home in the American
university. And one of the reasons why the Menorah idea has seized
upon the imagination and caught the heart of the university man is
because it appeals both to his independence of mind and his pride. A
Menorah Society imposes no dogma, no ceremony; the independence of
thought so dear to the bosom of youth is given full scope. A Menorah
Society aims, first of all, to satisfy an aroused intellectual
curiosity with respect to the past and present and possible future of
the Jewish race.

But the real source of Menorah strength lies far deeper. Consciously
or unconsciously, from the very beginning of his affiliation with a
Menorah Society, the Jewish student responds to a call within himself
of _noblesse oblige_. It is pride of race--not vanity or brag, but a
pride conscious of its human obligation--that animates Menorah men and
women throughout the country. Knowledge and service, which may be
regarded as the very cornerstones of Jewish idealism, constitute the
twin motives of the Menorah movement.

The Menorah movement is the answer of the Jewish academic youth to the
challenge of American democracy. American institutions give us the
opportunity to develop all our capacities in freedom. The endeavor of
Menorah men is to preserve and enhance, for America and for mankind,
the best in us that may flourish in freedom, our Jewish heritage and
endowment.

From College and University

_Reports from Menorah Societies_

[_It is not planned to have reports from all the Menorah Societies in
any single issue of the Journal. A complete list of Menorah Societies
may be found on the inside of the front cover._]

=University of California=

THE California Menorah Society has begun its fourth year under most
promising auspices.

The first meeting of the year, on Monday evening, August 31, was the
finest ever held by the Society. It had been announced before the
entire student body at the University meeting in Harmon Gymnasium, and
all interested were invited to attend. Eighty men and women of the
University were present. The theme of the meeting was the Menorah
Idea. Mr. Samuel Spring, Harvard, '09, a former member of the Harvard
Menorah Society, spoke on "The Menorah and the Community from a
Graduate's Standpoint;" Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin of Stockton, now a
graduate student in the University, spoke on "The Menorah and the
Rabbinate," and the chief speech of the evening was delivered by Dean
D.B. Barr