Chabad Student Center at UT Austin

What Chabad Student Center at UT Austin does

Chabad Student Center at UT Austin is a non-profit religious and cultural organization founded in 2011 by Rabbi Zev and Ariella Johnson to serve approximately 4,000 Jewish students at the University of Texas at Austin. The center operates as part of the global Chabad-Lubavitch movement and delivers programming including weekly Shabbat dinners, holiday services, Jewish educational courses, Israel trips, women's circles, and graduate-student programming under the JGrads umbrella. All services are provided free of charge to students; the organization is funded entirely through charitable donations, federation grants, and capital campaigns.

The center is supported by a small staff of approximately five employees and benefits from partnerships with Texas Hillel, JTRIBE, AEPhi sorority, and Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, as well as broader programming reach to students at Austin Community College, St. Edward's University, Concordia University, and Texas State University. A new Chabad House building has been constructed to expand physical capacity. Donor infrastructure includes the Chai Club recurring giving program, the ChabadShares investment-style giving vehicle, and the Bar Mitzvah Year campaign, which raised $210,000 in a single year. Funding partners include Jewish federations in Dallas, Houston, and Austin.

There is no commercial product, technology platform, or fee-based revenue stream; the entity is a faith-based student-services non-profit competing on community, identity, and programming rather than on product-market fit or unit economics.

Name

Chabad Student Center at UT Austin

Legal name

The Rohr Chabad Jewish Student Center @ The University of Texas

Website

https://jewishlonghorns.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Non-profit Chabad-Lubavitch student organization founded in 2011 serving approximately 4,000 Jewish students at the University of Texas at Austin with free religious, educational, and social programming funded entirely by charitable donations and federation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Cultural Student Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Jewish student programming
• Shabbat dinner services
• Jewish educational courses
• Religious community center
• Nonprofit campus ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: The primary revenue source is individual charitable donations from alumni, parents, and friends. The organization is self-supported and does not charge membership fees or receive financial support from the university. One-time and recurring donation options are available with preset amounts ranging from $50 to $3,600 or more.
2. Chai Club Monthly Giving: Monthly recurring donations in multiples of 18 (Chai = life in Hebrew). Tiers include Bronze ($18-$180/month), Silver ($198-$300/month), Gold ($318-$612/month), Platinum ($630-$900/month), Diamond ($918-$1,782/month), and Chai Club Diamond Pioneer ($1,800+/month).
3. ChabadShares Recurring Giving: Monthly or yearly recurring gift program for alumni and supporters. Gifts are directed toward programming, meals, Shabbat services, Torah study sessions, and social events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Chabad Student Center at UT Austin is a nonprofit religious and cultural campus organization that provides Jewish students at the University of Texas at Austin and surrounding Austin-area colleges with free Shabbat dinners, religious services, kosher holiday celebrations, Jewish educational courses, Israel programming, and personal counseling. All offerings are delivered free of charge to students from a physical Chabad House and are funded entirely by charitable donations, monthly giving programs, and partial federation funding.

Product overview

Chabad Student Center at UT Austin operates as a campus religious and cultural organization offering a portfolio of Jewish educational and social programs rather than a traditional technology product. The core offerings include weekly Shabbat dinners (Friday Night Live), educational courses (Sinai Scholars, JewishU, JLI), student organizations (JTRIBE, JGrads, Freshmen Council), Israel advocacy programming, and holiday celebrations. Supporting services include an online donation platform accepting credit cards, PayPal, and cryptocurrency, along with recurring giving programs (Chai Club, ChabadShares). The center also facilitates Birthright Israel trips, study abroad programs (Lamdeni), and various campus partnerships for Jewish student life.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JTRIBE: Jewish student-led grassroots organization that unites Austin's college-aged Jewish community
• Sinai Scholars Society
• JewishU
• JGrads
• Friday Night Live
• Chai Club

