Telling the Brandeis Story
Having defined itself by its academic rigor, Jewish roots, and commitment to repairing the world since its founding 75 years ago, Brandeis has launched a national campaign to call attention to all that has made it a unique institution since its inception.
There is no other place like Brandeis. As a private research university with global reach, we are dedicated to first-rate undergraduate education while making groundbreaking discoveries. Our 235-acre campus is located in the suburbs of Boston, a global hub for higher education and innovation.
Brandeis at 75: A Daring University That Is Still Making History
Watch the video: Celebrate Brandeis' past, present, and future.
Why is this university different from all other universities?
On the first night of Passover, the youngest child at the table asks all those gathered for the seder, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” And on this, the eve of the 75th anniversary of the founding of Brandeis University, prospective students and prospective donors might ask, “Why is this university different from all other universities?”
For an answer, one must go back to 1948.
University quotas were a polite way of telling Jews where they could go.
For the first half of the 20th century, American universities were rife with antisemitism. Jews who wished to attend were met with closed doors rather than open arms.
To say they were unwelcome is an understatement.
In a perfect world, there wouldn’t have been a need for Brandeis.
Alas, the world was not perfect in 1948 when Brandeis was founded. During the first half of the twentieth century, hate was a harsh reality. During the two world wars, more than a million Black Americans fought for democracy overseas, yet they were denied its benefits at home.
Then there was the matter of antisemitism.
Unfortunately, the end of World War II in Europe wasn't the end of antisemitism in America.
The Allies’ victory over Nazi Germany was cause for celebration. But for Jews in America, the victory was bittersweet. Six million fellow Jews had been slaughtered. And the end of the war did not mean the end of antisemitism at home. American universities greeted Jewish applicants with closed doors rather than open arms.
According to past Harvard President A. Lawrence Lowell, “Where Jews become numerous, they drive off other people.”
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