Jewish country club

Jewish country clubs are country clubs whose members are predominantly Jewish, having been excluded from other elite social clubs during periods of rising anti-Semitism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a result, many major cities across the United States have at least one Jewish country club and, in cities with larger Jewish populations, often more than one, founded by wealthy Jews in that era.

Although Jews, along with other ethnic and religious minorities, continue to be excluded from some country clubs, informal policies excluding Jews began to wane starting in the 1960s. By the 1990s, and in the wake of the 1990 PGA Championship, even more clubs opened up their membership to Jews, African Americans, and others. With more options for wealthy Jews, many Jewish country clubs saw declining membership and failed; others lost their Jewish character and developed a more diverse membership base. Nevertheless, many Jewish country clubs retain their identity and still exist in major cities across the U.S; however, in the Philadelphia area, for example, all but one of the existing clubs no longer affiliate with the Jewish Federation, once seen as an important piece of their Jewish identity by raising funds for charity.


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