Israel Goldstein Recalls Christians' Role in Founding Brandeis University
By DR. ISRAEL GOLDSTEIN
Feb. '7, 1966, will mark the 20th
anniversary of the acquisition of
the campus and charter of what
is now Brandeis University in
Waltham, Mass., the first Jewish-
sponsored secular university in
America.
The motivations Which led the
writer to undertake this project
and the story of its beginnings
have been set forth in the book
"Brandeis University—Chapter of
Its Founding." One aspect of this
story which deserves more atten-
tion than it has received is the
helpful part played by Christian
friends in the establishment of a
Jewish-sponsored secular univer-
sity.
Great encouragement came from
Richard Cardinal Cushing, Arch-
bishop of Boston, and from the
late Dr. Karl T. Compton, presi-
. dent of the Massachusetts Insti-
tute of Technology. Cardinal
Cushing approached the proposal
from the standpoint of the experi-
ence with Catholic universities and
.felt that a similar enterprise under
-Jewish auspices could only be
helpful and would succeed. Dr.
.Compton approached it from the
secular academic point of view and
felt that the proposed institution
, of
higher learning would fill a
"Useful need. He cautioned, how-
ever, that it ought to be a small
•school limited to about 1,000 stu-
dents and invoked the splendid ex-
ample of Reed Ccillege in Oregon.
When our project was ap-
proaching the first stages of
_ realization, I received encour-
- agement from Rev. Dr. Daniel
_ T. Marsh, president of Boston
University, who offered his co-
operation and that of his institu-
, tion, in the form of exchange
facilities. Dr. James B. Conant,
president of Harvard University,
expressed interest but went no
. further.
-
Letters of encouragement came
from the governor of Massachu-
setts, Maurice J. Tobin, and from
the minister of the First Parish
in Plymouth, Rev. George N. Mar-
shall.
While the principal backing came
from Jewish quarters, though far
from unanimously, it was a source
of encouragement to the found-
ing group to know that their pro-
' posal also had the support of im-
'portant non-Jewish educators and
% 'leaders of public opinion.
Among these non-Jews who joined
the educational sponsorship committee
were Joseph M. Ball, U. S. Senator,
Minnesota; Helen Gahagan Douglas,
U. S. Representative, California; Dr.
' Will Durant; James A. Farley, former
Postmaster General of U. S.; Dr. Frank
•
P. Graham, president, University of
North Carolina; William Green, presi-
dent, American Federation of Labor;
Dr. Bryn J. Hovde, president, New
School for Social Research; Dr. Alvin
Johnson, New School for Social Re-
search; H. M. Kilgore, U. S. Senator,
West Virginia; Dr. Frank Kingdon;
Fiorello M. LaGuardia, former Mayor,
New York City; Mrs. Katherine F.
Lenroot, Chief, Children's Bureau, U. S.
Department of Labor; Dr. Eduard C.
Lindeman, president, New York School
for Social Work; Dr. Henry MacCrack-
en. president, Vassar College; Thomas
Mann, Wayne Morse, U. S. Senator,
Oregon; John W. McCormack, U. S.
Representative, Massachusetts;
Dr.
James G. MacDonald; Brien McMahon,
U. S. Senator, Connecticut; Dr. J. E.
Newcomb, president, University of
Virginia; Dr. J. Hugh O'Donnell, presi-
dent, Notre Dame University; William
O'Dwyer, mayor, New York City; Most
Rev. G. Bromley Oxnam, Bishop of
the Methodist Church, New York area;
Walter P. Reuther, president, United
Auto Workers, CIO; Dr. Alexander G.
Ruthven, president, University of Mic-
higan; Leverett Saltonstall, U. S. Sen-
ator, Massachusetts; Dr. Guy Emery
Shipler, editor, Churchman; Dr.
Franklyn B. Snyder, president, North-
western University; Dr. Ralph W.
Sackman, Christ Church, New York
City; Dr. George D. Stoddard, com-
missioner of education, New York
State; Elbert D. Thomas, U. S. Sen-
ator, Utah; Dr. R. R. vonKleinS'mid,
president, University of Southern Cali-
fornia; Jerry Voorhis, U. S. Repre-
sentative, California; Robert F. Wagner,
U. S. Senator, New York; Mon C. Wall-
gren, governor, State of Washington;
Dr. Ray Lyman Wilbur, chancellor,
Stanford University; Matthew Woll,
vice president, American Federation
of Labor; Chase Going Woodhouse,
U. S. Representative, Connecticut; Dr.
H. N. Wright, president, College City
of New York; Owen D. Young, hon-
orary chairman, Board of General
Electric Company.
Boston, Feb. 7, 1946. To this meet-
ing I was invited together with
my colleagues Julius Silver,
George Alpert and Dean Joseph
J. Cheskis, who had earlier call-
ed my attention to the possibi-
lities involved. The minutes of
that meeting speak for them-
selves:
"Dr. Israel Goldstein was then invit-
ed to explain to the Board plans
that he and his associates had made
for the development on the univer-
sity campus of a college of liberal
arts and various schools for profes-
sional training. He spoke of his many
conferences with educational public
and civic leaders, and particularly of
the encouragement that he had re-
ceived from Prof. Albert Einstein.
He said that his plans were to make
the university a worthwhile contribu-
tion to American education, and a .
vindication of the American demo-
cratic principles of equality of educa-
tional opportunities without restric-
tions as to race, creed or color.
