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List of Jewish fraternities and sororities

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List of Jewish fraternities and sororities
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This is a list of historically Jewish fraternities and sororities in the United States and Canada.[1][2] These organizations exemplify (or exemplified) a range of "Jewishness"; some are historically Jewish in origin but later became strictly secular. Some remain more celebratory of their Jewish roots from a historical perspective only, and some actively promote Jewish culture and religious traditions within their current program.[3]

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1949 Jewish fraternity and sorority gathering in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, U.S.

The terms "fraternity" and "sorority" are used somewhat interchangeably, with men's and co-ed groups always using "fraternity", and women's groups using either "fraternity" or "sorority". For convenience, the term "Greek letter society" is a generic substitute. The word "Greek" in this case refers to the use of Greek letters for each society's name, and not to Greek ethnicity.

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Collegiate

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The following list include the larger groups. There were many Jewish local chapters formed at universities around the United States, most of which eventually became a chapter of these larger entities. Bold indicates active groups. Italic indicates dormant groups, or those which merged into another, larger society.

Social fraternities

More information Name, Symbols ...

Notes

  1. Started as Beta Samach. The second symbol in the name was Hebrew. Beta Samach changed its name with the chartering of its third chapter, becoming Beta Sigma Rho.
  2. Merged with Pi Lambda Phi in 1920.
  3. Merged with Pi Tau Pi.
  4. Merged with Phi Epsilon Pi in 1961.
  5. Merged with Tau Delta Phi in 1934.
  6. Merged with Phi Sigma Delta in 1959.
  7. Merged with Pi Lambda Phi in 1941.
  8. Cornell's Zeta chapter merged into Phi Beta Delta in 1935.
  9. Merged with Tau Kappa Epsilon.
  10. Merged with Zeta Beta Tau in 1970.
  11. Expanded to five chapters.
  12. Merged with Zeta Beta Tau in 1970.
  13. Founded as non-sectarian but was predominantly Jewish until the end of World War II.
  14. The fraternity dropped its Jewish affiliation and became open to men of all faiths in 1953.
  15. The Rider University chapter of Sigma Lambda Pi retained the former national's name as a local, later adding a second chapter. Both are dormant. Merged with Phi Epsilon Pi.
  16. Three active chapters merged with Alpha Epsilon Pi in 1940.
  17. Originally only admitted Jewish men in the fields of Engineering and Architecture but changed to all Jewish men after the addition of a second chapter.
  18. Merged with Alpha Epsilon Pi in 1947.
  19. Expanded to around ten chapters.
  20. Tau Delta Phi was the first NIC fraternity to integrate by welcoming all races, creeds, ethnicities, and religions in 1945, and was the first to open membership to include transgender, gender fluid, and non-binary members in February 2021.
  21. Seven chapters merged with Alpha Epsilon Pi.
  22. Originally a Zionist youth society, its became nonsectarian and opened to non-Jewish members in 1954. Considered the first Jewish fraternity.

Social sororities

More information Name, Symbols ...
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Professional

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Information on the continuing activity of some of these societies may be missing. Active groups are listed in bold. Inactive groups are listed in italic.

More information Name, Symbols ...

Notes

  1. Although their founders were Jewish, Delta Phi Epsilon and Phi Sigma Sigma are historically nonsectarian sororities.
  2. Merged with Phi Lambda Kappa
  3. Merged with Alpha Omega.
  4. Originally known as the Dead Men's Club.
  5. The Alfred University chapter was founded in 1930, became Kappa Nu in 1933. The Ohio State chapter was founded in 1935 and lasted two years. No information in Baird's.
  6. Not to be confused with the fictional fraternity of the same name, from the movie G.O.A.T.
  7. Baird's 1923 edition has this as a local at Penn; may have expanded to multiple chapters.
  8. Tau Epsilon Rho formed in 1921 by the merger of the local Lambda Eta Chi Law Fraternity, established in 1919 at Western Reserve University School of Law, and the local Phi Epsilon Rho, established in 1921 at Ohio State University Law School. Both groups were Jewish law fraternities. It became the Tau Epsilon Rho Law Society in 1985.
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High school

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Information on the continuing activity of some of these societies may be missing. Known active groups are listed in bold; dormant groups are listed in italics.

More information Name, Symbols ...

Notes

  1. Not to be confused with the professional fraternity for the creative and performing arts.
  2. Became ΤΔΦ collegiate fraternity in 1914.
  3. Not to be confused with the international sorority with a similar name, Sigma Thêta Pi, founded in 2003, nor the local Christian fraternity at Howard Payne University, founded in 2004.

See also

References

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