MEMORANDUM ON THE JEWISH UNIVERSITY THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE APRIL 3, 1947

MEMORANDUM ON "THE JEWISH UNIVERSITY" Prepared for Subcommittee on the Jewish University‫־‬ of the Conference on Higher Education for Jews by ', y Edward NJ Saveth The American Jewish Committee April 3, 194-7 (Revised May 20, 1947) (Revised December 9, 1947) INTRODUCTION This memorandum on "The Jewish University" was prepared at the request of the Administrative Committee of the American Jewish Committee, as expressed at its meeting of January 7, 194-7 It was \ written by Dr Edward N Saveth of the staff of the American Jewish Committee, and submitted to the Subcommittee on the Jewish University of The Conference on Higher Education for Jews, which considered it at a meeting held on April 9, 194-7 It was approved, with certain amendments which are incorporated in the present draft Members of the Subcommittee are William Haber, chairman, and Messrs Elliot Cohen, Sidney Hook, Horace Iff Kallen, Milton R KonVitz, Lionel Trilling and Louis Wirth Dr Trilling and Dr Wirth were not present at the meeting to which reference has been made THg JEWISH UNIVffiSITY The proposal to establish a Jewish University is motivated by three major desires: first, to make a positive Jewish contribution to American civilizationj second, to emulate the achievements of other groups in the field of higher education; and finally, to lessen the impact of discrimination against Jews in colleges, universities and professional schools Earlier Ideas of a Jewish University There has been no continuous demand for a Jewish University On at least one other occasion, however, the idea of a Jewish Universith has been discussed While there is no direct continuity between the plan for a Jewish University of the early 1920'$ and the contemporary endeavour to establish Brandeis, certain aspects of the earlier project are of some interest• In a speech before the Menorah Society of Clark College in 1917, G Stanley Hall, the noted educator, expressed the belief that the time was ripe for "some kind of a central institution for higher learning which shall represent the besVthings in Jewish culture A strong Semitic department with a number of professors in an existing university might do, or perhaps a learned academy like the other great academies of the world devoted to the cultivation of Hebrew learning But better yet would be a Jewish university, splendidly installed and organized on a large plan," It was Dr Hall's contention that, while Jewish students should attend all kinds of universities, there should be one of their own in America for the purpose of advancing Jewish culture in all its branches He felt that "great cultural effects have been wrought in only a quarter of a century by the Catholic University at Washington, which added on a higher story of culture to Catholicism and has done very much• to commend the traditions of that church to modern and Western culture." A Jewish university could make a similar contribution Finally, he argued, the "chauvinistic patriotism" likely to prevail after the first World War made it "important to impress upon mankind the obligations of a world-wide fraternity," Jewish writers and philosophers, always in sympathy "with everything that is wisely international," should take the lead in effecting this "Thus the Hebrew university I have in mind would be a new school of the prophets this very year should be marked by the inception of some such great institution which should grow in successive decades and generations and be a monument of the Jewish race, of its past and future, a repository of its learning, and a conservator of its loftiest spirit," Dr Hall further states, "If some such ideal does not have in it the possibility of being so put as to make an irresistible appeal to the sagacious, wealthy leaders of your race in this country and abroad then I for one not know them aright."‫־'־‬ Even before Dr Hall proposed the founding of a Jewish University, the subject was broached by Professor Abram S Isaacs and by Dr Julius Hochfelder However, the man who did most toward crystallizing the idea was Rabbi Louis X, Newman A Jewish University, he said, would enable Jewish intellect and ideals to contribute more fully to American life According to Rabbi Newman's plan, the funds would come principally from Jewish sources (endowments and public subscriptions) "American Jewry has sufficient resources to found and maintain an institution of high order and standards without undue financial strain." The curriculum would be "universal" and liberal, embracing the arts, humanities and professions ,.Thile courses in Judaics might be included, no attempts would be made to "Judaize" the students or their studies The faculty would not be all-Jewishj in fact, Gentile instructors would be welcome and desirable But the "Jewish university would make room for new Jewish educators The new university would not be a •safe refuge' for all Menorah‫־‬Journal April 1917 unhappy or misfit Jewish professors But its establishment would stimulate yet more the intellectual activities of Jewish thinkers throughout the entire l a n d / a n d would offer to the aspiring college