THE ALUMNI NEWSLETTER OF THE PHI ALPHA ALPHA CHAPTER OF THE ZETA BETA TAU FRATERNITY
2222 I St. NW | Washington | DC 20052 ♦ www.gwzbt.com ♦ Spring 2010
GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE OUR CHARTER
A Message from Former President
Andrew Klein Brothers, Friends, & Family, It has been nearly a year since our last contact and I
wanted to update you on the progress of ZBT at GW. As I
reflect back on the goals I set out for our new group when I took office one year ago, I am reminded of the incredible progress we have made, and the name we are making for ourselves. I created some lofty goals a year ago, including broadening the recognition of our new group, recruiting a substantial amount of new brothers to continue our legacy, and, of the most challenging, setting ourselves up for continued success with a charter and a
house. I am proud to report to you today that the Phi
Alpha Alpha Colony has become the Phi Alpha Alpha
Chapter, has made a significant impact on the Greek and
greater GW communities, and, for our efforts, has gained
a house in the middle of campus for this coming Fall
semester. Though we faced many challenges over the past two
years, we have reached a significant point in our growth
that will only lead to exponentially greater success in the
future. It’s great that I am able to share these successes
with the 44 other Phi Alpha Alpha brothers that have (continued on page 2)
A Message from
President Michael Siroka Brothers, Friends, and Family,
I could not be more excited to lead the newly named Phi
Alpha Alpha chapter as its next president. This past
semester, the chapter achieved
several extremely impressive goals.
The recognition of the organization
as a chapter through the granting
of our charter is a symbol of the
group’s hard work and
dedication. Only a few
days after learning of our chartering,
ZBT was awarded Greek housing
after a long and anxious wait. These
accomplishments of receiving a
charter and Greek housing have been the two largest
goals the organization has had since its colonization in
2007. It is a true testament to each and every brother’s
devotion to the success of the Phi Alpha Alpha chapter.
As the new president, I take the reigns of an organiza-
tion that has grown exponentially over the past two
years and that is becoming very recognizable on cam-
pus. Our outstanding recruitment efforts in bringing in
18 Delta class members this past fall is shown, at mini-
mum, in that this recruitment class includes four of the
new executive board members. I know that the new (continued on page 2)
The ZBTimes PAGE 2 SPRING 2010
(cont’d from “A Message from the Outgoing President”)
dedicated themselves to this group, however, it is my
hope that with improved communication and interaction,
we can connect the new ZBT history on this campus with
its extensive past dating all the way back to 1914. It has
been some time since ZBT has been a focal point of Foggy
Bottom, but with our continued growth and with some of
your perspective, we are returning this chapter to the
prominence it once had. This is a great new moment in our fraternity’s history,
and I hope you will be able to share it with us. Cordially, Fraternally, & Sincerely, Andrew E. Klein President Emeritus, Founding Father
(cont’d from “A Message from the Incoming President”)
leadership of the fraternity has what it takes to allow the
group to grow even more, but the job will not be easy. Our
work has already begun over winter break, and our first large
task will be recruiting an equally impressive Epsilon class this
spring. Another accomplishment of our brotherhood is in that
for the second consecutive semester, both our brotherhood as a
whole and our new member class achieved the highest semes-
ter GPAs of all fraternities on campus.
It seems as if ZBT has already done so much in only less than
three years at GW. However, the job has just started. ZBT
has equally, if not more, great things to come over the next
year, and I am ready to steer the organization to achieve the
many goals we have set.
Finally, the brotherhood would be thrilled to hear from
friends, family, and alumni. We have a rich history at the
university that we plan on continuing for many years to
come. I am sure that we have extraordinary things ahead.
Cordially, Fraternally, and Sincerely,
Michael Siroka
President
Brothers volunteering to clean up Foggy Bottom - GW’s local DC neighborhood and community
Brothers Josh Brown (l) and Jacob Hamburger (r) receive a rush endorsement for the chapter from CNN’s own Dana Bash, herself reminiscent of ZBT’s parties while a student at GW. Among the approximately 50 attendees at the Politico confer-ence, founder Mike Allen recognized a group of students he called "die-hards" from our chapter, who had attended the two previous discussions as well.
