Our visionary founders:

Mel (z”l) and Paula Schwartz

In 1996, after the unexpected death of their son, Aaron David Bram, Paula and Mel Schwartz decided to turn their grief into a living memorial. They bought the Hillel House at 1701 Sigma Chi Road NE, which has nurtured generations of Jewish young people.

It was the perfect place, bashert, in fact. In the 1960s, when Paula was pursuing her graduate education at UNM and pregnant with Aaron, she took classes in the very same home.

Mel put his whole heart into helping our Hillel House. He served on the board from 1996 until his death on March 11, 2024. He was always concerned with the students, their well-being, and connection to Judaism.

Hillel at UNM mourns the passing of Melvin J. Schwartz.

Zikrono l’vracha, may his memory always be a blessing.

If you would like to make a donation in his memory, please go to our support page, or contact our director, Sara Koplik.