"Mr. Silver than outlined plans for
raising a fund that would be essential
for the realization of Dr. Goldstein's
plans, and he told of the formation of
the "Albert Einstein Foundation for
Higher Learning" for the purpose of
assisting non-sectarian educational in-
stitutions.
"Mr. Alpert then spoke concerning
Judge Samuel Null of the New York
Supreme Court and Major Abraham
F. Wechsler of New York City, who
had explained their willingness to
serve as members of the board of trus-
tees during the interim period of or-
ganization."
The meeting then proceeded to
the following: Dr. Israel Goldstein,
Messrs. Julius Silver, George Al-
pert, Judge Samuel Null and
Major Abraham F. Wechsler were
elected to membership on the
board of trustees, the existing
board members resigned, with the
exception of Rev. Hugh Wallace
Smith and Dudley F. Kimball, who
A brief glimpse into the develop-
ments which preceded the acquisi-
tion of the campus and charter
should be of interest. In January,
1946, Middlesex University at
Waltham, Mass., was being denied
accreditation for the practice of
medicine on the claim that the
quality of the school was inferior.
Its charter authorized degrees in
arts and sciences, medicine and
veterinary medicine. The manage-
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)
ment of the school claimed that
they were being penalized for
HAIFA—A Haifa Hospital direc-
their non-quota policy.
tor reported Tuesday the successful
After visiting the site, more transplant of a kidney from a man
than 100 acres of land and several who had just died to a 37-year-old
buildings, situated near Boston, woman whose kidneys had ceased
the outstanding university center to function and who was in critical
condition.
-in the United States, and on the
Moshe Lazer, director of the hos-
- eastern seaboard with its concen-
tration of Jewish population, I pital, said that the woman's con-
felt certain that this was The op- dition was "fairly good" 10 days
portunity to give substance to a after the transplant. The woman,
long-cherished idea. The problem who is married and a mother, has
was, how to acquire the property been suffering from chronic kidney
and the charter and how to build inflammation. The names of the
up the educational and financial man and the woman were not dis-
support. Our chief educational closed.
sponsor in the earliest stage was
I.
the late Prof. - Albert Einstein.
The formal consummation of the
negotiations for the campus char-
ter took place at the meeting of
the Trustees of Middlesex Univ-
ersity held in the Harvard Club,
Spearmint on the Bed-.
post Overnight?" Today
- he is envied for the for-
tunes he has amassed
through purchasing
AMerican Tel and Tel
and New York Central at
the right time.
Ells advice to dabblers
in the market is therefore
well worth pondering: "A
man shouldn't expect to
make a success in the
. stock market unless he's
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•
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*
"My confounded wife," grumbled a diner at the Hemisphere
Club, "has just bought herself ten new dresses at one time."
"What in the world," wondered his companion, "can a woman
want with ten new dresses ?" Sighed the first one, "Ten new hats,
of course."
*
•
•
Oscar Levant claims he found one way to win a waiter's eye in
a famous, generally overcrowded Broadway restaurant. He el-
bowed his way in one night, banged on a table with a knife, and
called out, "I want some service! I just bought Sing Sing!"
C 1966, by Bennett Cerf. Distributed by King Features Syndicate
Iva
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DILLY ROSE, the diminutive and not unduly self-effacing
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tva
W 0 0 D STOCK, Md. (JTA)—
More than 200 seminarians and
the entire faculty of a noted Jesuit
institution attended a two-day in-
stitute on Jewish-Christian rela-
tions here. This is the first such
institute to be held at a major
Jesuit seminary since the promul-
gation of the Ecumenical Council's
declaration on the Jews.
Rabbi Jaoob B. Agus of Balti-
more delivered a paper on "A
Rabbinic View of the New Testa-
ment in the Context of the First
Century," pointing out that "The
late Justice Brandeis to the Noachide laws plus the imitation
newly acouired institution. The of God in rabbinic literature and
consent of the family was con- their counterpart in the New Test-
veyed by Susan Brandeis Gilbert ament provide us with the basic
in a letter of August 5, 1946.
framework for the understanding
Such were the beginnings of of our relation to people of other
Brandeis University, to which faiths.
Christians as well as- Jews gave
"We do not seek to convert
their moral support.
others to tour historic faith, nor
There were stormy days and do we assume that all religions are
heavy trials ahead until the doors equally true, nor do we profess to
of Brandeis University, under the be interested only in exploring the
presidency of Dr. Abram L. Sachar, objective domain of knowledge.
were opened to the first entering We do meet on the common
class in the fall of 1948. But that ground of knowledge in order to
is another chapter. Its career since better know others and ourselves,"
has been one of the great success Rabbi Agus said.
stories in American collegiate life,
and has been a source of pride to
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
the American Jewish community.
Friday, February 4, 1966-13
Kidney Transplant
Success in Israel
Try and Stop Me
•
were requested by us to continue.
C. Ruggles Smith remained as
general counsel. Dr. Israel Gold-
stein was elected president of the
board of trustees, Julius Silver,
secretary, and George Alpert,
treasurer, and an executive com-
m••tee- was elected consisting of
the officers with the addition of
Kimball.
Thus the control of the institu-
tion, its property and its charter,
passed into our hands.
The next step was to secure
the consent of the Brandeis fam-
ily to attach the name of the
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