Jew, wider vistas in the career of teaching." The student body would have no restrictions as to race, color or religion, but "the bulk of the students would come from the Jewish masses ," It would be composed of those "very types excluded today from fashionable colleges because of their dress, accent, manners or poverty " If situated in a New York suburb, within commuting distance, the Jewish university would be able to "furnish in time the proper dormitory accommodations, sufficient leisure for extra-curricular activities to develop physique and personality, and the environment suitable for bona fide college training*" Rabbi Newman felt that such a university would enable the students to develop physically as well as intellectually, and would ultimately make them better integrated citizens At the time, the Jewish University was the subject of considerable debate The opinions expressed below were collected by Newman and published in the pamphlet, "A Jewish University in America?"‫•'־‬ These are reproduced here, at some length, because the debate over a Jewish university today revolves about very much the same issues Arguments Pre A University such as Rabbi Newman visions, rising orgsnicaily from the enlightened energy of American Jews, would be a natural expression of their life, and insofar as they are part of America, would prove an expressive element of American life Such a University would function beyond Judaism just as Harvard has long functioned beyond Unitarianism (Waldo Frank) If a group of Jewish philanthropists would found and endow a first-class university under Jewish auspices and Jewish influence, admitting, however, such students of other faiths as would apply for matriculation, I am % i t h a symposium of opinion by Educators, Editors and Publicists, and a bibliography on the Jewish question in American colleges (New York, 1923)• - 4• inclined to think that such a university might fill a genuine need nfiw felt by American Jews, without having a harmful effect upon American life and unity (Henry Louis Smith, President, Washington and Lee University Julius Hochfelder was also of a similar opinion) It seems that many of them /who are opposed to the creation of a Jewish University? f®ar it will only aggravate the already atgfcSj&fcixg existing anti-Semitism and create a segregation which would tend to perpetuate a diversification of classes and beliefs, To my mind this is absurd, for surely this would not be any sort of a segregation if it should be open to any sect irrespective of race, color or creed Such a policy would reveal the Jew in his true aspects of magnanimity for justioe and freedom, (Murray Manesse) The University would be a beacon light for the Jewish students who somehow have to shroud their religion in order to be able to cater to powers above for certain educational and social privileges which would otherwise be denied to them A University would end all this and in reality prove to the people and to our country that we are true Americans (Murray Manosse) The Jewish University would make room for new Jewish Jewish members on college teaching staffs is not destined to become more palatable (Rabbi Louis I Newman) Academic anti-Semitism has come to stayj the limitation to Jewish enrollment to a fixed percentage will become as firmly established a policy in our great private universities as it is in our private preparatory schools (Rabbi Louis I Newman) Though the city and state colleges may provide facilities for many Jewish collegians, nevertheless this does not preclude the advisability of founding an auxiliary Jewish University which may relieve, in a measure, the pressure in public institutions (Rabbi L.I Newman, He argued that although there was no discrimination currently practiced in public universities, tajcpayers might become resentful if the student body were to be eventually composed chiefly of Jews) Opinions Con deeply deplore divisions among mankind upon any ground, whether social, religious or racial (George S, Davis, President, Hunter College) - My personal judgment is against any University based on racial lines I am therefore opposed in my personal view to a Jewish University, just as X would be to any other racial proposition (W Thompson, President, Ohio State University,) I not believe in a univeristy designed primarily for one race, and for one race only I think we ought to establish universities, like all great institutions, for humanity (Charles F Thwing, President, Western Reserve University This opinion was also held by Harry Pratt Judson, President Emeritus, The University of Chicago) There could hardly be anything more thoroughly adequate to perpetuate the isolation which the Jews have brought themselves than the establishment of a Jewish University There could hardly be anything better calculated to convince the American people that the Jews want to remain an alien group and not become a part of our American Nation Such an attitude will go further than anything else to make the Americans of Jewish faith, whose ancestors have been in this country for several generations, quietly slip out of their Church into others by marriage or otherwise The effect in this direction, due to Zionism, is