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

IntroductionMy research is divided into three sections: the past, the present and the future. AsDr. Carl Sagan famously stated, "You have to know the past to understand the present."The history of Jewish Greek organizations is a relatively unstudied area and it is centrallyimportant for readers to understand Jewish Greek life development and the important rolethat it served in the Jewish community for the first half of the 20 th century. The historyfocuses on the founding of Greek organizations, the role of Jewish organizations inresponding to antisemitism, and the struggles of a system functioning during a period ofintense anti-Jewish discrimination. The history section provides a basis forunderstanding the relationship that the Jewish Greek organizations had with the Jewishcommunal world, and how the system dealt with Jewish concerns such as intermarriage,antisemitism, and ethnic distinction. Ultimately, the history section relates how theJewish Greek System served as a microcosm of the larger Jewish community and how ithelped to nurture and train Jewish community leaders.The “present” section focuses on the three primary currently-functioning Jewishfraternities. Research was conducted through website analysis, and a series of interviewswith the executive directors of Alpha Epsilon Pi, Zeta Beta Tau and Sigma Alpha Mu.Unfortunately, only one of the three Jewish sororities responded to interview requests,therefore they are not presented in-depth in this section. This section examines theorganizations' mission statements, the philanthropies they sponsor, and their partnerships.The object is to reveal the current perceptions that Jewish Greek organizations have oftheir role in the Jewish community.1