Dell JCC Connects Austin’s Growing Jewish Population

As part of Shalom Austin, the Dell JCC provides an inviting and welcoming space for people of all ages, interests, backgrounds, and religions.

Organization Info

Dell Jewish Community Center

Founded

2000

Organization Lead

Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus

Foundation Lead

Sara Sherizen

The Dell Jewish Community Center is the hub for Jewish life in Austin, Texas, creating a space for the city’s growing Jewish population to foster deeper connections to faith and community.

Establishing a Center of Jewish Culture and Community

When Michael and Susan Dell relocated to Austin in 1985, they dreamed of building a center for Jewish culture and community.  In 1996, their vision took shape when they donated 40 acres of land in Northwest Austin and, four years later, celebrated the opening of what would become the Dell Jewish Community Center (Dell JCC) on the campus.

Since then, Austin’s population has more than tripled and the Dell JCC continues to serve as the heart of Jewish life in Greater Austin — and as a unifying hub for Austin’s Jewish organizations. Centered around three synagogues and a day school, the campus’s intentional design sets it apart from other Jewish community centers across the country. The Dell JCC provides not only a fitness center but also a welcoming, multi-generational space where Jewish residents can meet, learn, and foster deeper connections to their faith.

Creating a Welcoming Place for Generations

Austin’s thriving Jewish community reflects the city’s rapid growth. To ensure the increasing number of Jewish residents and families have space to gather and connect with one another, the Dell Foundation in 2017 committed more than $6 million to the $25 million capital campaign for an upgraded and expanded Dell JCC.

The new two-story facility opened in May 2023 and features an education center, meeting rooms, cafe, preschool, upgraded community hall, state-of-the-art fitness center, and family aquatic center. As the anchor of Shalom Austin — the umbrella organization comprised of the Dell JCC, Jewish Federation, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Foundation — the Dell JCC provides a place for these organizations to convene and work together to address the needs of Austin’s Jewish community. To help make membership more accessible, the Dell JCC offers financial aid funded by community member contributions.

As the city continues to grow, the new building is a place where generations of Jewish residents will have space to learn, convene, and make lifelong memories.

Of all the wonderful things Michael and I have been lucky enough to be a part of, the Dell JCC at Shalom Austin is one that makes us particularly proud because it is home.

Susan Dell Co-founder, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation

Michael and Susan Dell speak at the Ribbon Cutting ceremony commemorating the expanded Dell JCC in May of 2023.

Michael and Susan Dell speak at the Ribbon Cutting ceremony commemorating the expanded Dell JCC in May of 2023.

With its versatile and expansive spaces, the center can host events like IGNITE!, a community-wide celebration and fundraiser.

Members can enjoy state-of-the-art fitness, including strength training, an aquatic center, group exercises, and on-site childcare.

The project included a refresh of the Zeifman Family Early Childhood Program, a preschool for children to attain school readiness.