News & Events

Message from the President of the our Alumni Association (November 2024)

On November 7, 2024, we held the Annual Meeting of the Sigma Alpha Rho Alumni Association. Our alumni association continues to play a vital role in fostering the strong bonds we share as brothers. Through various initiatives, we proudly support one another, offering:

• Alumni newsletters and this website
• Alumni reunions
• College scholarships for the children and grandchildren of paid-up members of the Alumni Association

Recently, we celebrated our 107th Anniversary Reunion at the Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill, NJ, on June 30, 2024, where approximately 150 brothers gathered to honor our legacy. Our alumni also regularly meet for lunch three or four times a year in South Florida, and many chapters host their own events throughout the year.

In October 2023, we proudly helped celebrate Epsilon's 100th Anniversary in Mount Laurel, NJ. Both this event and our 107th anniversary reunion were tremendous successes, with everyone enjoying the chance to reconnect and share cherished memories.

Looking ahead, Brothers Ed Waldman (Zeta Iota 1974) and Scott Engel (Tau Xi 1973) have already stepped up to chair our 110th Anniversary Celebration. Stay connected with this website and Facebook for further updates as plans unfold.

By participating in the Alumni Association, you'll stay informed of the latest developments and have a hand in shaping our future. A key focus of the board has been the reactivation of the active fraternity, marked by the induction of the Phi Chapter. We are committed to continuing this essential work, and your involvement is vital to our continued success. Please consider joining the Alumni Association today.

At our annual meeting, we also elected six new board members:

• Matt Bagell, Beta Tau 1996
• David Chanin, Phi 2023
• Scott Engel, Tau Xi 1973
• Gary Katz, Delta Theta 1964
• Jerry Steiner, Epsilon 1967
• Ed Waldman, Zeta Iota 1974

We extend heartfelt thanks to the brothers whose terms on the board have come to a close:

• Jerry Segal, Tau Xi 1962
• Herb Cohen, Xi 1972

Lastly, we mourn the loss of Brother Rick Goldman, Beta Iota 1971. Rick served our fraternity with love and passion, and it was an honor to have him on the alumni board. He will be deeply missed by all of us. May Rick's memory be for a blessing.

Fraternally yours,

Joel H. Hollander, Zeta Theta 1967

Remarks at the 107th Anniversary by Joel H. Hollander, President of the Alumni Association (June 2024)

Good Morning and Welcome. It is very exciting to be here today with you as we not only celebrate 107 years of our great fraternity but we acknowledge our enduring legacy and our close ties with each other.

Our agenda will be limited today because we want everyone to have as much time to rekindle old friendships, and cherish our unbelievable memories.

There are many brothers in this room that I am proud to say that I have been friends and brothers with for over 50 years. And I know some of you here today can make that same claim except you have 60 or more years counted.

We all know the story. In 1917 eleven young men made this all possible for all of us and the thousands of brothers who have traveled the same path.

As we look around the room, we see a tapestry woven with the stories and achievements of our alumni. Our successes stand as a testament to the values instilled in us during our time in Sigma Alpha Rho. The message is the same at every gathering of alumni. Brothers consistently stand up and say they are who they are because of their SAR experiences.

I am honored to serve as the president of our Alumni Association. It has been a wonderful experience working with the 18 other brothers on our alumni board. It is impossible to mention names of brothers who have given so much of their time and energy to SAR and the alumni association because the list is expansive but we must recognize Larry Blumenthal and Josh Malis who have spend countless days, weeks, months and years developing and fostering our new Phi Chapter. Without them, there would not be an active chapter. You will hear more about Phi Chapter in a few moments.

It is our duty to support the brothers of Phi. Let's pledge to remain engaged and to mentor them and ensure that the values we hold so dear continue to thrive.

I encourage you to reach out to any member of our alumni association board and express your desire to become more involved. We need your commitment so we can grow the alumni association.

In the spirit of our tradition of providing college scholarships through the Irv Rathblott Memorial Scholarship Fund for active brothers, for the past seven years your alumni association has been providing scholarships to the children and grandchildren of paid up members of the alumni association. It is truly a wonderful mitzvah for us to help others with this scholarship. But I have to admit, we are running out of dollars to keep the alumni scholarship award on going.

We will continue to produce our alumni newsletter and we would appreciate it if you would help provide us with personal news updates that we can include it in the paper. It is a popular section of the alumni newsletter.

There are so many brothers here today that deserve special recognition, but in order to save time, I am asking the past and present members of our alumni association board to stand up and be recognized.

Please stand.

Brothers as we look around this room, our presence is a testament to the enduring spirit of SAR. In addition to the alumni gatherings we have been having every five years until Covid, the brothers of South Florida have been meeting yearly for the past 25-30 years. If you are in Florida, usually around the first week of March and you are not receiving our notices, please reach out to me so we can add you to the list.

At this time, I would like to invite Henry Doner, Epsilon, to come forward and offer a few words.

Following Henry, Merrick Rosenberg from Beta Iota will share his thoughts on Phi.

Brothers, have a great time today!

Joel H. Hollander, Zeta Theta 1967, PSER

President's Message (2022)

Dear Brothers, 

Every one of us has memorable stories about our days in Sigma Alpha Rho. Some of us traveled across the country attending conclaves and conventions and some of us stayed closer to our chapters and councils. But we all have memories that we love to share and repeat often.

It is truly an honor to serve as the president of our alumni association. I have stories, I have memories, and I have wonderful brothers and friends that are all a result of my days in SAR.

We celebrated our 100th anniversary in 2017 and now 5 years later we are working to reactivate the active fraternity. As I mentioned in my last letter, we have our first group, the Phi Chapter, in Richboro, PA. We are hopeful that this initial chapter will help us expand into additional neighborhoods, cities and states so that other young men will have the opportunity to create their own experiences, and friendships that they will be able to carry with them for a lifetime.

After extensive research, interviews and professional consultants, we have determined that Sigma Alpha Rho still has a purpose for today’s youth and our alumni association is investing a lot of time and money to see Sigma Alpha Rho become active and successful.

Our history is rich, our lives have been fulfilling and we owe so much to our SAR. If you do not already pay alumni dues, I am encouraging you to step up and sign up for a paid membership. Our dues structure is inexpensive and there is no reason why all 4000 brothers on our alumni list do not pay dues. PLEASE JOIN TODAY.

As we begin the New Year, I hope you and your family are safe and well despite the challenges of COVID-19. I look forward to better days when we can resume in person gatherings in Philadelphia Palm Beach, Houston, New Orleans, NYC, Montreal, Toronto, LA and every other city where we have a presence. Let’s increase our alumni activity and support our new chapter(s).

All of my best wishes to you and your families for continued good health and happiness.

Fraternally,

Joel H. Hollander, Zeta Theta 1967, PSER