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Yale and the Slow Death of Quotas

Gatecrashers Ep. 4: The truth about historical caps on Jewish enrollment in the Ivy League

by
Tablet Studios
September 23, 2022
Original photo: Wikipedia
Original photo: Wikipedia
Original photo: Wikipedia
Original photo: Wikipedia

It’s accepted as gospel—or at least reliable urban legend—that at nearly every Ivy League school in the mid-20th century, there were limits on the number of Jews admitted each year. The Jewish population, it is said, was capped at 10% of the student body. But was that really true?

Yale Daily News, Nov. 1, 1962
Yale Daily News, Nov. 1, 1962

Episode 4 of Gatecrashers investigates the real story of Jewish quotas, examining the practice at Yale University. You’ll hear reflections from Sen. Joe Lieberman (Yale ‘64), Benjamin Zucker (Yale ‘58), and Tim Oppenheimer (Yale ‘67, and father of Gatecrashers host Mark Oppenheimer). You’ll also hear from former Yale admissions director Henry “Sam” Chauncey, who shares what he was told when he started his job in 1957, and Dan Oren, author of Joining the Club: A History of Jews at Yale.

When did Jewish quotas start at Yale, and when—and how—did they finally end? Listen and find out:

Original image: Wikipedia
Gatecrashers
Ep. 4: Yale and the Slow Death of Quotas
The truth about historical caps on Jewish enrollment in the Ivy League
September 23, 2022
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Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the full series at tabletmag.com/gatecrashers. Email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at (917) 310-0456‬.

Tablet Studios is the premier destination for smart and entertaining Jewish audio content. Our podcasts include Unorthodox, What Really Matters, Take One, and the limited-run series Gatecrashers, Adventures with Dead Jews, Radioactive: The Father Coughlin Story, and The Franchise.