marked and increasing (Stephen G Rich, New York Times, December 10, 1922) It would be a far higher thing for the Jew to seek such universities from which he is not excluded, and in the meanwhile work for the establishment of State universities in the communities where the private colleges exclude him (Editorial in Ohio Jewish Chronicle December 22, 1922) The solidification of the minority cannot but serve to increase the friction between the groups (Editorial in the Freeman January 3, 1923) Our quarrel with the restrictions /made upon Jewish registration in colleges/ is not that they are anti-Jewish, but that they are un-American The creation of a Jewish University in America would not be a solution but a surrender .,.It would create Ghettos where they never existed before in the world of learning (Editorial in the Jewish Tribune October 27, 1922) It should be added that the extreme Zionist point of view was opposed to the establishment of a Jewish University in America, which is, after all, the Diaspora According to this point of view, the only academic center ,••'‫׳‬.*‫י‬ which has a.rightful ‫י‬claim upon the allegiance of Jews is the ‫י‬ » , •w‫ ׳‬,‫ י י‬-‫ י‬ ‫ ״‬._.‫«׳‬.‫י‬ * •‫ ז‬ ‫״‬ ."‫י‬ ~ ~ Hebrew University in Palestine The Jewish University of the Twenties as a Reflection of the Contemporary Culture Pattern Before taking up the most recent effort to establish a Jewish University, it is advisable to discuss the Jewish University issue, as it developed during the early nineteen twenties, in its relationship to the broader American culture pattern The decade of the •twenties, which brought unprecedented prosparity to the East European Jewish element in the American population, was also a period of acute tension among various American groups and classes The Ku Klux Klan grew in numbers and power; the "Americanism" movement was in full stride; Madison Grant, Lothrop Stoddard and others were rewriting American history in such a way as to ascribe all that was good in American life to the "Nordic" element in the population, and all that was bad to the "lesser breeds" from Ireland, the South and East of Europe, Africa and Asia The pros and cons of immigration restriction were debated, and toward the end of the decade restrictive immigration legislation was enacted which discriminated against peoples from the South and East of Europe Frequently, the chauvinism of "one hundred percenters" was countered by the equally misguided jingoism of minority spokesmen They worshipped the symbol of the melting-pot or else clung with some stubborness to their separate ethnic cultures The terms "cultural pluralism," "cultural democracy," "trans-nationalism" were invented to describe what was happening to American culture under the impact of successive waves of immigration -7- The Jewish University, which Newman and others were advocating, was a part of this intellectual ferment It is not accidental that Waldo Frank, a cultural pluralist after a fashion, looked with favor upon the idea of a Jewish University as consonant with his conception of the nature of American life Moreover, as long as the flow af European immigration was unrestricted, the roots of European ethnic oultures in the American environment were unsevered and there was hope of creating a Jewish ethnic culture in the United States; within that framework the Jewish University would play a vital role Moreover, in 1922, President Lowell admitted limitation upon the number of Jews at Harvard This pronouncement had no little effect upon the Jewish community Some of the children of the East European Jewish immigrants of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries desired to go to college They were encouraged in this ambition by their parents, many of whom had achieved a measure of economic success and were anxious that their children enjoy a cultural status commensurate with their own economic position The attitude of Harvard's President and the support it found among th© university administrators had to be reckoned with in some way Thus, the movement for a Jewish University, during the 'twenties, was both a positive attempt to create a Jewish cultural institution and a reaction to discrimination Background of the Recent Effort to Establish a Jewish University Very little that was tangible emerged from the discussion of the Jewish University during the 'twenties Until recently, the issue appeared to be dormant There are, however, certain factors in the contemporary situation which create a favorable atmosphere for a Jewish University, although the preelse role of each is difficult to ascertain The prevalence of discrimination, the return of the veteran eager for educational opportunity made available under th© G.I Bill of Rights, and the current lack of educational facilities — guarantee followers for any movement to establish a new institution of higher learning Under the circumstances, the project for a Jewish University was bound to find adherents In addition, the war-induced prosperity coupled with the provisions of the tax laws made funds available to the Jewish University movement in amounts that would previously have been unattainable The European situation tended to