Alpha Epsilon Pi at UCLA: A Legacy of Brotherhood and Jewish Identity
Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), commonly known as AEPi, is a college fraternity founded at New York University in 1913. The fraternity has more than 150 active chapters across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Israel, and has initiated more than 110,000 members. This article explores the history and impact of Alpha Epsilon Pi, with a particular focus on its presence and influence at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
The Founding and Early Years of Alpha Epsilon Pi
Alpha Epsilon Pi was founded on November 7, 1913, under the Washington Square Arch at New York University (NYU) by Charles C. Moskowitz and 10 other Jewish men: David K. Schafer, Isador M. Glazer, Herman L. Kraus, Arthur E. Leopold, Benjamin M. Meyer, Arthur M. Lipkint, Charles J. Pintel, Maurice Plager, Hyman Schulman, and Emil J. Lustgarten. These men are known as the "Immortal 11." Their first pledge was Samuel L. Charles C. Moskowitz had just transferred to New York University's School of Commerce from the City College of New York. Several fraternities at the School of Commerce expressed interest in him and one gave him a bid. The name of that fraternity is unknown. When Charles asked whether his close Jewish friends could join as well, he was told that the invitation was for him alone. At this point, the group of 11 men began meeting regularly in a German Ratskeller called "Haan's Ladies' and Gentlemen's Restaurant, Cafe and Rathskeller". The founding members intended for AEPi to be a national fraternity even before the second chapter at NYU was designated the Alpha chapter.
Only fifty-two men had been initiated into AEPi by the start of World War I. In the years between the world wars, Alpha Epsilon Pi grew to 28 chapters. With the end of the war and the shift of the national headquarters to St. Louis, Missouri, Alpha Epsilon Pi had gained new life and momentum in its reopening of inactive chapters, expansion to new campuses, and merging with other locals, that had seen reduced membership as a result of the war. The next two decades were a time of steady growth for Alpha Epsilon Pi, as well as other college fraternities. However, with the onset of fighting in Vietnam in the early 1960s, fraternity life faltered. Liberal student bodies revolted against authority and the Greek system, which was seen as a conservative, elitist group. Membership plummeted and nearly half the chapter roll was lost.
Core Values and Symbols
AEPi's motto is "Developing Leadership for the Jewish Community". Its badge is the Greek letters ΑΕΠ, arranged horizontally in gold and studded with pearls. The fraternity's colors are gold and blue. Its mascot is the lion. Its flower is the fleur-de-lis. To Brothers, it is known as the "Cofa," arranged by the initials of the phrase. The coat of arms of Alpha Epsilon Pi contains several symbolic objects, the true meaning of which is only revealed to brothers during their initiation into the fraternity. Regardless, the coat of arms does contain symbols that have a history in Judaism obvious to the uninitiated and even to non-Jewish people. The crest of the arms contains a menorah intertwined with the star of David.
Governance and Philanthropy
The Supreme Board of Governors makes the majority of decisions for the fraternity's well-being and meets semi-annually to discuss matters of importance, including the granting of charters. The Executive Office is made up of the professional staff that oversees the day-to-day functions of the fraternity. The Alpha Epsilon Pi Foundation is the charitable arm of the organization. It directs the philanthropic affairs of the fraternity, supports projects of a Jewish and fraternal nature, and provides support for the individual chapters and colonies.
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AEPi's Expansion and Presence Today
The fraternity currently has 154 active chapters and colonies in eleven of the fourteen Big Ten Conference schools, seven of eight Ivy League schools, and eight of the ten University of California campuses. It is also the largest international fraternity in Canada, California, New York, and Massachusetts. The fraternity established the Aleph chapter in Israel during the spring of 2009, located in the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. It has since expanded to other universities in Israel.
Notable Alumni
Alpha Epsilon Pi boasts a diverse range of accomplished alumni. In arts & entertainment, AEPi alumni include Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry, Academy Award and Emmy Award-winner James L. Brooks, both members of Simon & Garfunkel, singer/rapper Hoodie Allen, actor Gene Wilder, as well as co-creator of American Dad!. The fraternity also counts 3 Nobel Prize-winners among its alumni.
