Vision
The Fleishman Jewish Student Center will serve as a warm, welcoming, inclusive home- away-from-home for every Jewish student, meeting all their spiritual and religious needs in a nonjudgmental environment. Shabbat and holidays will be inviting and homey. Fresh kosher food will be affordable and delicious. Torah classes will be meaningful and enjoyable. Counseling will be accessible and fruitful.
In inspiring each and every student to become a leader on campus, in the Jewish world, and in the world at large, and also to be a mensch, the Fleishman Center will live up to the legacy of its celebrated namesake, Joel Fleishman. For half a century, Joel has been a pioneer of Jewish life at Duke, in America, and indeed worldwide. He has also been a champion of philanthropy and altruism. But perhaps most notable to all those who have had the pleasure of knowing Joel is how he is truly and thoroughly a mensch—humble, genuine, cheerful, funny, and kind. For generations to come, Joel’s legacy will be remembered through a student center that lives up to its venerable name.