This is a list of historically Jewish fraternities and sororities in the United States and Canada. 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.An example of the former is Tau Delta Phi, a Jewish heritage fraternity that became non-sectarian in 1932. Tau Delta Phi was ethnically Jewish, but not religiously Jewish when it was founded in 1910. Its earliest members were ethnically Jewish but were from all different religious backgrounds. That Fraternity is therefore often grouped with other Jewish fraternities but has long shifted toward a primary identification as "secular".
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.
Collegiate 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
NameSymbolsCharter date and rangeFounding locationAffiliationScopeActive chaptersStatus Alpha Epsilon Pi New York University FFC International 176 Active Alpha Eta Phi – 19xx ? 0 Inactive Alpha Mu Sigma – Cooper Union Independent National 0 Merged Beta Sigma Rho – Cornell University NIC National 0 Merged Hai Resh – 19xx ? 0 Merged Kappa Nu – University of Rochester NIC National 0 Merged Mu Alpha Delta –19xx ? City University of New York National 0 Inactive Mu Sigma –19xx ? 0 Inactive Omicron Alpha Tau –1934 Cornell University NIC National 0 Merged Phi Alpha – 1959 George Washington University NIC National 0 Merged Phi Beta Delta –1941 Columbia University NIC National 0 Merged Phi Delta Mu – City University of New York National 0 Inactive Alpha Kappa Pi notes a chapter of Phi Delta Mu at Newark College of Engineering in their magazine, accessed 27 Jan 2020.Jewish National organizations in the United States, 1941-42 edition, accessed 27 Jan 2020.The organization may have existed beyond 1935. In addition to the CCNY and Cornell chapters, this article references chapters in Lewiston and Portland, Maine, in 1940. Were these at campuses of the University of Southern Maine? Article accessed 26 Jan 2020. From a cursory Google search there appears to have been a chapter at Columbia. Unaffiliated: There may have been a similarly-named but unaffiliated sorority at Drexel University, and a high school sorority of the same name. Phi Delta Pi – New York City, New York National 0 Merged Per the Almanac, the Alpha chapter of this four-chapter fraternity joined Tau Kappa Epsilon at Eastern Michigan; the others appear to have scattered. Phi Epsilon Pi – 1970 New York City, New York NIC International 0 Merged Phi Lambda Delta –19xx ? Columbia University Regional 0 Inactive Phi Sigma Delta – 1970 Columbia University NIC National 0 Merged Pi Lambda Phi Yale University NIC International 44 Active Pi Tau Pi – 19xx ? National 0 Inactive Sigma Alpha Mu City College of New York NIC International 50 Active Sigma Lambda Pi –1932 New York University Independent National 0 Merged Sigma Omega Psi –1940 City College of New York National 0 Merged Sigma Tau Epsilon –19xx ? National 0 Inactive Sigma Tau Phi –1947 University of Pennsylvania National 0 Merged Tau Delta Mu –19xx ? City University of New YorkNational 0 Inactive Tau Delta Phi New York City, New York NIC National 5 Active Tau Epsilon Phi Columbia University NIC International 144 Active Tau Sigma Omicron –19xx ? National 0 Merged Zeta Beta Tau Jewish Theological Seminary NIC International 82 Active
Social sororities
NameSymbolsCharter date and rangeFounding locationLocationAffiliationScopeActive chaptersStatus Alpha Epsilon Phi Barnard College New York City, New York NPC National 50 Active Delta Phi EpsilonΔΦΕ New York University School of Law New York City, New York NPC International 110 Active Delta Pi York University York, Ontario, Canada Independent Regional 4 Active Iota Alpha Pi – July 1971 New York City Normal College (now Hunter College) New York City, New York NPC International 0 Inactive Pi Alpha Tau – Hunter College New York City, New York Independent National 0 Inactive Phi Sigma SigmaΦΣΣ Hunter College New York City, New York NPC National 115 Active Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi University of California, Davis Davis, California Independent National 12 Active Sigma Delta Tau Cornell University Ithaca, New York NPC National 64 Active Zeta Beta Omega University of Toronto, St. George Campus Toronto, Canada Independent Local 1 Active
Professional 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.
