|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
AZA HISTORY
The organization that was to become the Aleph Zadik Aleph was brought together early in 1923. A group of Jewish boys in Omaha, Nebraska, organized a fraternity and named it "Aleph Zadik Aleph," using the Hebrew letters as a protest against Greek societies, many of which were exclusive of Jews. The group elected Abe Baboir as their first president and chose a local chemist, Nathan Mnookin, as their advisor. At this point in time AZA was mainly a social group and it existed in this fashion until a few months later when Mnookin suddenly moved to Kansas City where he founded a similar group. The boys were without an advisor until they approached Sam Beber with a proposal.
Beber accepted the post under one condition. He told the young men that it was his vision to create an organization of Jewish fraternities that would stretch beyond even the United States to encompass the entire world. Beber said that this Omaha Jewish fraternity might well be the starting point of such an organization.
It was with this intent that Beber called a meeting on May 3, 1924. On this day the International Order of the Aleph Zadik Aleph came into existence. The original constitution and by-laws were drawn up, and a Supreme Advisory Council was established as the policy making body of the new group. Sam Beber was to be the Grand President of the Council and Nathan Mnookin was the Grand First Vice President. This council was to be the guiding force over the next year. As tribute to these men's genius, the organization began to grow immediately. At the first national convention.held in Omaha on July 4-6, 1924, there were ninety-four members -- two-thirds of the membership -- representing four chapters. The brotherhood and fraternity exhibited at this convention was to become the single greatest driving force in the success of AZA.
Grand Ofticers were elected for the first time. Charles Shane of Des Moines and William Horowitz of Kansas City were deadlocked for Grand Aleph Godol. The impasse was broken when it was discovered that Shane was 20 while Horowitz was only 17. Thus, Shane became the first Grand Aleph Godol and Horwitz the first Grand Aleph S'gan.
By April 1925, there were seven groups, all within a radius of 100 miles of Omaha. At this time Sam Beber went to the national convention of B'nai B'rith to seek sponsorship of that great organization for the Aleph Zadik Aleph. It was not until a stirring speech by Henry Monsky (who later became president of B'nai B'rith) that the report was adopted over vigorous opposition, and AZA became a part of B'nai B'rith.
It is interesting to note that B'nai B'rith had no self-serving motive in adopting AZA.
Membership, from the very beginning, was open to any Jewish boy whether or not his parents were affiliated with B'nai B'rith. It was natural, however, that a close relationship resulted in many members of AZA becoming leaders in B'nai B'rith.
STRUCTURE OF THE ALEPH ZADIK ALEPH
Every Aleph upon joining AZA is immediately bombarded with numerous terms and names. It is confusing at first, but eventually you will feel right at home with the "language." To understand more truly what these terms mean, it is necessary to come to an understanding of the structure of the Aleph Zadik Aleph.
AZA BEGINS WITH MEMBERS
It is every member's right and responsibility to suggest and plan
activities. AZA does so many wonderful and exciting things
because our members use their own skill and creativity to make
the most of a program. If you have an idea or something you would
like to do on any level, suggest it at your next meeting. The
best way to enjoy AZA is to get involved in AZA.
There are few critereon for membership. As stated in The Traditions of the Aleph Zadik Aleph, one must be "the son of a Jew, of good moral character, and to be filled with the desire to be hepful." More specifically, for membership into Dr. Israel Brown AZA, one would need to live in the Tidewater, VA, area.
LEVELS OF AZA
Because of the size of AZA, it is necessary to break the
organization down into groups. There are thousands of Alephs
worldwide -- to join them together as a cohesive force the
following structure was developed.
STRUCTURE OF AZA
The Chapter. The smallest, most specialized group, is the
chapter. Every member of AZA belongs to a chapter and every
chapter is like a large family. The chapter is the most important
facet of AZA. The chapter level is the most direct and focused.
It is here that you will make your closest friends. It is in your
chapter that you will plan programs and learn the meaning of what
it is to be a Brother Aleph. This chapter, Dr. Israel Brown (DIB)
AZA is named in honor of the respecatble Dr. Israel Brown, a
Jewish advocate in the Tidewater area. DIB has the honor of
holding the chapter number 256. This low number signifies a
history and antiquity for the chapter.
Councils: Several chapters that are in the same area make up the next level of AZA, the council. DIB AZA is part of the Virginia Council (VAZA). The Virginia Council consists of chapters from the Tidewater area, Richmond, and many surrounding cities.
Regions: The region is the next level of AZA. The purpose of the regional level is two-fold. Regions serve to bring chapters together so that they can exchange ideas, socialize, compete, and work together on projects that require many people. The second purpose of the regional level is to service the chapters and help them in any way possible. VAZA is part of the Eastern Region which includes the North Carolina Council.
International: The entire AZA makes up the international level. The major purpose of this level is much like that of the regions, but on a larger scale. It serves to bring every Aleph from every chapter and from every region together under one banner. The Aleph Zadik Aleph is a large and proud organization. Every Aleph is part of the International Order of the Aleph Zadik Aleph; it is the proud banner behind which we all stand united.
SELF-ADMINISTRATION
AZA is a youth-led fraternity. Each chapter, council, region,
district, and even the International Order elects several
officers to help direct their own special part of AZA. Some
officers serve 6-month terms while others serve for one full year.
DIB currently operates on one year terms for the Godol and S'gan wit all other offices on six-month terms.
Below are the officerships of DIB:
ALEPH GODOL, president
ALEPH S'GAN, vice-president
ALEPH MOREH, 2nd v.p. in charge of conducting your Aleph-in-Training class and membership
ALEPH MAZKIR, secretary
ALEPH GIZBOR, treasurer
ALEPH SHALIACH, ACT Network, TASC, Israel, Social action
ALEPH ME'AMEN, brotherhood chair
ALEPH SOPHER, newspaper man, reporter, publicity
ALEPH SHOTARE GODOL, sergeant-at-arms (appointed)
ALEPH SHOTARE KOTONE, assistant sergeant-at-arms.
ALEPH KOHEN GODOL, chaplain; usually the Past Godol.
One more thing that is important to know is that each office has a more specific name according to the capacity in which the officer serves. For example, the president of the chapter is called the Chapter Aleph Godol while the international president of AZA is called the Grand Aleph Godol. The vice president of the chapter is the Chapter Aleph S'gan; the secretary of the region is the Regional Aleph Mazkir, and so on.
THE BBYO STAFF
In AZA there are people who are there to help you make decisions,
guide you to available resources in the community, and help you
with any other problems you may have. Some staff members are paid
professionals while others are volunteers. They are all qualified
and they all care about the program.
This information can be found
in entirety in the Blue Book or
online by clicking this link.