It was made clear that the duty of the Conference lay not so much in furthering intellectual endeavors or promoting the social interests of the Jewish students, as to organize and foster their religious life.

It is interesting to note that this conclusion had long since been reached and acted upon by individual members of the Conference, notably Rabbi Leo M. Franklin, who, after a number of years of unremitting effort, has during the past year brought into successful operation "The Jewish Student Congregation of the University of Michigan" an account of which he has promised to give to the Conference in person. Rabbi Adolph Guttman, in the fall of 1912, organized the students of Syracuse University into "The Jewish Collegiate Society", for religious, cultural and social purpose, attendance at the Friday evening service at the Syracuse Temple being a distinctive motive of the Society.

In Philadelphia the students of the University of Pennsylvania, Jefferson Medical College, Medico-Chirurgical College, Hahneman Medical College, Temple University and Philadelphia College of Pharmacy have for a number of years past been invited by the Y. M. H. A. and the various Congregational Societies to share in their social and cultural activities. Since 1911 Congregation Rodeph Shalom and Congregation Keneseth Israel have, through the agency of their Young People's Lyceum Institute, spent time, effort and money conjointly in bringing into the life of the Jewish community the large number of Jewish students who come to Philadelphia. At the University of Pennsylvania itself the Menorah Society and other students' organizations have shown considerable activity. A religious service has also been carried on by the more orthodox students.

In 1911 the young men and women of Congregation Rodeph Shalom formed the Junior Congregation and during the coming season will conduct the fourth annual series of holiday services for students and others. Students of the University not merely attend, but also join the Congregation and participate in the religious, educational and social service work. A most gratifying measure of success has rewarded this enterprise.

This summary of the present situation in the religious work among students is submitted as a basis for future efforts. The present Committee consists of fourteen members. All but four of these replied to a communication of the Chairman, prior to his departure for Europe. All those heard from agree in strongly endorsing the recommendation made by the previous Committee in the report submitted at Baltimore, 1912, viz.: "That a systematic effort be made to reach our Jewish students. The efforts of Rabbis, commendable as they are, fall far short of the needs of the case. They are at best sporadic and uncertain, not through the fault of the Rabbis, but because of the nature of the conditions. For this purpose someone should be engaged who can give his whole time to the work."

Let the Conference create a Department of Religious Work among students to take the place of the temporary and changing committees. Let one of our members who has this matter deeply at heart be placed in charge

of this department. An appropriation to cover office expenses, printing and traveling should be allowed. The head of this department, answerable to the President of the Conference and to the Executive Board, should be officially empowered to act for the Conference in leading this whole movement and guiding and directing the energies of the Rabbis, the congregations and the Jewish community of the United States towards the maintenance of continuous and dependable religious activities among students throughout the country.

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT ON FRATERNITIES

In the matter of determining the attitude of the Conference toward secret fraternities at the universities as they affect Jewish students, only one member of the Committee has responded. I, therefore, take the liberty of appending the views expressed on this subject by Rabbi Martin A. Meyer.

"As one of those who introduced that resolution, may I take the liberty of briefly stating my position? First of all, I believe that we are not in opposition to the Phi Beta Kappa, whose object is the encouragement of academic standards. Secondly, I believe we ought to limit our activities to universities supported by public funds, in whole or in part, as we have nothing to say as to the conduct of private universities, though, I suppose, that it might be argued that all universities have a quasi-public character.

We ought to put ourselves on record as opposed to fraternities among Jews, as we only stultify ourselves not to discourage that principle, with particular reference to their cheap imitation of other standards. I believe the example of Princeton with its successful standards should be emphasized, and if I am not mistaken the same state of affairs exists in Clark University in Worcester, Mass., where such fraternities are not tolerated. Along the positive line, I think we ought again state our belief, and urge all Rabbis in the country to do their best, to create Jewish centers, particularly of a religious and intellectual character, at universities where Jewish students exist in numbers sufficient to justify such action. I believe, too, that we ought to stand firmly behind the Menorah movement, singling it out for special mention, in contrast to the fraternities which are growing in the land. I believe that legislation is the only way in which we can meet this matter. I know there has been legislation in many states against fraternities in high schools and the same arguments apply with greater force to universities and colleges."

Respectfully submitted for the Committee,

HENRY BERKOWITZ, Chairman.

Before the detailed consideration of this report Rabbi Franklin was asked to present a supplementary report, giving an account of the Student Congregation organized by him at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT OF RABBI FRANKLIN.

To the President and Members of the Central Conference of American Rabbis:

GENTLEMEN : Complying with the request of our honored President that I make some report of the organization and progress of the Jewish Student Congregation at the University of Michigan, I can do no better than to put before you in substance a letter which on May 20th, I addressed to Dr. Henry Berkowitz, whose report as Chairman of the Committee on Religious Work in Universities will be presented to you at this session.

