For nearly two decades, the KU Chabad House has been a small converted duplex. Now, a new, 10,000-square-foot, $6 million Chabad House will cater to the growing Jewish student population at KU.
The new Chabad House will be constructed at the same site on 19th Street in Lawrence, Kansas. KU Chabad acquired the property next door, providing it space to build a large facility to accommodate the growing number of Jewish attendees at Chabad events.
“Since Oct. 7, students have found it more challenging than ever to be proudly Jewish on campus,” Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel said. “But they’ve also felt the urge to connect with their Jewish sisters and brothers more than ever.”
Rabbi Zalman and Nechama Tiechtel, who began KU Chabad 18 years ago, said that the heightened sense of connection and community has resulted in overflow crowds in the duplex, but “what it lacked in square feet, it made up for in warmth.” But the space simply wasn’t big enough.
The new Chabad House will remedy this issue. While the size might imply an institution, the Tiechtels said that they are going to great pains to preserve the “home-away-from-home” feeling that Jewhawks — their nickname for Jewish KU students — have come to rely upon in the past two decades.
A large lounge area will feature prominently in the new building, intended to give students space to congregate and be Jewish without fear of judgment or antisemitism. A large dining hall will be the setting for Shabbat dinners and will be able to seat overflow crowds of well over 100 people for Passover Seders, High Holiday meals and other large events.
“In the face of the hatred we have seen and experienced, Jewish students have told us over and over that what they want is more opportunities for connection, for engagement, for Jewish life,” Nechama Tiechtel said. “This new center will afford so many that opportunity, and we’re thrilled to be reaching this milestone.”
The building will also include a full-blown kitchen — a significant improvement over the residential kitchen in the duplex. The new kitchen will be the first commercial kosher one in Lawrence, which will enable the Tiechtels to more easily and efficiently make Shabbat and holiday meals. Another anticipated benefit is the opportunity to create additional local kosher food offerings on and off campus.
“The new Chabad House will do so much for Jewish life at KU,” said Robbie Metz, an incoming senior at KU from Colorado Springs, Colorado. “It will be a place where so many more Jewish students will be able to experience the warm welcome that Rabbi and Nechama have shared with decades of Jayhawks.”
The demolition of the duplex is occurring this month, and the new building is expected to be completed by September of 2025.
In celebration of this new venture, KU Chabad will be hosting a groundbreaking event on Sunday, Sept. 8, at 1 p.m. at the site of the future Chabad House: 1203 W. 19th St., Lawrence, KS 66046. The event will include refreshments, music and several keynote speeches from the chancellor of the University of Kansas, elected officials, community leaders and students.
More information about the KU Chabad Building Campaign and RSVPing for the groundbreaking event is available at BuildKUChabad.com.
Above: Renderings of the upcoming 10,000-square-foot KU Chabad House.