AEPi at UCLA: A History of Brotherhood and Jewish Life
Mendel Rittenberg, a native Angeleno, attended UCLA after graduating from Roosevelt High School in East Los Angeles. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1936. “There weren't too many buildings when I went there. I think only four," recalled Rittenberg. Of the four buildings on campus at the time, he took many of his classes in Royce Hall. It remains his favorite to this day. Mendel described UCLA as pretty bare in the 1930s, but there was lots of construction and that muddied campus when it rained. Like many students during the Great Depression, Rittenberg worked full time attending school in the morning and working for his father in the afternoon. Although very busy he made time for his fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, in which he fostered many friendships and attended several dances. These days Rittenberg is not the only Bruin in his family. All four of his children followed in his footsteps and earned degrees from UCLA.
Brother Stephen Lachs (UCLA, 1960) was appointed as a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court in September 1979 by Governor Jerry Brown, the news splashed across headlines on papers around the globe. Brother Lachs was the first openly gay judge appointed in the United States, and possibly the first in the world to be appointed at the time.
Brother Lachs didn’t know he wanted to go into law when he started at UCLA in 1956. His family had moved to Los Angeles when he was 16, and the school was a two-minute walk from his house. He met his AEPi Brothers while attending UCLA as an undergraduate, and instantly made a connection with the chapter. “When we moved to LA, I was pretty much alone. Most of my friends were in New York and, back then, we didn’t have the technology to keep in touch. It was difficult for me. So, when I started at UCLA and joined AEPi, that changed everything for me. I went from knowing no one to having three dozen Brothers.
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Controversies and Challenges
Alpha Epsilon Pi, like many fraternities, has faced its share of controversies and challenges.
In 1990, Alpha Epsilon Pi's Mu Tau chapter at MIT decided to disband their chapter after the international fraternity kicked out 45 of 55 members of the chapter. Members believed it was largely in part due to the international fraternity's desire to use a member review process to re-align the chapter as a Jewish fraternity. Joseph P. Wong, former vice president of the chapter who was invited to stay, was quoted saying "AEPi is inherently discriminatory and does not deserve a place on this campus". Soon after, the national fraternity successfully rebuilt its Mu Tau chapter, with an emphasis on its Jewish heritage.
In 2018, all but one brother at the chapter at Union College resigned their life membership in AEPi in response to perceived discrimination by the international fraternity against non-Jewish brothers. In this case, membership audits were facilitated by the international office. This resulted in the removal of every active non-Jewish brother, while only a single Jewish brother was removed by the international office.
In 2015, the chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was terminated for holding events while suspended. The initial suspension was due to an incident in which a minor and another guest were transported to detox after being served alcohol by Alpha Epsilon Pi. This was followed by multiple other incidents involving alcohol, eventually leading to termination.
In 2016, a freshman female student at the College of Charleston, site of ΑΕΠ's Chi Omicron chapter, sued the fraternity after she stated she was disrobed, served drugs and alcohol, and raped while one of the fraternity members recorded the assault on his cellphone during the fraternity's Bid Day celebration party. Her lawsuit states she had been seeking unspecified damages for her "serious personal injuries" that have required hospitalization, doctor's care, and other treatment. As a result of the lawsuit, two fraternity members, Timothy Eli Seppi, and James F.
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In 2018, Temple University suspended its ΑΕΠ chapter due to allegations of sexual assault at the fraternity's parties. In 2018, a member of the Phi Tau chapter at Florida State University punched another member during a ritual called "Scumbag of the Week". The victim fell backward and hit his head, causing a traumatic brain injury that forced him to drop out of the university and move out of state for medical care.
In February 2024, the University of Michigan suspended its AEPi chapter following alleged hazing incidents.
These incidents highlight the challenges fraternities face in maintaining a safe and inclusive environment for their members and the broader campus community.
AEPi's Role in Supporting Jewish Identity and Israel Advocacy
In the early 20th century, fraternities across the United States were powerful presences on college campuses and they unabashedly shut their doors to Jewish students. This exclusion, according to Sanua, was accomplished through restrictive clauses in fraternity constitutions and gentlemen’s agreements. The 1980s, however, brought a return to tradition, as well as Greek life’s revival as a vaunted campus symbol. AEPi reaffirmed their commitment to Jewish identity while other historically Jewish fraternities were heading in the opposite direction.
It was after the second intifada that AEPi really began to tackle Israel advocacy from an institutional level.
In September 2021, a report based on a survey conducted by the Cohen Research Group for the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity examined the experiences of Jewish fraternity and sorority members on college campuses. The survey collected responses from 1,027 self-identified Jewish students involved in Greek life at 118 campuses across North America. The survey found that a significant percentage of respondents had experienced antisemitism on campus and felt the need to hide their Jewish identity.
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