"The Congregation was organized in February of this year, since which time religious services have been held on Sunday night of each week, an interested and enthusiastic and loyal body of students always being in attendance. At least two of the professors of the University, namely Professor Hoexter and Professor Sharfman, have shown marked interest in the Congregation. Other professors, both Jewish and Christian, have now and then attended the services, and it is likely that another season all of the Jewish professors will lend their moral support to the organization. The speakers this season have been the following: Rabbi Louis J. Kopald of Buffalo, Rabbi David Alexander of Toledo, Rabbi David Lefkowitz of Dayton, Dr. David Philipson of Cincinnati, Rabbi Abraham Cronbach of South Bend, Rabbi Tobias Schanfarber of Chicago. In addition, I have visited the congregation at least once a month since its organization, and in the first months more frequently. Without exception the visiting Rabbis have been enthusiastic in their commendation of the work, and they have unanimously expressed their conviction that it represents a step in the right direction. It needs to be emphasized that up to this time practically all the work that had been undertaken in behalf of Jewish students had put its emphasis upon the cultural rather than upon the religious side of Jewish life. The Congregation, which it should be conceded, is the logical unit of representation for the Jew, transfers that emphasis to the religious side. Many evidences that this emphasis is well placed have come to me since the organization of the Congregation, not the least of them being the fact that many students, who heretofore have rather sought to hide their religious identity from their fellow students, are now proud to proclaim it, and have become interested members of the Congregation. Another evidence of this same fact is to be found in the frequent requests coming to me from members of the Student Congregation for literature bearing upon Jewish history and dogma.

The management of the Congregation is entrusted to a board of officers, consisting of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and five directors, all of whom must be at least junior students at the University. The students who are members of the Congregation pay dues of twenty-five cents per month during the scholastic year, which is just about sufficient to pay the expenses of the meeting place, which this year were limited to

the cost of heating and lighting the Orpheum Theatre. Another year we hope to have more adequate and fitting quarters in which to hold our services. The expenses for the past year were, in the main, met by the Department of Synagog and School Extension of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Congregation having been organized by me as supervisor of District No. 27. For the coming year Mr. Julius Rosenwald of Chicago has offered $500.00 toward the maintenance of the Congregation, Messrs. Bernheim of Louisville, Ky., $100.00, and other friends in Detroit have pledged themselves to an amount sufficient to safely meet such deficit as will accrue in the maintenance of the Congregation. The U. A. H. C. will, of course, continue, and has generously promised to increase its appropriation for this work.

My experience with the students convinces me that the congregational is the correct form for student organization. In Michigan there is also the Menorah Society which during the past year has done some very efficient work along cultural lines. There is also a chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, and I am pleased to say that both Menorah and fraternity are working in closest cooperation with the Congregation, and there is absolutely no spirit of antagonism among them. It is my hope before long to organize a similar congregation at Lansing, Michigan, the seat of the Michigan Agricultural College, where there are some forty-five or fifty Jewish students in attendance. These students, by the way, have organized a religious school in the city of Lansing, and conduct services on the holidays there."

It needs scarcely to be emphasized that the years during which our men and women attend college represent, from the religious standpoint, the crucial period of their career. It is the time when they get their first real taste of philosophy and science, and they become impressed with the idea that what they are learning in the university is in direct contradiction to the teachings that in their earlier years had been instilled in them at the hands of the preacher. The attitude of both Synagog and school, they argue, therefore, can not be right, and it is necessary to make a choice between them. That the preference should go to the side of the school is only natural. It is needful then, that some counteracting force should draw our Jewish students away from that skepticism which is sure to overtake them, if they are left purely to their own intellectual and spiritual resources. Such a force is unquestionably the congregation, and that its influence is beneficent has fully demonstrated itself in the case of the first student congregation in America.

I recommend to the Conference that the congregational form of student organization be commended, and that the members of this Conference situated near university centers be encouraged to organize student congregations wherever there is gathered together a sufficient number of students to warrant such organization. Where universities are situated in cities where there exist regularly organized congregations, students should

be invited to join as associate members and should be entitled to the usual privileges going with such membership and encouraged to avail themselves of the same.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

LEO M. FRANKLIN.

Rabbi Franklin-To this report I would like to add a few words. The congregational form of student organization has demonstrated a number of things. First of all it has shown that the oftrepeated charge that our Jewish university students are irreligious, have no interest in religion, and wish to get as far away from Judaism as possible, is absolutely groundless. These students at Ann Arbor manifest a most lively interest in their weekly meetings and in Jewish affairs in general. When it was realized that the coming semester would begin on the day before Yom Kippur, and that in all likelihood not all of the Jewish students of the University would have returned by that day, it was suggested that services be not held in Ann Arbor on Yom Kippur, but that instead the students attend services in Detroit. The suggestion was, however, indignantly rejected, and arrangements are being made whereby they will have their own services on Yom Kippur. Furthermore, this congregational form of organization makes provision for the girl students, something that was completely overlooked in all previous student organizations. One of the officers of the Ann Arbor student congregation is a young lady of Detroit. Finally, it is well to state that during the coming year five services will be held under the auspices of the University of Michigan itself. Of these services three will be conducted under the supervision of the Protestant Church, one, if it be desired, under that of the Catholic Church, and one by the Jewish Students' Congregation. For this last the Hill Auditorium, the finest and largest auditorium in this part of the country, will be used. The music, which will be distinctly Jewish, will be furnished by the University authorities, and the preacher for the occasion will be selected by the Jewish Students' Congregation. On that night every church in Ann Arbor will close its doors in order that all students and residents of Ann Arbor may attend this service. This is, I believe, something unique in the history of worship