By attending Friday services, making "a tremendous amount of good friends," and eating in its kosher dining room, Jeffrey (SMG'77) and Naava (SED'78) Parker found a community at Boston University Hillel. "I didn't have any friends who applied to BU when I was going," says Naava, "and it was a nice place to meet people. It was a very comforting place to be, always open and welcoming." They also found each other. "I remember the stairs very well where I first encountered my beautiful wife," says Jeffrey. "That really is the reason that we have special fondness in each of our hearts for the University and Hillel.

Naava (SED'78) and Jeffrey (SMG'77) Parker at the silver shovel groundbreaking ceremony for the Florence & Chafetz Hillel House on May 20, 2002. "It was a wonderful experience," Jeffrey says. Photo by Fred Sway

"Boston University and Boston University Hillel are priorities for each of us," he says. Today, Jeffrey is chairman of the University's National Hillel Advisory Board. The Parkers recently made a generous donation to support construction of the new Florence & Chafetz Hillel House on Bay State Road. "It's a cultural facility that people can go to and learn about different things," Naava says. Her husband chimes in, "It affords us the opportunity to feel more comfortable with ourselves and thus better understand people of other faiths as well."

They are also active in their local Jewish community. Jeffrey, co-CEO of the Odd Job Stores and Amazing Savings retail chains, is past president of their synagogue, on the board of The Ramaz School in Manhattan, and former chairman of the board of their children's Hebrew day school in Englewood, New Jersey. Naava, a painter and photographer, sits on the United Jewish Appeal women's division board and, together with her husband, promotes social and educational programs in Israel.

Boston University is a tradition in the Parker family. Jeffrey's brothers Drew (CAS'82) and Keith (CGS'82, CAS'84) are alumni, along with sister Julie Parker Mantell (SED'79) and many cousins.

Now, their son, Jeremy (CAS'07), visits Hillel. "It was really one of the selling points to encourage him to go to BU," his father says. When asked if he finds his time there valuable, they quickly exclaim in unison, "We hope so!" The Parkers enjoy coming up from their New Jersey home to see him and witness "the wonderful changes that are occurring and have occurred" on the Charles River Campus. They're especially looking forward to checking out the new Florence & Chafetz Hillel House when it opens this September.

"There's a tremendous amount of appreciation toward the University and its administration from those of us who benefited from Hillel to see how supportive they have been and continuously are for what we are trying to accomplish," Jeffrey says. "Knowing Hillel is valued on campus is a huge thing."

Hillel at BU reflects this inclusive spirit as well, Naava adds. "It's open to everybody."

— Jennifer Becker