NameSymbolsCharter date and rangeFounding locationFocusAffiliationScopeActive chaptersStatusNotesAlelph Yodh Heאיה –Chicago College of Medicine and SurgeryMedicalNational0MergedAlpha Omega Baltimore, MarylandDentalIndependentInternational125ActiveAlpha Zeta Gamma – September 17, 1932Chicago College of Dental SurgeryDentalIndependentNational0MergedJournal of the American Dental Association 1932-1933Alpha Zeta Omega Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and SciencePharmacyIndependentNational42ActivecoedIota Theta –19xx ?Law0InactiveKappa Epsilon Phi –19xx ?Alfred UniversityEngineeringNational0InactiveLambda Alpha Phi –19xx ?Law0InactiveLambda Gamma Phi – 19xx ?Law0InactiveLambda Epsilon Xi or earlier–19xx ?Law0InactiveNoted in the Minnesota Gopher yearbooks for 1938-'52, with scattered reference to alumni from other schools.Lambda Omicron Gamma OsteopathsActiveMu Beta Chi –19xx ?Business0InactiveArchive notes from the University of Minnesota library note the group's founding as the Minnesota Business Club, and soon chartering clubs in Ohio and Michigan. Minnesota was the Alpha chapter of the fraternity. Accessed 3 Feb 2020.Mu Sigma Pi – 19xx ?Optometrists0InactiveNu Beta Epsilon Columbus, OhioLawNational15ActivecoedPhi Delta Epsilon Cornell University Medical CollegeMedicalPFAInternational182ActivecoedPhi Lambda Kappa University of PennsylvaniaMedicalInternational41ActivecoedPhi Sigma Mu –19xx ?Omaha University Night Law SchoolLawLocal0Inactive"William Wolfe Heads Phi Sigma Mu Frat" (October 13, 1933) The Jewish Press, vol. 9, no. 37, p. 5. Via issuu, Accessed December 29, 2022.Rho Pi Phi Massachusetts College of PharmacyPharmacyPFANationalActivecoedSigma Epsilon Delta –19xx ?University of PennsylvaniaDentalLocal0InactiveSigma Iota Zeta –19xx ?Veterinarians0InactiveTau Epsilon Rho Law Society Western Reserve University SchoolLawNationalActive
High school 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.
NameSymbolsCharter date and rangeFounding locationTypeScopeActive chaptersStatusAleph Zadik Aleph Omaha, NebraskaFraternityInternationalActiveBBG (BBYO)בבג San Francisco, CaliforniaSororityInternationalActiveHai Resh – 1937FraternityNationalMergedIota Gamma PhiSorority0InactiveIota PhiSororityNational0InactivePhi Beta –19xx ?FraternityNational0InactivePhi Sigma Beta – 1914DeWitt Clinton High SchoolFraternity0InactivePi Tau PiFraternity0InactivePi Upsilon PhiFraternityNational0Inactive"Pi Upsilon Phi Meets in Syracuse Sunday" (June 26, 1934) The Jewish Daily Bulletin, vol. 11, no. 2881, p. 5, accessed 27 Jan 2020.Sigma Alpha Rho West Philadelphia High SchoolFraternityInternationalActiveSigma Theta Pi SororityNational0Inactive"Sigma Theta Pi Group to Hold Annual Meeting" (June 26, 1934) The Jewish Daily Bulletin, vol. 11, no. 2881, p. 7, accessed 27 Jan 2020.Sigma Omega Pic. 1950–1970sNorfolk, VirginiaSorority0InactiveUpsilon Lambda Phi FraternityInternational0Inactive
See also College fraternities and sororities High school fraternities and sororities List of Jewish universities and colleges in the United States Defunct North American collegiate sororities List of social fraternities and sororities Cultural interest fraternities and sororities
References