Rebecca Shapiro Thesis (11 May 2011).pdf - Brandeis Institutional ...

epercussions of events like this on American Jewry. The Anti-Defamation League(ADL) feared that charges of immorality would evoke anti-Semitic stereotypes of Jewsand urged fraternity men to remember that their groups were responsible for the"protection of the Jewish name." In a warning letter sent to the heads of all Jewishfraternities Richard E. Gutstadt, the Director of the ADL, wroteAll of the aspects of this specific problem should be placedbefore your groups and they be urged to exercise everypossible precaution. It should be made clear to them thattheir individual and collective conduct should be abovereproach and that the utmost care should be exercised tomaintain such aspects of Jewish dignity and Jewishrectitude of conduct as to afford no basis for criticism 127In addition to the precautions regarding maintaining a good name, delegates ofeach of the fraternities met and drew up plans. Each fraternity called on its members tobehave properly. Reba B. Cohen, the president of Alpha Epsilon Phi stated at a fraternityconference, "We can shout from the roof tops that it can't happen here, but personally, Ithink we should do less shouting and more acting so that it WILL be less apt to happenhere." 128 Organizations called upon their members to represent the Jewish people welland to create better understanding between Jews and Gentiles, in the hope that this wouldthwart antisemitism.Fraternity men demonstrated that they could fight the war on the home front, butsoon they were asked to fight an even great cause. Canada entered World War II onSeptember 10, 1939, and immediately students from the Canadian fraternity chaptersenlisted. By October 1940, American brothers, impatient with the United States’ lateentrance into the war, joined the dozen members of the ZBT chapter at McGill who127 Sanua, 260128 Sanua, 26235