The Menorah Society at our University is in a unique position. The
number of Jews in North Carolina is the smallest of any in the
Southern States. Only in a few places is there any organized Jewish
life. The Jewish students come chiefly from such places where the
number of Jews is very small. Under these circumstances, it can
readily be seen how difficult it was at first to implant the idea of
a Jewish society for the purpose of the study of Jewish subjects of
which the majority of the students were greatly ignorant. The Society,
however, has now passed far beyond the experimental stage. All the
Jewish students at North Carolina now show a great deal of interest
and enthusiasm in the Menorah work.
From the fact that our Society can look to very little in the way of
help from any Jewish community in the State, and that it is far from
any Jewish cultural center in the South, it can be perceived how hard
it was at first to carry on our work in comparison with our sister
Societies located in more favorable localities. A review of our work
of the last term will show, however, gratifying results. Our method
was similar to that of the class room. A text book on Jewish history
was taken as the basis for study, supplemented by additional
information from the Jewish Encyclopedia and other books on Judaica
from the University Library and the Menorah Library. The value of our
study of Jewish history may be educed from the fact that most of us
had but the faintest knowledge of our glorious past. When a thorough
knowledge of the text was acquired, discussions and studies of
different phases and movements in Judaism were taken up. In this work
the Menorah Library proved an especially valuable aid.
While our Society is not a religious organization, it endeavors to
surround our work with ethical and religious aims. The Society tries
to be here for the Jewish students what the Y. M. C. A. is in a
measure for our Christian fellow-students, and we can say that it has
succeeded in its endeavor. The relation of the Menorah Society here
with the Y. M. C. A. is one of heartiest co-operation.