increase in-group feeling among American Jews and enhanced the desire for a cultural institution of some significance Increased awareness of the Palestine issue stimulated this sentiment in so far as nationalist aspirations were stirred in American Jews -11became interested in this project through one of the non-Jewish trustees of Middlesex, who originally thought the site of Middlesex might be used to establish a labor college After several unsuccessful approaches to labor leaders, this trustee was referred to Rabbi Goldstein who proposed a Jewish university Before the Chicago meeting of the National Community Relations Advisory Council, June 15, 194-6, Rabbi Goldstein advanced his conception of what the Jewish university should be The institution, he asserted, "will be some- thing between the Yeshiva College and the non-sectarian university in theojy It will not go as far as the Yeshiva College in making Jewish studies compulsory It will have a complete gamut of Jewish studies for those who desire them." While Goldstein did not plan a rabbinical training school as part of his Jewish university, he was reluctant to abandon the denominational label Instead, he contended that "denominational" means something more to Jews than to Christians His probable meaning was that the Jews have a cultural (perhaps national) as well as a religious heritage to preserve The "gamut of Jewish studies for those who desire them," as well as the frankly Jewish atmosphere of a Jewish university would, Goldstein believed, contribute to the preservation of the Jewish heritage in America Goldstein hoped for non-Jewish support for his school and for a student body composed in part of non-Jews He stressed that the admission policy would be non-sectarian and in accordance with the principle that education "should be made available to all who seek it regardless of race, color or creed." At the same time, he would have the trustees, students and faculty for the most part Jewish — a "non-quota university supported mainly by Jewish funds and administered by predominantly Jewish organizations." Goldstein would also locate the school near a large metropolitan community with a considerable Jewish population upon which it could draw, Albert Einstein Foundation On August 20, 194.6, Dr Israel Goldstein announced that Dr Albert Einstein had given his name and support to the Albert Einstein Foundation for Higher Learning, Inc.(245 Fifth Avenue, New York City) which planned to establish a Jewish-sponsored, secular, non-quota university at Wsltham, Mass., by October, 1947• The university would be open to students and faculty members irrespective of race, creed, sex or religious beliefs Admission would be determined on the basis of scholastic ability and intellectual competence A campaign to raise $6,000,000 was scheduled to begin in the fall of 1946 The officers of the Albert Einstein Foundation were as follows: Dr Israel Goldstein, president (president of the Jewish Conciliation Board of America)j Dr Alexander M Dushkin, secretary (executive vice-president of the Jewish Education Committee of New York); Julius Silver, treasurer (vice-president of the Polaroid Corporation of America) directors consisted of; The board of George Alpert, Milton Bluestein, Edmund I Kaufmann, S Ralph Lazrus, Carl Leff, Samuel Schneiderson, James N Rosenberg, Justice Samuel Null, Major Abraham F 1‫'־‬echsler, and Dr Israel Wechsler In accepting sponsorship of the organization, Dr Einstein wrote: I am convinced th^.t such an institution will attract our best young people and not less, our young scientists and learned men in all fields It would satisfy a real need I would anything in my power to help in the creation and guidance of such an institution It would always be near to my heart * ljU Dr Goldstein said the foundation planned a "truly American university which will be a worthwhile Jewish contribution to higher learning and professional training at a time when there is a mounting need for additional educational facilities Our standards will be of the highest." He quoted the following from the Foundation's charters Believing that the standard of American living which on its material side is held up as an example to the rest of the world should also be reflected in a high standard of education which should be made available to all who seek it regardless of race, color and creed! aware to the mounting hunger of American youth for higher learning both as an end in itself and as a means of preparation for the professions; mindful that there are not enough facilities for higher learning and professional training to me®t the needs therefor; deeply conscious both of the Hebraic tradition of Torah looking upon culture as a birthright, and of the American ideal of an educated democracy; and dedicated to the proposition that in the post-war world the American people entering upon an unprecedented position of world leadership should lead not only in technical skills and material resources, but also in intellectual and spiritual endowments - this Foundation for Higher Learning is established The Resignation of Rabbi Goldstein On September 16, 194-6, Dr Goldstein resigned from the presidency of the Foundation because