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

estrictive clauses. 145The Jewish organizations complied in removing restrictive clauses,as they vowed loyalty to the Greek system. 146 Fraternity and Sorority members werepressured by their alumni, the Jewish community and their colleges to remove theirdiscriminatory clauses, forcing them to allow in non-Jewish members. As the Jewishfraternities broke down their barriers, the historically traditional fraternities also did, andbegan accepting the best and the brightest of the Jewish students into their exclusiveorganizations. 147 Soon, the best Jewish candidates for recruitment were lost to thetraditionally Gentile organizations, diminishing the hard-earned prestige of some of theJewish organizations.The removal of discriminatory clauses was seen as detrimental. For some, thisbrought concern that the intra-fraternal marriages that were facilitated in the Jewishfraternity and sorority system would be impossible to maintain if non-Jewish studentswere admitted. By removing the barriers, Jewish study content and practices wereremoved or substantially reduced. Although the Jewish content was never regarded asenough to satisfy Rabbis and communal leaders, interviews and minutes posted infraternity and sorority publications reveal that it was significant to the members. 148Fraternity and Sorority members were pressured by their alumni, the Jewish communityand their colleges to remove their discriminatory clauses, forcing them to allow in non-Jewish members.Fraternities no longer required pledges to read a book on Jewish history. It wasnot unusual for members before this time to trade and use Yiddish phrases used by their145 Sanua, Here's To Our Fraternity, 191146 Sanua, 270147 Sanua, 273148 Sanua, 27241