A Message from our Chapter Advisor,
Lazar Berman
Dear Brother,
My name is Lazar Berman, and I serve as the Chapter Advisor for the Phi
Alpha Alpha Chapter at George Washington University. For those of you
whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting, I would like to offer a few
words of introduction. I graduated from Boston University in 2003, and
moved to Israel that summer. I was drafted into the Israel Defense Force in
2004, and served as an infantry officer in Gaza during my three and a half
years of service. I am currently pursuing an M.A. in Security Studies at
Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, and hope to begin
working toward a Ph.D. next fall. In addition to my role as Phi Alpha Alpha
advisor, I have served as ZBT’s National Ritual Chairman, and currently
head the National Heritage Committee.
It is an exciting time be involved with ZBT at George Washington. In a few
short years, the brothers at GW have revived the chapter and achieved
their charter as the newest chapter in ZBT. The brothers continue to im-
press. Last semester, Phi Alpha Alpha attained the highest GPA of any
Greek organization on campus. The brothers lead a variety of campus
groups, including the Reform Jewish organization and the Israel activism
group. The chapter is involved heavily in philanthropy for Jewish causes.
The brothers’ achievements have so impressed the university that the ad-
ministration recently committed to providing the chapter with an on-
campus townhouse, and a floor in a residence hall.
With this whirlwind of success, there is only one thing missing- alumni
brothers. Several alumni have been in touch and have attended functions
with the undergraduate brothers, but we will never be a complete chapter
until our alumni are brought back in. There are many ways to be involved:
attend a chapter meeting, come to our alumni events, participate in rituals.
Your experience and perspective would add significantly to the experience
of our young ZBT men, and we hope to meet you in person.
There has never been a better time to be a ZBT.
CF&S,
Lazar Berman, [email protected]
The ZBTimes PAGE 3 SPRING 2010
Brother Chosen for ZBT Supreme Council
Phi Alpha Alpha’s own Brother Josh Brown, this past se-
mester’s Recruitment Chairman, was chosen as the under-
graduate director for ZBT’s Supreme Council.
The undergraduate director position will provide Brother
Brown with the opportunity to get actively involved in major
decisions of the Fraternity. This is also a terrific opportuni-
ty for him to network with alumni from across the country.
Brothers Nathan Hennagin (third from left), Geoffrey Middleberg and Joshua Brown accept the award for “Outstanding Convention Delegates” along with Chapter advisor, Lazar Berman (far right) at the 2009 ZBT National Convention and Leadership School in Cleveland, Ohio.
Introducing our new Executive Board
Committee Chairmen
Service & Philanthropy Chairman . . . . . . .. . . .Doug Arbetter Parents and Alumni Chairman. . . . . . . . . . . . . Rory Silver Social Chairman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evan Koslof Athletics Chairman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alex Goldstick Heritage & Ritual Chairman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Gil Rein Risk Management Chairman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Kaplan Fundraising Chairman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nate Hennagin
President
Michael Siroka, Gamma Class
Hometown: New York, NY
Major: Accounting
Graduation Year: 2011
NFL Team: New York Giants
Internal Vice President
Geoff Middleberg, Gamma Class
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Major: Philosophy
Graduation Year: 2012
NFL Team: Philadelphia Eagles
External Vice President
Dan Katz, Delta Class
Hometown: Avon, CT
Major: Political Science
Graduation Year: 2012
NFL Team: New England Patriots
Brotherhood Development Director
Lee Feldman, Gamma Class
Hometown: Birmingham, AL
Major: History
Graduation Year: 2012
NFL Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Treasurer
Jon Friedman, Delta Class
Hometown: New York, NY
Major: Biology
Graduation Year: 2013
NFL Team: Dallas Cowboys
Secretary
Dan Gil, Delta Class
Hometown: Indian Shores, FL
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Graduation Year: 2013
NFL Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Recruitment Chairman
Steve Britton, Delta Class
Hometown: Marlboro, NJ
Major: International Affairs
Graduation Year: 2013
NFL Team: New York Giants
ZBT Gets a New Home on Campus
Our chapter received great news in early December, when,
after submitting an impressive housing application and anx-
iously waiting the next weeks for an Inter-Fraternity Coun-
cil decision, ZBT was offered a townhouse at 605 21st Street
in addition to a 16-resident floor in the International House
at 2201 Virginia Avenue.
