Five people attended a meeting last week to discuss the building plans of the new Hillel house, which expects to break ground this June.

Hillel, the Jewish organization on campus, is leaving its current location and moving a couple blocks away to the corner of Race and Wellsley.

The move is a result of lack of space for Hillel’s 60 members that consistently show up at their events.

“The new house will create a welcoming space for all students including Jewish students on campus,” explained Pat Blumenthel, executive director of Hillel Colorado.

The $4 million project includes the cost of the building of the new house, which will feature a lounge, kitchen, quiet study areas and a campus office, as well as the cost to operate and maintain the building. The house will be 8000 square feet.

“We started funding quietly a year ago. The initial money came from Jewish people in the Denver community,” explained Blumenthel. They will spend the coming months reaching out to parents and alumni for further funding.

The goal of the new house will be “creating a vibrant Jewish student center where we can act as a resource for the entire campus.”

The organization will host a wide range of activities to serve non-Jewish people. Hillel often hosts large dinners and needs the extra space to host dinners and seat all of them.

An architect showed blueprints of the new house to student president Jessica Slosberg, executive director Pat Blumenthel, DU director Melanie Zeitler, and student Eli Melamed.

Melamed explained to the architect features that he would like to see in the new house and how the house could be more comfortable and welcoming to students.

Melamed suggested that the basement have a polished cement floor for students to play roller hockey and other sports.

He also suggested a music room with a piano, guitars and drums.

“We just want a building worthy of this campus,” said Blumenthel. Hillel hopes the new location will open in the fall of 2006.