The Denver Jewish news., 1924-05-15
The Jewish Fraternity
The Jewish Fraternity Has Not Failed The College Man,
Type in American Life Whose Influence Is the Hope
of Advocates of IdealsT,. Bulwark Against Anti
Semitism
BY FEUIX VI. RosENSTOCK

1 nearly all OF them were fonnueu), they
have failed: they have sunk to the
level of social clubs, their only dis
tinction lying in the fact that they are
confined to college men,
One of the noblcst ideals common
to the thoughts of lew and Gentle
alike is the ideal of universal brother
hood. This. in the final analysis, is
the ideal upon which all fratern;tieS
rest. AZ n reading of fraternity rituals
would show If the fratcrnities do not
live according to their rituals, neither
do men always observe The DecalCgue ::
| vet life generally is made tolerable be-
cause most attempt TO do so. However,
the ideals which the author of the
article quoted had in mind are NOT
these. They are ideals perculiar to the
Jewish people. in connection with which
there is work TO do
The writer is familiar with the hopes
and dreams of the Jewish people. Ac-
cor,ling To his lights. he is an ardent
Jew. He is also familiar with Jewish
fratcrnities. having been prcsiden. of
one OF the largest of them with
Chapters throughout the country. He
states If his own knowledge that Jew
ish fraternity men are good Jews in
the same and even in larger proportion
than other Jewish young men. He has
known of whole Chapters of Jewish
fraterni;ics engaged in all forms of
jewish activity. But he also states it
as his firm conviction that in connec-
tion with the ideals referred to there
is no work for the Jewish frate?nities
to do.
The Jewish fraterniies are not pro-
tagonistic organizations. Their exist
cncc does not depend upon Jewish
Nfuveinents-is moi involved with them.
IN every Jewish fraternity there are
orthodox and reformed Jews. Zionists
and anti-Zionists, those who would or
san.Ze to fight anti-Semiiism and those
whc would let il die what they con-
slider an inevitable dcath-in short. all
shades of opinion upon every Jewish
question. Jewish fraternity members
are active in partisan organizations
upon both sides of ev"ry debatablc
Jewish question-eyen that of the value
quoted To name the Jewish fraternity
men active in protagonistic Jewish en-
dcavor ,wouid he to name eminent
Jews everywhere and in all walks Of
life But this work is not Jewish fra
ternity work and the fraterniies as
such have no part in it.
We do not intend to convey the i'm
preston. however. that the Jewish
fratcrnities are not in any way in
volved with American Judaism. They
should and they do very directly serve
II dis inatly Jewish purpose.
There is type in American life
known as the college man" whose
influence is the hope of all sincere AL
one manifestation of that type who
may well be called the Jewish co.,
!cge man. who is the hope of all true
friends of Jewish idealism. We cam
not preface an argument against college
education upon what it fails to do with
an individual. 1t is not the impcrfec
tions which are not eliminated but
those which are which determine what
education has done for a man. There
are, engaged in business ard in the pro-
fe>sions today. n host of Jewish young
men whose knowledge, whose character,
whose integrity. whose sense of fair
play and clean living and whose breed
ing are the equal of those of the very
hest element of the Christian popula-
tion. They have accomplished in one,
two or three generations what reQuir-
ed two or three centuries-that is,
become Americans of the finest type.
They may have apcd otherS-they are
often criticised for doing So but emula-
tion of IL noble example is itself IL
mark of nobility. These men are good
Jews and patriotic Americans Their
influence is felt for good by their race
and by their nation. They are the
final bulwarl against ,anti-Semitism.
And last, but not least, they are the
products of the Jewish fraternitieS. tn"
! living proof that the fraternity has a
purpose to serve and serves it,
rrI,o nnny.inucpuSS of CnI's praronca