An interesting article in the Washington Jewish Week looks into the rising Jewish identity of five different fraternities and sororities. The article, “Jewish Fraternities, Sororities Return to Roots: But the Sailing is Not Always Smooth” notes that a number of historically Jewish Greek organizations have been reverting to their roots:

While remaining open to non-Jewish members, in accordance with federal law and their own nondiscrimination clauses, these Greek organizations are actively recruiting Jewish students, reintroducing rituals such as Shabbat meals, and promoting Israel’s cause on campus with a vigor not seen in years.

“We’re a Jewish sorority, and staying true to who we are keeps us strong,” says Bonnie Wunsch, executive director of Alpha Epsilon Phi, founded in 1909 as the nation’s first Jewish sorority.

After years of “Jewish was in, Jewish was out,” AEPhi has focused strongly on its Jewish identity for about a decade, Wunsch says. And it’s growing fast as a result ‹ three new chapters and two colonies, the precursor to a chapter, since April.

Has anyone noticed this playing out on your campus? Is rush getting harder as there are multiple options (AEPi, ZBT, and SAM) for students looking for a Jewish fraternal experience?

Many brothers in AEPi mention that the bond they feel with their fraternity brothers, can be almost as strong as the bond they have with their real family.

A recent article from the BBC News department, “‘Four mothers’ for Europe’s Jews” offers some evidence that many members of AEPi might be more closely related than they realized.

The study of Ashkenzi Jews revealed that “Almost half of Europe’s Jews are descended from just four women who lived 1,000 years ago.”

For the many Ashkenazi AEPi brothers across the country, the odds are good that some of us share these for women in common from our past. From the article:

The four women are thought to have lived in the Middle East about 1,000 years ago but they may not have lived anywhere near each other, according to the study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. However, they bequeathed genetic signatures to their descendents, which do not appear in non-Jews and are rare in Jews not of Ashkenazi origin.