"By and large, we socialized well," Krumbeinsays. "However, there were still the clubs."

But the clubs' attitudes were an exception at agenerally open-minded college, Jewish alumni say.

J. Robert Moskin '44-'45 says that, outside theclubs, being Jewish was not an issue at Harvard.

"The thing about Harvard most of all was thatit was so open and accepting, in terms of theUniversity itself and in terms of the classmates,"says Moskin, who retains an "assortment" of Jewishand non-Jewish friends from his Harvard years.

The campus' myriad other organizations, whichcentered around social and intellectual activityrather than income and class, provided equalaccess to all students, alumni say.

Thomas S. Kuhn '44-'43, later a founder of theHistory of Science Department, says he wasparticularly pleased as an undergraduate by thisarray of welcoming organizations.

But some Jewish students were curious to learnmore about their heritage, their religion andtheir culture.

"When I was here, there was a mythology of theHarvard man," Frost says. "There was not all thismulticulturalism to provide a feeling of homewithin the school."

Especially in the wake of World War II, whenthe College's student body was becoming larger andmore national, some Jewish students needed a senseof community and a place for services.

"Harvard was more of a local college at thetime," Frost says. Many students went to religiousservices at their family places of worship nearcampus, and many faculty lived and worshipped inBrookline, according to Frost.

"But when Harvard became a national universitythe structure broke down--there were a lot of bigchanges," Frost recalls.

Students were especially interested in meetingother Jewish undergraduates to find some commonground.

If the purpose of Hillel was to enhancerelations between Jewish students at then-separateHarvard and Radcliffe Colleges, it started workingright away. Feldstein met Janice R. Joseph '47,his future wife, when she snubbed him at a Hillelevent.

"I called her to ask her if she could help withthe Oneg Shabbat," Feldstein recalls. Josephsonsaid she was busy, but then showed up at the eventwith an MIT man in tow.

Josephson and Feldstein found themselvestogether again in an American history course.Feldstein swears Josephson came and sat next tohim, but Josephson says he moved to sit next toher. Regardless, their initial Hillel contact ledto a long marriage.