of differences of opinion "on matters of public relations and faculty selection," which arose between him and Dr Einstein Dr Goldstein declared that he felt Dr, Einstein's affiliation with the university project was indispensible to its success and that he was resigning to insure "Dr Einstein's continued identification with the Foundation." He added that he would, nevertheless, continue to enlist the interest of his friends in the Foundation Rumors that Dr Einstein had also resigned were denied by George Alpert, a Boston attorney and a member of the Foundation's board of directors Mr Alpert said that Dr Einstein "was very enthusiastic about the plans of the university and his interest in the project was -14- unflagging," Another member of the board of directors, who withheld use of his name, stated to the press that one of the major differences between Dr, Goldstein and Dr Einstein arose over plans for a major fund-raising meeting to be held in November He indicated that differences over Zionism were also responsible for the friction On October , 194-6, the board of directors announced that S Ralph Lazrus of Lawrence, New York, had been elected to succeed Dr Goldstein as president of the Foundation Company Mr Lazrus is treasurer of the Benrus Watch Long associated with philanthropic affairs^ his present affilia- tions include: Woodmere Academy, vfoodmere, L.I., vice president; United Palestine Appeal, vice-president‫ ן‬Five Towns Community Chest, chairman of the board; Jewish Statistical Bureau, chairman of the board; United Jewish Appeal, national chairman of the jewelry division and director; Jewish Telegraphic Agency, treasurer; and American Institute"of International Information, treasurer In accepting the presidency, he said: ,, Our one goal is to complete the organization of the university project at the earliest possible date Dr Einstein is continuing his active' interest and support, and we have every assurance of success." Brandeis University On November , 1947, Mr Lazrus announced that the new university which the Einstein Foundation planned to sponsor would be called Brandeis University after the late Associate Justice Louis D Brandies of the United States Supreme Court This name was chosen "to honor the memory of one of the noblest men of our generation, Louis D Brandeis, whose exemplary life as a great American Jew will, we hope, have through our university a worthy memorial dedicated as -15- a Jewish contribution to the promotion of higher learning in America‫ ׳‬for the advancement of human culture and science and for the enhancement of understanding, good-will and righteous living among men." It was originally planned to name the university after Einstein, but the name Brandeis was finally chosen because it was more in the American tradition Brandeis University is to be located eight miles outside of Boston, in Waltham, Mass The premises consist of more than 100 acres of land and a number of good buildings The main group of buildings includes facilities for Administration, Bacteriology, and College Elsewhere on the campus are the Library, the School of Veterinary Medicine, the Animal Hospital and Clinic and other structures The present administration of Brandeis University, by acquiring the Middlesex charter, fell heir to a plant valued at about $2,000,000 This new university will start with a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences In addition, the existing School of Veterinary Medicine, inherited from Middlesex, will continue to function.1 A school of Medicine will be opened at a time when adequate funds and hospital training facilities will ^Studencs of the school of Veterinary Medicine at Middlesex are in somewhat the same position as were the students at Middlesex Medical School The Bureau of Animal Industry of the U S Department of Agriculture refused to accredit the institution, as the result of which its graduates were denied the opportunity of holding government jobs and of taking veterinarian examinations in certain states The attidue of the Bureati of Animal Industry was influenced by the American Medical Veterinary Association The veterinary school still continues to function, no longer as Middlesex, but under the auspices of Brandeis No new students are admitted but those who were students of the school when Middlesex went out of existence are given an opportunity to complete their course of study -16be provided Recently, it been estimated that the sum of $15,000,000 is heeded to fulfill the entire plan Fund Raising On the evening of Monday, December 2, 1946, an audience of 500 attended the first public presentation of the plans of Brandeis University by its sponsoring body, the Albert Einstein Foundation, at Boston's Hotel Bradford Those who spoke were Messrs Lazrus and Alpert, Professor Otto Nathan and Dr Harry Braude, director of Graduate Studies at the Massachusetts State Teachers College Professor Nathan, described as the personal representative of Albert Einstein, spoke of an educational advisory committee which will make decisions on academic matters, and which was in the process of formation He listed among the University's numerous objectives "freedom to teach and freedom of