Obtaining a house on campus has been one of our chapter’s
greatest aspirations, and is a true validation of all the hard
work our brothers have put into the fraternity, particularly
the founding fathers who dreamed of the day when their
new fledgling colony would have a house to call home.
May the start of the 2010 school year be the start of new
experiences and lifelong memories in our chapter’s home for
years to come.
The ZBTimes PAGE 4 SPRING 2010
Old ZBT House To See Major Area
Changes The block of the old ZBT House (also pictured on the left on
page 2) located between 20th and 21st streets and F and G
streets —also know as “Square 103” — will be undergoing
major changes as part of the university’s plans for a new $31
million law school building and garage on the Foggy Bottom
campus.
While the house itself, now owned by the GW Law School, is
not expected to see any changes, the sorority house on that
same block is due to be demolished to make way for the new
complex.
Study Hard, Party Hard For the second straight semester, the ZBT’s Phi Alpha
Alpha chapter has the highest GPA among all GW fra-
ternities. In addition, the Delta class had the highest GPA
of any incoming fraternity member class. This is the second
consecutive semester in which our chapter has achieved
both of these two impressive goals. Among all of Greek life
at GW, ZBT was ranked 3rd behind two sororities. It is a
rare feat that any fraternity be ranked this high among all
of Greek life at the university, as most sororities typically
have higher GPAs than the highest fraternity on cam-
pus. Having the best GPA on campus among all fraternities
is a special feat to achieve once, let alone twice, and repre-
sents our chapter’s commitment to “the development of the
individual as a responsible, mature member of society”.
ZBT Phi Alpha Alpha Chapter Gives Back to the Community
This academic year thus far has been an unprecedented year in terms of the philanthropy efforts that the ZBT Phi Alpha Alpha Chapter has undertaken. Whether it’s raising money to build a bomb-proof recreational facility in Israel, giving a local high school a much-needed facelift, or carrying out our signature Get on the Ball philanthropy event, the Phi Alpha Alpha chapter has made a concerted effort in giving back to the Jewish and local Washington-area community.
The Phi Alpha Alpha chapter of ZBT was recently featured in JNF’s online newsletter, documenting our participation in the Jewish National Fund’s Green Sunday phone-a-thon on Sunday, November 22 (picture on the right). The brothers called over 2,000 past JNF donors and raised $7,800 for the Sderot Indoor Recreation Center, a bomb-proof center for Children to play in. The town is dangerously located within firing range of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. Baruch Fellner, Regional President for JNF Washington, DC Regional described the brothers of our chapter as an “inspiration, and truly our future leaders.” The brothers have since volunteered for JNF on two more occasions.
On GW’s Martin Luther King Day of Service, the brothers were represented heavily
among the more than 550 members of the GW community who teamed up to improve the
Theodore Roosevelt High School in Northwest D.C. — and logged approximately 1,500
service hours — in honor of the national Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Janu-
ary 18. The brothers painted hallways, cleaned stairwells and beautified the outside of
the school as part of an effort to rehabilitate the school and enhance student learning.
Brothers Andrew Klein and Geoff Middleburg (picture on the left) were featured in GW’s
weekly newsletter, GW Today, documenting this phenomenal and worthwhile event.
