A Legacy at Brown University: Elie Hirschfeld’s Gifts

Elie Hirschfeld, a 1971 graduate of Brown University who studied math, economics, and religious studies, has established a legacy of giving to the institution that’s impacted students for generations to come.

Now the home of the university’s renown Judaic Studies Program, The Elie Hirschfeld Building was re-named in honor of Elie after a $3.5 million giftwas given towards renovation, ongoing maintenance, and the support of continuous advances in scholarship on Jewish history, literature, and politics.

This gift “permanently supports a vibrant space for creative reflection, engaged teaching and research vitality, further bolstering an area of study that reaches back many decades in Brown’s history,” according to Maud Mandel, Dean of the college professor of history and Judaic studies.

“Judaic studies has been at the heart of my nearly 50-year relationship with Brown University,” said Elie. “It is my hope that our gift will allow many future classes of students to have the same deeply enriching experience that I did with Judaic studies at Brown.”

The home of Judaic studies at Brown, the space will serve to facilitate ongoing dialogue and learning in the interdisciplinary academic subject matter which encompasses Jewish religions, history, politics, and language. The program places emphasis on examining the interactions of Jews and non-Jews in ancient and modern times.

At this time, Elie’s gifts to Brown University total nearly $5 million.

He served as a Trustee at Brown for a decade, and currently has one son studying there. Two other sons and one of his niece’s have previously graduated from Brown. Elie actively serves on the Board of the Brown University Hillel, which exists to encourage and support a diverse body of students in exploration of their Jewish identities.