Philanthropist Tad Taube has had a hand in more than $100 million in gifts that went to Stanford University, and he’s not done giving.
Taube, who received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the university, has pledged $1.3 million to Stanford Chabad for the acquisition of land and construction of a new Jewish student center near campus.
Rabbi Dov Greenberg, executive director of Stanford Chabad, said the proposed center, to be named Taube Chabad House, is still in its early planning stages and efforts to raise $6 million for the project are ongoing.
Because attendance in Jewish life programs at the Rohr Chabad House at Stanford, which opened 10 years ago, continues to grow, the current site no longer has enough capacity, Greenberg added.
The project is made possible with Taube’s donation, help from philanthropist George Rohr and other alumni.
Greenberg praised Taube for his “countless mitzvot,” or good deeds, in the Bay Area, Poland and Israel.
“Tad Taube has made a career of sowing seeds that will grow, flower and bring joy, learning and enlightenment to people for generations to come,” Greenberg said.
Taube Philanthropies has made significant grants to the university, including for the Taube Center for Jewish Studies, the Taube Hillel House, the Taube Family Tennis Stadium, the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and the Hoover Institution.
Bay Area organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, the San Francisco Zoo and the Commonwealth Club also have benefited from Taube Philanthropies.
Taube, a Jewish immigrant who came to the United States as a child from Poland weeks before Hitler invaded, said it is most satisfying to him to support organizations that bring people of common interests together. He’s dedicated to the revitalization of Jewish life and culture in Poland.
“Stanford Chabad, in its new home, will continue to provide a venue for the spiritual and material needs of Stanford’s Jewish community for generations to come,” Taube said.
