing up the project, the shared feeling about the renovation is that it beautified and enhanced an already sacred space in which the students, alumnae and community can take real pride.

Ellie Wolf is a staff writer at The Jewish Link.