research," which he said was "not as complete as it should be in many American Institutions." On December 26, 194-6, under the auspices of the Albert Einstein Foundation, a group of 46 Jewish leaders in Massachusetts formed a committee to be known as the Massachusetts Associates, Brandeis University On January 23, 194-7, it was announced that an Operating Committee of the Massachusetts Associates of Brandeis University has been formed The new Committee will function as the public relations arm of the Massachusetts Associates of Brandeis University The way was also paved for the establish- ment of a group to be known as the New England Associates of Brandeis University by the inclusion of two out-of-state members in the Massachusetts Operating Committee, Contributions to the Albert Einstein Foundation includes A.L Goldfein, $105,000j Israel Rogosin, $100,000; Abraham Shapiro, $50,000; Maurice J Bernstein, $25,000; Joseph Ford, $25,000; Joseph Foster, $25,000; Roland D Markson, $25,000; Dewey and Harry K Stone, $25,000; Morris Shapiro, $25,000; James J Axelrod, $10,000; Morris Berkum, $10,000; Barnett D Gordon, $10,000; Jack Sandler, $10,000; Robert Goldstein, $5,000; Peter Groper, $5,000; Charles Kemler, $5,000; Joseph M Linsey, $5,000.; E M Loew, $5,000; Myer and Samuel D Saxe, $5,000; Morton Selig, $5,000; Joseph Weinstein, $5,000; Abraham and Louis Zimble, $5,000 In February, 194-7, Mr Alpert reported that almost $1,000,000 had been contributed to the Albert Einstein Foundation, Applications from students who wished to enroll were beginning to be received, Brandeis as a Jewish University Dr Otto Nathan, assistant to Albert Einstein, assumed directorship of the academic problems of the new institution‫״‬ His view of Brandeis University, advanced in an interview early in 1947, is somewhat different from that which^was advanced by Rabbi Goldstein in June, 194-6, at the N.C.R.A.C meeting Dr Nathan coneives of the Jewish University as far less Jewish • than Goldstein did He would limit its Jewish character to the founding and financing of the University by Jews The majority of the student body and faculty might be non-Jewish — although Dr Nathan admits that the very nature of the institution might prevent this from happening, Jewish studies would be taught only if there was a demand for them by the student body and faculty, Jewish studies would form no'necessary part of the University curriculum, Brandeis University will embody the latest developments in college teaching, according to Dr Nathan Students will elect all of their courses and will not be bound by a required curriculum Attendance at lectures and -18classes will be optional The University will be controlled less by its president, administrative offices, and board of trustees than by its faculty and student body Nathan asserts that the pattern of Brandeis University is by no means finally constituted, and that his conception of it may be altered However, he stressed that his views of what the University should be like are shared by Mr Lazrus and by Dr Einstein, There will not be any difficulty in recruiting a competent liberal arts faculty, Dr Nathan believes He is less sanguine of getting competent teachers in the medical and veterinary fields He says that Brandeis would not support a veterinary or medical school unless these institutions were first rate Dr Nathan wants to make Brandeis as good a university as Mount Sinai is a hospital, and he draws an analogy between the present-day resistance to Brandeis University and the earlier resistance to the establishment of Jewish controlled hospitals Dr Nathan would have the faculty relatively unfettered, ?‫״‬hen the faculty is appointed, one of its tasks will be the drawing up of a constitution for the University, He hoped that no one will be proscribed because of political beliefs - except those who possess racist views and those who are fascist-minded No definite date for the opening of• Brandeis University is given by Nathan The October, 1948, date, he says, is mainly for popular consumption He opposes opening the institution until it is firmly established with regard to finances and faculty Dr Nathan's conception of Brandeis University, which he advanced orally, is in contrast to that presented in the fund-raising literature of -19Brandeis University, where the Jewish angle was stressed to a greater extent Nathan said that he personally had no desire to conceal the Jewish identification of Brandeis University, It may be, he said, that there will be a strong demand expressed by the students for Jewish studies, in which case they would be introduced Another view of Brandeis as a Jewish University was advanced by Dr A.M Dushkin, in an editorial statement in Jewish Education;-*• ‫י‬ The question that comes to our mind is; »»hat is there to be Jewish about Brandeis University, apart from its name and its sponsorship, and apart too, from the probability that many of its students and faculty will be Jews? Tie can only surmise the answer, because its program is as yet not available." We can envisage several phases of university life in which Brandeis University can be naturally Jewish First, although the religious life of its campus will be as