[AlphaSigOU]

Originally posted by aephi alum
My understanding is that an additional driving force behind these women's decision to create a new sorority, is that they wanted the bonds of sisterhood, but had difficulty joining the existing sororities at Barnard because they were Jewish (whether they were actively discriminated against on the basis of religion, or just didn't feel comfortable with sororities whose ideals and rituals were rooted in Christianity) - so they founded their own.

That's correct... back in those days it was not unusual for Jews and Irish Catholics to be discriminated against because of their religion. Many prestigious universities at the time were bastions of the WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) elite, and looked down at the Jews, Irish and other immigrants as second-class citizens. This attitude exteded also to the fraternities and sororities of the time as well, whether through clauses in their ritual, constitution and bylaws or by mutual exclusion.