Products and services

• Friday Night Live Weekly Shabbat dinner program held Fridays at 7:30pm offering gourmet kosher meals, singing, discussion, and community building for UT students at no charge.
• Sinai Scholars Society An eight-class semester program exploring fundamental principles of Judaism and the Ten Commandments, including a Shabbaton, field trip, and paper, with a $350 stipend for completion.
• JewishU A free, structured Jewish learning platform offering multiple bite-sized courses including Shut Up and Learn, Cake Coffee Kabbalah, Lunch and Learn, Simple Truths, Soul Maps, Judaism Decoded, and more.
• JLI (Jewish Learning Institute) A six-session course exploring Holocaust studies and faith topics such as Wrestling with God, Kiddush Hashem, and Halachic questions, offered free at Chabad @ UT.
• JGrads (Jewish Graduate Student Association) A division of Chabad serving Jewish graduate and professional students at UT, building community through career networking, happy hours, holiday celebrations, Jewish learning, and Shabbat dinners.
• JTRIBE A Jewish, student-led grassroots organization uniting Austin's college-aged Jewish community, led by student interns including President, Social Chair, Networking Chair, and Jewish Content Chair.
• Israel Programming Programs designed to educate and engage students about Israel, including Texas Israel StartUp Association (TISA), AIPAC delegates, Birthright Next initiative, and advocacy training.
• Lamdeni Study Away Chabad student advisor program helping students plan winter, spring, and summer break trips to study and explore their heritage in Israel.
• THE Freshmen Connect Freshman orientation and welcome programs including pizza making, BBQs, and social events to help new students connect with the Jewish community at UT.
• Online Donation System Secure online donation platform accepting credit cards, PayPal, and cryptocurrency (via Coinbase) with one-time and monthly giving options.
• ChabadShares Innovative monthly or yearly giving program allowing alumni and supporters to invest in Chabad at UT, with semester metric updates and shareholder benefits like handmade Shmura Matzah.
• Chai Club Monthly donation club with tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond) where members commit to multiples of 18 dollars supporting the center's programs and services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served approximately 4,000 Jewish Longhorns through Shabbat experiences and programming
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Jewish Heritage ProgramsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJewish Heritage Programs is a partner in supporting Israel programming and trips for Jewish Longhorns, including Birthright Israel initiatives.
• JTRIBEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJTRIBE is a student-led grassroots organization whose mission is to unite Austin's college-aged Jewish community. It partners with Chabad at UT to co-host Shabbat Across Campus events and other programming. The organization has its own student leadership including a President, Social Chair, Networking Chair, and Jewish Content Chair.
• Texas HillelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTexas Hillel is the other major Jewish student organization at UT Austin. Chabad and Hillel collaborate on events including the annual Menorah lighting at UT and the Shabbat 500 mega-Shabbat dinner. Hillel was honored with the first candle of Chanukah at the Chabad Menorah lighting.
• Jewish Fraternities and Sororities (AEPI, ZBT, Sammy, AEPhi)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJewish fraternities AEPI (Alpha Epsilon Pi), ZBT (Zeta Beta Tau), Sammy (Sigma Alpha Mu), and sorority AEPhi (Alpha Epsilon Phi) partner with Chabad at UT to host Shabbat services, holiday celebrations, and social programming at their houses. These organizations serve as distribution channels for Chabad programming to a wider student audience.
• Sinai Scholars Society (National)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSinai Scholars Society is a national Jewish student organization existing at 70+ schools across the country. The UT chapter integrates classic Jewish text study, social programming, and national networking for student leadership development.
• JewishU (National)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJewishU is a national Chabad learning platform that offers free, bite-sized Jewish courses. Chabad at UT participates in this network, providing structured Jewish literacy education with an online management system for tracking student progress and credits.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Birthright Israel Foundation: Funds and organizes Birthright trips that Chabad at UT actively sends students on. Comparable as a Jewish student-facing organization that engages the same demographic through trip-based programming and donor funding.
• MEOR (Minded Education and Outreach in Russia): A Jewish student outreach and education organization running programming on multiple university campuses. Comparable as a peer Jewish educational outreach model targeting college students with classes, Shabbatonim, and leadership development.

Broad incumbents

• Hillel International: The largest Jewish campus organization worldwide, operating at 500+ schools. Comparable as the incumbent broad umbrella serving Jewish college students with religious, educational, and social programming, against which Chabad's campus-based model is a more Orthodox alternative.
• Orthodox Union / OU Campus: Large Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization with campus-facing programming. Comparable as a broader institutional incumbent supporting Jewish student life, education, and Israel engagement with overlapping programmatic themes.

Others

• Jewish Federation of Greater Austin (Shalom Austin): Primary federation funding partner of Chabad at UT. Comparable as an adjacent enabling organization in the Austin Jewish communal ecosystem that channels philanthropic dollars to Jewish education and student services.
• Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPI): Jewish fraternity partner that co-hosts Shabbat and holiday programming with Chabad at UT. Comparable as a core channel for reaching Jewish undergraduates, with overlapping member demographics and shared event programming on campus.

Direct peers

• Texas Hillel at UT Austin: The other major Jewish student organization at UT Austin. Directly comparable because it serves the same Jewish undergraduate and graduate population on the same campus, with overlapping programs (Shabbat, holidays, education) and shared funding sources; Chabad and Hillel already co-program events like the Menorah lighting.
• Chabad at UCLA: A large Chabad house serving UCLA's Jewish student population with similar offerings including Friday Night Live-style Shabbat programming, educational courses, and Israel programming. Comparable in mission, structure, and donor-supported nonprofit model.
• Chabad at NYU: A flagship Chabad center serving a large urban secular university, with comparable Shabbat dinners, Sinai Scholars, Birthright trips, and donor-funded programs. Closely analogous in scale, programming mix, and fundraising model to Chabad at UT Austin.

Regional players

• NCSY / Yeshiva University Student Shabbatonim Programs: Orthodox Jewish youth and student programming organization. Comparable in mission to engage Jewish students on college campuses with Torah study, Shabbaton retreats, and Israel programming, targeting a similar demographic across multiple regions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/JewishTXExes
• Instagraminstagram.com/jewishtexasexes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chabad-student-center-at-ut-austin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Chabad Student Center at UT Austin