LibGuides: Jewish Life and History at Brown University: Student Experience

History and Secondary Scholarship

This page begins with an overview of relevant published scholarship and projects that may serve as meaningful background, or as starting points to further exploration.

"Jewish Life at Brown University in the Late Twentieth Century," Hannah Stoch, Brown Jewish Journal, 2025.
Building on Hannah Stoch's scholarship as a Hay Library Undergraduate Fellow, Stoch's robust survey of the University Archives's holdings on Brown University's Jewish students in the 20th century is available at the link above.
"Why not a Jewish Girl?" The Jewish Experience at Pembroke College in Brown University by Karen M. Lamoree (The Jews of Rhode Island edited by George M. Goodwin and Ellen Smith.)
This article documents the experience of Jewish women at Brown through University Archives records. It is available through the Brown University Library catalog, BruKnow, at the link above.
Gatecrashers podcast episode 5: "Brown University and Mrs. Smith’s Kosher Kitchen", October 2022.
This podcast episode reflects on the history of kosher kitchens and Jewish students' relationship to food and dining culture at Brown University.
Horvitz, Eleanor F., and Benton H. Rosen. “The Jewish Fraternity and Brown University.” Rhode Island Jewish Historical Society Notes, vol. 8, no. 3, Nov. 1981, pp. 299–344.
This scholarly article explores the history of Jewish students and fraternities at Brown University, and the hostility to the presence of a Jewish fraternity in the first half of the 20th century. In particular, the authors of this paper explore the nuances of social life at Brown during an age where Jewish students were finding more opportunity in admissions, but often ran into roadblocks in the social sphere of university. Groups discussed in this article include Phi Epsilon Pi, Alpha Sigma Omicron, and Pi Lambada Phi. This article is accessible online at the link above.
The Jewish community in Providence, RI: a brief look
This research paper was written by Lucy Boltz, a Brown University student in Anne Valk and Holly Ewald's fall 2011 course "Oral History and Community Memory". The paper is available in full on the Brown Digital Repository at the link above.
Jewish History at Brown Digital Timeline, Brown-RISD Hillel, 2025.
This digital timeline provides a comprehensive overview of the history of Jewish students and campus life at Brown University, from the University's founding to the present day. While a digital copy exists on the Hillel website, a physical copy of it is on display at the Brown RISD Hillel building until January 2026.
Senville, Wayne. “Jewish Identification among Brown University Undergraduates : Two Surveys.” Thesis (Honors)--Brown University, 1973.
Wayne Senville's senior thesis for the Department of American Civilization at Brown University provides a viewpoint into the state of Jewish identity at Brown through the 1970s. It is available to view with a reading room appointment at the John Hay Library.
Sohn, Amy, & Brown University. Department of Public Policy and American Institutions. (2005). Discrimination in Brown University Admission : a trans-historical, cross-cultural comparative study. Thesis (Honors)--Brown University, 1995.
This senior thesis provides a cross-historical analysis of admissions practices undertaken at Brown University, focusing in discrimination against Jewish students in the 1920s and Asian students in the 1980s. Explicit mention is made of admissions quota systems developed to exclude Jewish applicants. This thesis is available to view with a reading room appointment at the John Hay Library.
Sohn, Amy. "A Jewess Would Not Be Acceptable: When it came to antisemitism, women’s colleges were no better than the Ivy League" ARCmag.com. 2025.
Amy Sohn's piece on the history of discrimination in Brown University admissions practices builds on her previous scholarship on the topic, this time focusing on the intersectional challenges of Jewish women in higher education. This article is freely accessible at the link above.

Digitized Primary Sources

These materials have been digitized and made accessible through the Brown Digital Repository, or BDR. Clicking the link will bring you to the page for each collection, which will have accompanying item-level information.

Brown Daily Herald, 1891-present (student newspaper)
Our digitized collection of Brown Daily Herald issues is a great resource for discovering more about Jewish student life and culture on campus. The database is full-text searchable, meaning that you can look up specific groups or events, such as Hillel, Pi Lambda Phi, The Tower Club, the Interfaith Council, and more. Select issues from 1891 to 2013 have been digitized. Beginning around 2004, articles are available on the Brown Daily Herald's website.
Pembroke Center Oral History Collection - Jewish Students
The Pembroke Center Oral History Project records the experiences of women and non-binary members of Brown University and Pembroke College – the women’s college in Brown University until 1971. This website features digitized interviews, transcripts, biographies, and photographs by and about students, alums, faculty, and staff who studied and worked at Brown as early as 1907. The project tag "Jewish Students" allows users to filter for material relating to Jewish student life on campus.

Archival Materials on Student Experience, Groups, and Publications

These materials are held by the University Archives, and require either an in-person research appointment in our reading room or a digitization request (up to 300 pages per semester) to view. More information on how to access these materials can be found here: Visiting Special Collections Research Guide

George Goodwin manuscript, "The Brothers of Phi Epsilon Pi," 2003. (AMS-1ZX, Box 30, Barcode 31236105065620)
In this typed manuscript, George Goodwin, a member of the class of 1920, reflects on his knowledge of an early (and unsanctioned by the University) Jewish fraternity at Brown, Phi Epsilon Pi.
Hillel Foundation ca. 1950 in Brown University department publications, brochures, and announcements collection, (AC 2024.004; Box 150)
In 1947, the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation established a chapter at Brown University led by Rabbi Nathan R. Rosen. Material relating to its founding, such as its Constitution and By-laws are available within our Brown University department publications, brochures, and announcements collection.
Hillel on the Hill. Brown University. Brown Hillel Foundation. (student newsletter)
Hillel on the Hill was a student-run publication from 1947 through 1953. This publication is available for viewing at the John Hay Library with a research appointment.
Israel Strauss letter, 1954. (AMS-1ZX, Box 47, Barcode 31236105065638)
Israel Strauss, the first identified Jewish graduate of Brown University and a member of the class of 1894, wrote to the Vice President of Brown University in 1954 to discuss his experiences and reflections on his time at the University.
Mahberet, 1991-1997. (1-P M3; 11 issues) (campus publication)
The Mahberet editorial board described themselves as follows: "Mahberet (the Hebrew word for notebook) is a progressive forum for Brown and Rhode Island School of Design students, workers, and faculty." Our holdings from 1990-1993 are open for research.
Menorah Society in Brown University Archives Topic Files (Box 67)
The Brown University Menorah Society operated between 1915 and 1932, originating from the Harvard University Menorah Society founded in 1906. In November 1927, a conference of Eastern and Northeastern Menorah Societies was held at Brown.
Tower Club records in Office of Student Activities files, 1938-circa 1951 (OF-1Q-1; Boxes 33 and 34)
The Tower Club was a predominantly Jewish social organization on campus that ran through the 1930s and 1940s. Records on its operation--such as correspondence, bills, and reports--are filed in the Office of Student Activities files.
Tower Club Tenth Anniversary volume, Brown University. Tower Club. 1947 (student publication)
On its tenth anniversary, the Tower Club published this volume to commemorate its history and reflect on the last decade.