Get on the Ball is a fundraiser where members of the ZBT Fraternity roll a 72” colorful ball
around campus and the nearby area seeking signatures from students, faculty, and anyone
willing to sign their name. Local businesses sponsor this effort by pledging a specific
amount for each signature. For example, if a business pledges $.10 for each signature and
the Fraternity gets 1000 people to sign the ball, the business donates $100.00. The money
goes towards the Children’s Miracle Network, a network of local children's hospitals. As the
men of ZBT roll the ball around campus, we raise money and awareness for the foundation
as well as support local businesses. We simply want to help others and create awareness
for the needs that surround us in our community upholding our tradition and committing
ourselves to the values of Charity, Service, and Brotherly Love. This semester’s Get on the
Ball will be held in April, and as always, will showcase our commitment to philanthropy to
the Greek and GW community as a whole.
This Semester in Sports In a semester full of highs for ZBT this semester, athletics were no different. The first win
in the history of the Phi Alpha Alpha chapter was recorded on November 2. With the Delta
Class also came an even bigger athletics achievement in ZBT's first intramural playoff
berth in the form of 3 on 3 basketball. Led by freshman Neil "Swiss Chocolate" Bhargava,
ZBT finished the season as the league's sixth seed before bowing out of the playoffs in the
quarterfinals. Next semester aims to be a promising one in athletics as well as the brothers
will get ready to suit up for indoor hockey, 5 on 5 basketball, and softball among others.
The ZBTimes PAGE 5 SPRING 2010
Decades of Zeta Beta Tau at the George Washington University: the 1980s
Gregory Marshall Chait, ’82
“Alpha Chapter reopened after a long hiatus in 1978. A group of fellows led by Joe Doyle, Mitch Bauman, Rob Goldstein, David Byer, Ken Boxer, Jim Seligman, Jeff Nash, and Dave Matsil leased the townhouse from the University for the princely sum of $1100 per month and spent the summer hauling garbage out of it and pain...ting it. Apparently it had first served as a hippie cash pad and then was abandoned before Alpha Chapter reopened. The first pledge class was comprised solely of Barry Kalinsky. I was among the second pledge class, all of whom were friends from the second floor of Thurston Hall during the prior year. Our pledge class was comprised of Michael Trencher, Craig Bacon, Jay Leonard, and perhaps one or two others. The fraternity was so small at that point that we took in boarders.”
“Sgt.” Stuart “Sammy” Kohn ’86
Infantry
"[Verse 1] They pick you up in choppers and they take you down to fight, and you know you'll be fighting all night [Chorus] Infantry, the mighty infantry, we fight in the trenches we're the first line defenses, infantry, the mighty infantry [Verse 2] You're walking through the ...jungle, you're ready for a fight, you know that you have to do or die [Chorus] [Verse 3] Got one more day of combat, you think you've got it made, then the man next to you yells, "Grenade!"
Gregory Marshall Chait, ’82 “I remember the house was a peeling white and rust. I also remem-bered the bargain basement colors you guys painted the inside - you went to the paint store and bought all of their remnants, and it showed. Powder blue walls with shocking blue trim. Oy. Mike Trencher had the house sandblasted during the summer of 1979?) summer for a few hundred dollars by a group of illegal al-iens. Completely illegal job - no permits, no landlord permission, no tents, no nothing - they just loaded up the blaster and let er rip. G Street was littered with sand for years after that. They also didn't repoint the bricks which was a structural issue, so Trencher conned the University into doing it in the fall… You may recall the founders receiving the first inspector from the national office who dared venture to the house. National had not been of any financial assistance when the founders were reestab-lishing the fraternity and there was a high level of animosity to-wards the notion of being inspected by folks who had been most unhelpful when needed. We had a party that Friday night, to which the inspector wore a snazzy three piece suit comprised solely of man made fibers. The sheen off of that garment was impressive. A few of the founders insured the national inspector too rapidly pounded a repugnantly excessive amount of adult beverage. They then took him outside to sober up, and dumped in a snow drift miles away. We never saw anyone from national again.“