varied and tolerant as in the best American universities, any official "chapel" will naturally be denominational, namely Jewish, just as it is denominational in other universities The Sabbath and the festivals can be 0Bserved in the scheduling of classes and examinations In the cafeteria, dietary laws can be observed, so that Jewish students will not need to squirm or compromise with their traditions Secondly, the faculties of the University, particularly those dealing with the social studies, can be encouraged to include as part of their research and study certain projects which are of particular concern to American Jews — especially studies in the history and in the economic and social problems of American Jewry This type of continuous objective academic research, carried on thoroughly and systematically by academicians, can be of enormous benefit to us as a community Thirdly, the Hebraic and Semitic studies, as well as Jewish student activities, can take on special meaning in such a university Lastly, Brandeis University can reflect and express for our day the great liberal human tradition which Jews have handed down throughout the generations in an unbroken chain from the Hebrew Prophets down to such men as Brandeis and Einstein November, 194-6, p.3 •»2&r» The Resignation of Dr Einstein The differences between Nathan and Dushkin over what Brandeis University should be, however reconcilable or irreconcilable, were overshadowed by the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Dr Einstein from the Brandeis project* Dr, Einstein, who withdrew on June 21, 1947, gave no reason for his action Associates revealed, however, that he had disagreed sharply with the board of trustees and the administrators of the university on several occasions These disputes, it was said, centered mainly in the operation of the veterinarian school of Middlesex University, which was absorbed by Brandeis Einstein allegedly insisted that the standards of this school were too low and that the Brandeis group had done little to raise them It was also reported that Einstein could not get along with George Alpert, President of the University's Board of Trustees Resigning with Einstein were S Ralph Lazrus and Dr Otto Nathan.-!‫־‬ The day following the announcement of Einstein's resignation, George Alpert charged that Nathan and Lazrus had attempted to give the school a "radical, political orientation." While no mention was made of Einstein in the Alpert statement, Lazrus was further criticized for what was called his failure in the institution's fund-raising campaign, and Nathan for failure to organize an educational advisory committee In addition Alpert charged that both men "surreptitiously" made overtures to a "thoroughly unacceptable choice" for the position as president of Brandeis* Alpert was referring to Harold Laski who, he alleged, was "a man utterly alien to American principles of democracy, tarred with the Communist brush.* "2 New York Times jljne 22, 1947 Ibid, June 23, 1947 "Informants" gave other points at issue between Alpert and the Einstein faction There was conflict over the adoption of a curriculum Paul Sweezy, former Harvard University instructor, was recommended for the job of drafting a curriculum The plan was not accepted, presumably because of Sweezy*s connections with progressive movements There was conflict, too, over whether Dr Martin Kaplan should be offered the deanship of the veterinary school There were some who said that a Jew should not be given this post, "Many other questions pertaining to the university were still in dispute at the time of the resignations Among these were whether or not the school should be coeducational, what should be the relationship between the Board of Trustees and the educational program, the size of the student body, the size of the faculty in relation to the student body and advisability of lecture versus seminar method of instruction."•*• On June 24, Rabbi Stephen S, Wise entered the controversy by criticising the "hurtful squabbles" that had developed in connection with Brandeis University Rabbi Wise, however, did not hesitate to take up the cudgels in defense of Einstein and in opposition to Mr Alpert.2 A few days later Einstein, himself, issued a statement which fully supported the position of Nathan and Lazrus and asserted "that it was none too early for us to sever a connection from which no good was to be expected for the community After all of this controversy, culminating in the resignation of Dr Einstein, what was there left of the Brandeis project? In a press interview given June 24, following the resignation of Dr Einstein, George Alpert announced PM, June 23, 1947 2, Jewish Telegraphic Agency June 25, 194-7 3• New York Herald'~Tribune" June 29, 194-7 that Brandeis would be opened in the fall of 1948 as planned Mr Alpert further stated that a president would be selected by the fall of 1947; that $1,000,000 in pledges had been received toward a goal of $15,000,000; that present plans included the admission of 500 students a year to the liberal arts school, starting in 194-8; and that graduate schools would be considered in 1952.1,1 Throughout the controversy, Miss Susan Brandeis, a trustee, openly proclaimed herself in favor of the position taken by Mpert, and the other trustees have not followed the lead of Nathan and Lazrus in resigning Early in June, the university had acquired a provost in the person of Max R Grossman, former director of the Boston University Division of Journalism*2 During the summer, Grossman interviewed a great many candidates for faculty position In the middle of November, the staff and offices in New York City were still maintained — only the Einstein Foundation had become the Brandeis Foundation, 1• New York Ti.nea June 25, 194-7 Jewish Telegraphic Agency June 25, 194-7 23 A P P E N D I X I BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE BRANDEIS FOUNDATION INC.