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The Ancient and Independent Order of the J.M.R.G. owes its existence to the fateful assembly, in the Fall of 1993, of Messrs Safran (né Reed), Goldman, and Strolovitch. Then it was, in a meagre Midwestern college dormitory, that the ancient rites and hoary traditions of the Hebrew Disputation Society, z"l (see Prehistory of the J.M.R.G. for other predecessors), were recovered and transmitted to these reverend Souls. Happily, in January of 1995, Strolovitch, Safran and Goldman found themselves joined by Messrs Schwartz, Graham and Kennemer. Thus began an era rightly celebrated to our own day, whose great intellectual and creative ferment issued forth, inter alia, in the establishment of the J.M.R.G. and in the founding of the Land of Hebrew House, z"l.
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In May of 1995, the bellicose and embattled Land came to a premature demise, inaugurating a long period of dispersal. Estimable Members were scattered to the four corners of the globe: Safran and Kennemer to Israel, Schwartz to New York City, and Strolovitch to the Jewish Mecca of Wales. In these dark days, no convocation of the Ancient and Independent Order was achieved for over a year; nevertheless, clandestine "Meetings of Three" in Boston (Safran, Schwartz, Strolovitch), New York (Goldman, Schwartz, Strolovitch), and Jerusalem (Kennemer, Safran, Schwartz) provided for a degree of spiritual continuity. Despite the founding in 1996 of the Nation of Drejj by the Order's three most veteran members, the Hebrew House diaspora exacted a tragic cost. For in the haze of dislocation, contact with Mr. Graham was gradually severed, and has never yet been restored. (The status of the Drejjian polity's encounter with the elusive Graham remains a matter of historical debate, as by that time Graham may have turned apostate.) Indeed Goldman, Kennemer, Safran, Schwartz, and Strolovitch never again convened, notwithstanding the Carmel Valley / Emek HaCarmel incident of August 2000.
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Over time, the Ancient and Independent Order has established customs and practices that have permitted it to survive and prosper despite the shattering of its territorial center. The J.M.R.G. maintains a quorum of 4 members for all business; at such meetings (or "quora" in the argot of the Estimable Members), decisions of the Ancient and Independent Order may be taken by resolution; electronic and telephonic communication further contribute to the cohesion of the Ancient and Inependent Order (though controversy continues to simmer over the legality of decisions reached via such media, see A Subtle Issue of J.M.R.G. Law); the Ancient and Independent Order's by-laws, though concrete in all particulars and known to all Members, are unwritten (which has been known to give occasion for dispute); and the Estimable Scrivener-Archivist collects all correspondance, resolutions, and other of the Order's cultural artifacts on its World-Wide Web "Site" for perusal by the Group and others.
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Landmark events in the Ancient and Independent Order's history include:
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10/1996: the Montreal quorum, at which the J.M.R.G. laid the foundation for the induction of J. Irving Israel at the Commencement quorum of May 1997 (the only such induction of new membership on record).
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1/2000: the Millennium quorum in Chicago, at which the absent Schwartz narrowly averted censure, and was instead promoted (along with Israel and Kennemer) to the newly-created Joint Chiefs of Staff. Goldman, Safran, and Strolovitch also united at this quorum to form the Privy Council, whose only formal act was to create the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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6/2001: a series of quora in Ann Arbor resulted in plans for an ill-starred diplomatic mission; this would have been the Order's first such since several Members annexed the Pleasant Street parking lot in 1996. Plans for this failed mission mark the beginning of the custom of issuing formal calls to quorum (which, thus far, have met with limited success).
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10/2004: Risorgimento, which dissolved the Joint Chiefs and Privy Council and assigned to each Member a suite of individual offices and portfolios. Also at this so-called High Fiona Eve quorum, the Ancient and Independent Order roundly and unanimously censured J. Irving Israel – whereupon he was promoted to President pro tem – and inaugurated Arieh Leib Leo Africanus as the Ancient and Independent Order's official mascot.
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2/2007: Veltenpupik, the first "quorum of five" since the Ann Arbor quora of 2001, and one that witnessed the launch of J.M.R.G. apparel.
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