Michael Berson, ’86
"Jack Lepper has done a lot for each of us sitting in this room, and
he'll be the first to admit it."————————-
Craig “Speedy” Stein (l) with Bo Rothman (R)
Partial Class of
‘86 Pyramid
We Remember… Brother Craig “Speedy” Stein, „80
Brother Mitch Bauman Friend of the Fraternity, Jim Waters
After a fierce game of
paintball
Name Year Class Major(s) Where we're from
Abrams, Josh 2010 Founder International Affairs Dallas, Texas
Arbetter, Doug 2013 Delta International Affairs Worcester, Massachusetts
Bhargava, Neil 2013 Delta Undeclared Basil, Switzerland
Bianchi, Ben 2013 Epsilon Undeclared Dresher, Pennsylvania
Bianchi, Phil 2010 Founder Political Science Dresher, Pennsylvania
Bojedla, Kiran 2010 Founder History + Biology Buffalo, New York
Braslavsky, Tom 2012 Gamma International Affairs Overland Park, Kansas
Britton, Steve 2013 Delta International Affairs Marlboro, New Jersey
Brown, Josh 2012 Beta Political Science Chicago, Illinois
Burkert, Matt 2013 Delta Civil Engineering Ohio
Curtiss-Lusher, Joey 2010 Founder Marketing Denver, Colorado
Feiger, Dan 2013 Delta Undeclared Wilmette, Illinois
Feldman, Lee 2012 Gamma History Birmingham, Alabama
Friedman, Aaron 2011 Beta Criminal Justice Englewood, New Jersey
Friedman, Jon 2013 Delta Biology New York, New York
Gil, Dan 2013 Delta Biomedical Engineering St. Petersburg, Florida
Gitomer, Matt 2013 Delta Biology Collingswood, New Jersey
Goldfine, Ryan 2010 Founder Biology Sandy Springs, Georgia
Goldstick, Alex 2010 Founder Marketing + Sports Management White Plains, New York
Hamburger, Jacob 2010 Founder Political Science Brentwood, Tennessee
Hennagin, Nate 2010 Founder Political Science Yorba Linda, California
Honor, Evan 2013 Delta Poltical Science Boca Raton, Florida
Iloulian, Jeremy 2013 Delta Int. Affairs + Envirnmntal Studies Highland Park, Illinois
Kaplan, Jason 2012 Delta Undeclared New City, New York
Kattan, Dan 2013 Delta Computer Engineering San Jose, California
Katz, Dan 2012 Delta Political Science Avon, Connecticut
Klein, Andrew 2010 Founder Economics Westport, Connecticut
Klein, Joshua 2013 Delta International Affairs Davie, Florida
Koslof, Evan 2013 Delta Political Science + History Brookline, Massachusetts
Levy, Jeff 2013 Epsilon Computer Science Norwood, New Jersey
Mark, Justin 2013 Epsilon Undeclared Broomall, Pennsylvania
Middleberg, Geoff 2012 Gamma Philosophy Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nacheman, Izack 2013 Delta Fine Arts, Psychology Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Porter, Nathaniel 2013 Delta Criminal Justice Northbrook, Illinois
Reif, Jake 2010 Founder Political Science Roswell, Georgia
Rein, Gil 2010 Founder Political Science Marlboro, New Jersey
Rosen, Alex 2011 Alpha Int'l Affairs + Int'l Economics New Jersey
Silver, Rory 2012 Gamma Int. Affairs + Mid-East Studies Queens, New York
Siroka, Mike 2011 Gamma Accounting New York, New York
Yamet, Alex 2010 Alpha Political Science Croton-on-Hudson, New York
Zhitnik, Roman 2013 Epsilon Philosophy, History Brooklyn, New York
Zinman, Eli 2013 Delta Political Science + Economics Santa Cruz, California
The 2009-2010 Brothers of the Phi Alpha Alpha Chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity
The ZBTimes PAGE 6 SPRING 2010
On behalf of the brothers of the Phi Alpha Alpha Chapter, we hope that this news-letter finds you and your family well. Feel free to provide us with feedback on what you would like to see in the next issue of the newsletter, and how we can improve upon it.
If you would like to see yourself or your chapter/brothers documented in our newsletter, please don’t hesitate to send us an email or mail us a
letter at the addresses mentioned on the first page. Our goal is to reconnect alumni and establish new bonds between our brothers and alumni from years past. If you like what you see, please let us know.