Jewish Greeks: Now just ‘historically’ Jewish
“’Pi’ me in the face! Save a child’s heart!”
It’s a typical shout on the quad from brothers in the local chapter of historically Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi during their biannual AEPi-in-the-Face fundraiser. Passersby pay for the privilege of pushing plates full of whipped cream into brothers’ faces to raise money for Save a Child’s Heart, an organization that provides life-saving services to underprivileged children. The sight is what one would expect from a fraternity: an image of a bunch of fun-loving guys, flirting with female students and laughing along with—or at—their dessert-covered comrades. But beneath the surface, the chapter of this historically Jewish frat is exactly that: Jew-ish.
There are two Jewish fraternities and one Jewish sorority at AU, a decent number for a school more than the average number of Jews. But of the local members of these three national Greek organizations, many have never had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, fasted on Yom Kippur, kept kosher for Passover or spoken a word of Hebrew. In fact, a lot of them aren’t even Jewish.
All three Greek organizations started in the early 20th century as a refuge for Jews in an era when Jews were routinely turned away from Greek life because of their heritage. But in the 21st century that kind of discrimination is no longer an issue. Civil rights legislation has long since made it illegal for any Greek organization subsidized by the federal government to discriminate on the basis of religion, according to Marianne Sanua, a professor of Jewish studies and an expert on Jewish Greek life at Florida Atlantic University. That requirement cuts both ways: All three national Greek organizations have now been welcoming members of any religion into their ranks for decades.
“There’s no such thing as Jewish fraternities anymore,” Sanua said. “There are historically Jewish fraternities.”
At Sigma Alpha Mu, often affectionately referred to as Sammy, less than a third of the brothers are Jewish. Though the other Jewish fraternity on campus holds onto its historical connections to its Jewish heritage, most of the fraternity has never been inside a synagogue.
“We’re not an exclusively Jewish fraternity. In fact, I think we’re mostly non-Jewish,” according to David Goldstein, a sophomore and a member of Delta Beta, the AU chapter of Sammy.
Delta Beta was kicked off campus in 2003 because of excessive violations of university policy. During their seven-year hiatus they went by the name Sigma Omega Alpha and their Jewish membership decreased, since it was technically no longer historically Jewish. But during that period, they held on to many ceremonies traditional to Sammy with smatterings of Hebrew based on Jewish customs, Goldstein said.
That diversity lends itself to having members of all different backgrounds, including junior Ibraheem Samirah, a Muslim Palestinian.
“It really isn’t about being a Jewish fraternity,” Samirah said. “It isn’t really about anything. It’s about the personality of the fraternity.”
AEPi is a national fraternity that claims such notable Jewish alumni as Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and the music duo Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Though Sigma Pi, the AU chapter of AEPi, is seen by many on campus as the Jewish fraternity, a fifth of the brothers aren’t Jewish, according to junior Paul Novak, president of AEPi at AU. But that doesn’t mean they are disconnected from Jewish history. The chapter holds monthly Shabbat services, though Judaism isn’t pushed at non-Jewish brothers.
“Some brothers choose to embrace it, but others do not,” said Novak.
The only Jewish sorority at AU is no different. Alpha Epsilon Phi includes sisters from all faiths. But rather than a similar devotion to God, AEPhi sisters share cultural similarities that draw them together, even if they’re not all Jewish themselves. Many of the girls in AEPhi grew up with other Jews, which gave them a connection to this sorority.
“When you’re Jewish and you come from a certain background, you look for the same kind of background here,” said sophomore Eden Pecha, an AEPhi sister and heritage co-chair, whose role includes teaching sisters about the sorority’s historical background.
AEPhi, like their fraternal partner AEPi, holds fundraisers for various organizations, including the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and Sharsheret, an organization that helps Jewish women with breast cancer.
Of course, that doesn’t mean fewer Jews are pledging, even if it’s not to a Greek organization with a Jewish background. Plenty of Jews have turned away from Jewish fraternities, joining non-sectarian fraternities and sororities instead.
For some, Greek life isn’t a path to Judaism itself, but a path to Jewish values. “I’m building my Jewish identity enough through other routes that a fraternity, I guess, I’d be able to focus more on the values of the fraternity itself,” said Jake Gillis, a Jewish sophomore at AU and a brother in Sigma Phi Epsilon, a fraternity that is not affiliated with a religion.
Nowadays, Judaism does play a role in all three Greek organizations. But the camaraderie and the history of strength and service that typifies the Jewish faith tend to mean more than the religion.
“God doesn’t play a role just because we’re historically Jewish,” Pecha said. “It means we have this pride in who we are, and that covers every single person, regardless of their religion.”
Zach C. Cohen is a sophomore at American University. He is the student life editor of The Eagle at AU, the new media coordinator of Scholarships for Burma and the business manager of Dime a Dozen, AU’s premiere co-ed a cappella group. Previously, Zach has contributed writing and reporting to TIME Magazine, AWOL and AmWord. He is a New Voices national correspondent.
