Shalom Austin unveils renovated, expanded Dell Jewish Community Center

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, Michael and Susan Dell, and other Austin-area leaders gathered May 15 to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the renovated and expanded Dell Jewish Community Center expansion at Shalom Austin.

“The Dell JCC is one of the best kept secrets in North Austin,” said Rabbi Daniel Septimus, chief executive officer at Shalom Austin, in a news release. “These renovations will help us enhance the quality of Jewish life through more opportunities for connection with each other and serve all of our neighbors at the same time. None of this would have been possible without our wonderful community and generous donors over the years; and this is just the beginning. We look forward to what the future holds.”

The center is named after the Dells. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation matched $6.25 million of the over $25 million raised during Shalom Austin’s capital campaign.

The 37,805-square-foot, two-story facility includes a fitness center, living room, cafe, education center, meeting rooms and all-gender restrooms.

The expansion unveiling happened as Shalom Austin celebrated the 30th anniversary of its first public event.

“After relocating to Austin, it was very important to Susan and me to establish a center of Jewish culture and community here,” Michael Dell said in a news release. “We wanted to recreate the experiences we both had at the Jewish Community Centers in Dallas and Houston and are grateful to have done that through our work with Shalom Austin.”