Jewish Fraternities and Sororities as Sites of Campus Belonging, Community, and Resistance to Antisemitism

Abstract

This paper extends the limited previous literature surrounding Jewish student participation in fraternities and sororities. It presents findings from interviews with fraternity and sorority life (FSL) educators, focusing on topics related to traditionally Jewish fraternities and sororities as sites of Jewish community. Grounded in sense of belonging theory and Critical Religious Pluralism Theory, analysis revealed FSL educators’ perspectives that fraternity and sorority experiences were highly gendered, with students bearing distinctly different burdens around Jewish heritage and continuity. Educators themselves lacked a strong understanding of Jewish identity and the ways students choose to express those identities through FSL.