* 262 WASHINGTON STREET BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS Morris S Shapiro, Boston, Massachusetts - President James J Axelrod, Boston, Massachusetts - Treasurer George Alpert, Boston, Massachusetts Joseph F Ford, Boston, Massachusetts Norman S Rabb, Boson, Massachusetts Abraham Shapiro, Boston, Massachusetts Meyer Jaffe, Fall River, Massachusetts Milton J, Bluestein, New York, New York Julius Silver, Net? York, New York Abraham F Wechsler, New York, New York Edmund I Kaufman, Washington, D.C BOARD OF TRUSTEES BPAHDEIS UNIVERSITY Dudley Kimball, Boston, Massachusetts - Secretary Joseph F, Ford, Boston, Massachusetts - Treasurer Meyer Jaffe, Fall River, New York Julius Silver, New York, New York Abraham F Wechsler, Nov/ York, New York In addition, all of the other directors of the Brandeis Foundation residing in Boston, are trustees of the University* *Formerly"knowrTas The Albert Einstein Foundation, Inc., with offices, now closed, at 24-5 Fifth Avenue, New York City ‫יי‬ * ‫י‬- ,, If carried out to its fruition it will give greater opportunity to our young people It is on education that me must depend today for a greater understanding of one another for a world of peace wish you' every success in your endeavor." —Hon Leverett Saltonstall United States Senate "I hope the new University will be able to open its doors soon, and wish for it a long life of significant usefulness to the nation." —Dr Franklyn B Snyder President, Northwestern University "The idea appeals to me I hope that it might draw many gentile students as well as those of the Jewish faith." —Dr Ralph ;7 Sockman Christ Church, New York "I am sure that the college you propose will open and carry on with distinction," —Dr George D Stoddard Commissioner of Education New York State "Of course you may list me as a sponsor for a Je?/ish Sponsored University —Arthur Szyk "I should like to see a great Jewish University in our country." —Hon Elbert D Thomas United States Senate "Just as other religious denominations have established outstanding institutions which have become landmarks of American culture and scientific advancement, so may this university prove to be an eminent contribution to American civilization." —Hon Maurice J Tobin Governor of Massachusetts "The project impresses me as a very worthy one." —Hon Robert F Wagner United States Senate "I am confident that this university will fill a great need and that it will become a major influence in the field of higher education." —Hon, Mon C Wallgren Governor, State of Washington "My welcome to the creation of the Albert Einstein Foundation." —Hon Owen D Young -25- "I recall the late Professor Karl Young, an eminent authority in the field of medieval literature, saying to me that a Catholic University could be of the very greatest benefit to American scholarship generally because it could undertake and carry through projects in research and teaching which other universities are less well equipped to handle It seems to me that this same argument gives great sunport to those who seek to create a Jewish University in America "Could such a University be adequately financed and staffed — which is surely the case — I think it would be a ceuter to which all those could turn who were interested in the manifold ways in which the Jewish tradition has affected our culture Recent research in the sources used by John Milton is a convenient illustration "Such a University might also enter the fields of law, medicine and philosophy, not with a view to train numerous candidates for a degree but for the purpose of maintaining in these professions the high moral and intellectual standards which the Jewish tradition fosters, "Were such a university not narrowly sectarian but broadly conceived and liberally administered, it would soon gain the respect of its fellow institutions." —George N, Shuster President of Hunter College ... of the staff of the American Jewish Committee, and submitted to the Subcommittee on the Jewish University of The Conference on Higher Education for Jews, which considered it at a meeting held on. .. Jewish University On at least one other occasion, however, the idea of a Jewish Universith has been discussed While there is no direct continuity between the plan for a Jewish University of the. .. after a fashion, looked with favor upon the idea of a Jewish University as consonant with his conception of the nature of American life Moreover, as long as the flow af European immigration was unrestricted,