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French Jewish students get boost of Jewish life in Oxford with Chabad on Campus UK after Toulouse attacks

Fri, 11 May 2012 6:55:00 AM

Chabad on Campus UK hosted recently a Shabbaton in Oxford for a group of thirty French Jewish students visiting from top engineering schools in Paris, including Ecole Central, Pharmacy Chatenay Malabry, H E C and Polytheqnic, coming less than two months after the brutal killings that shook the Jewish community in Tolouse and worldwide.

The Shabbaton was organized by Central School of Sceaux and Rabbi Levi Mimoun, Director of Chabad on Campus in Sceaux, for French Jewish students to meet Jewish students in the UK and become more inspired to get involved in Jewish student life in France when they return, despite the challenges ahead.

Guest speaker was Professor of Jewish studies at the Sorbonne, Professor Bernard Paperon, who addressed the students on numerous subjects of interest, including Psychoanalyses and Kabbalah, Jewish philosophy and Emanuel Levinas and Chasidic philosophy.

Rabbi Eli Brackman, Chairman of Chabad on Campus UK and Director of Oxford University Chabad Society commented that “hosting French Jewish students in Oxford was a great display of Jewish unity and an enriching experience for the Oxford students as well; we look forward to welcoming Jewish students from other European universities for similar trips in the future to help strengthen Jewish student life in Europe”.

The programme included a walking tour of medieval Jewish Oxford, in addition to spirited Shabbat dinners, stimulating sessions and talks on a variety of interesting contemporary topics, student led discussions about Jewish student life in Europe, and concluded with sight seeing in Central London on Sunday before returning to France.

This EU-UK Shabbaton followed two successful Shabbatons earlier this academic year hosted by Chabad on Campus with about 60 students attending the annual Chabad on Campus UK Shabbaton in Goytre Valley, South Wales, and a sizable student participation representing the UK at the International Chabad on Campus Shabbaton in NY in November for over 700 Jewish students from across North America and Europe.

The Shabbaton was kindly sponsored by Chabad on Campus Europe and Chabad on Campus International Foundation.

For more information about Chabad on campus Europe, visit www.chabadoncampus.eu and for Chabad on Campus UK, visit ww.chabadoncampus.org.uk.

Over 1,700 celebrate Passover with Chabad on Campus UK

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:15:00 AM

Over 1700 students celebrated Passover with Chabad on Campus at 16 campuses across the UK.

The Campus Chabad Houses, directed by full time Rabbi and family teams, were kept very busy throughout the holiday period with programmes ranging from packed Pasover Seder nights, pre Passover classes on the meaning of the Hagaddah, to students joining the Rabbi and family for Kosher for Passover weekday meals throughout the week of Passover.

“Our efforts are focused on generously providing for Jewish student life throughout the whole year” said Rabbi Eli Brackman, Chairman of Chabad on Campus UK

In South London, 60 students received a pre Passover gift of handmade Matzah from Rabbi Dovid and Sora Cohen; while 20 students joined Rabbi Mendy and Brachah Lent for a midweek Pesach BBQ in Nottingham, with over 80 participating over the last days of the festival. In Liverpool a Jewish Iranian student experienced a Seder for the first time in his life.

A Jewish member of staff at the University of Southampton had not had plans for the Seder. After talking with Chabad at SE Coast Universities’ Rabbi Zalman Lewis, she ended up hosting a couple of students at her home together with her husband and daughter for a most enjoyable Seder evening.

The Sedarim themselves saw record numbers, highlighting the vital need for the Chabad Houses to be open onsite all year round. The Bloomsbury Chabad Seder needed to be split in two, had the Mah Nishtana in 9 languages and saw a total of 270 people for Seder nights and nearly 200 for final days of Passover celebrations; while Edinburgh celebrated with 100; Cambridge celebrated with 50 for the Seder and 45 for day services; Oxford Chabad was joined by 100 for the Seder and 100 for day meals; while South Kensington’s Campus saw 150.

“It was a really meaningful and engaging Seder” said Zoe Remmelkemp, an international student who attended the Chabad of South Kensington Seder “Rabbi Mendy Loewenthal gave his interpretations with a sense of humour, and this caused the Seder to go by very quickly”.

Chabad on Campus expresses great appreciation to the students who volunteered to help prepare for the Passover celebrations, as well as the parents and alumni for the financial support and partnership.

For more information on Chaabd on Campus UK please visit www.chabadoncampus.org.uk

Commemoration Shabbat dinner in memory of the Toulouse Jewish victims OBM

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 3:30:00 PM

Commemoration Shabbat dinner in memory of the Toulouse Jewish victims OBM

By French Jewish student, Joachim Behar, Balliol College, Oxford

As a French Jewish student living in Oxford, I have been asked to say a few words about the recent tragic events that occurred in France as a way of commemorating the Jewish victims of last week’s terrorist attack in Toulouse. Last Monday, a professor of Jewish studies - a rabbi - and three children were killed in the morning in front of a Jewish high school in Toulouse. A young man aged 17 was also seriously injured and his condition is critical. This attack followed a similar attack directed towards three soldiers in Toulouse and Montauban, who were also killed a few days earlier.

As is well known, the Jewish world is very small indeed. In fact, I have a cousin who goes to this very school in Toulouse and my uncle, her father, was in the school when it happened and is in shock, as may be expected. So here are a few personal words about the tragic incident and its affect on the Jewish community living in Toulouse.

My uncle, Jean Louis, cancelled two days of work to help care for the families who have been affected by the killing and are now in mourning. Together with my aunt, they offered accommodation to three out-of-town students, from amongst forty, 16 and 17 year olds, who were evacuated from the school for their protection following the attacks. One of these was a student who tried to rescue the daughter of the headmaster, after the terrorist shot her at point-blank range while filming, by attempting mouth to mouth resuscitation to no avail. The student is obviously in great shock.

As mentioned, in addition to those killed, another 17 year old student is still in hospital and is a friend of Deborah, my cousin. His name is unknown due to security. My aunt has tried to visit him for the last two days, but the hospital is crowded with police. President Sarkozy has visited him twice.

Amongst those killed in the Toulouse Jewish high school killing were Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, his two children, Gabriel 3, and Aryeh 6, and daughter of the head master, Miryam Monsonego 8, of blessed memory.

The wife of the Rabbi who died with his two children made a short speech to notify the pupils and parents at the school that she could no longer provide Jewish study instructions after these events and then fainted, as she still has a baby of 18 months to care for alone. She related that her husband also went to this school in Toulouse when he was younger; he later immigrated to Israel, and then they returned in September 2011 for 2 years to teach Jewish studies in the school, only to be shot in a tragic act of terrorism.

I hope their commemoration will help ensure that actions will be taken to prevent such atrocities from occurring again in the future against Jews in France or anywhere else in the world.

I would like to share a few thoughts and personal experiences about Jewish life in France. There are about 500.000 Jews in France - the third largest Jewish community after Israel and the US.

Strikingly, this event happened just a month after the government report "le service de protection de la communaute Juive" was released attesting to a decrease of 16.5% of acts of anti-Semitism in France in 2011 compared to 2010, though these figures only refer to those reported to the police. Some have suggested that the decrease might be deceptive as it could be seen as synonymous with trivialization.

It is important to recall in this context the tragic 'Affaire Halimi' in 2006. Ilane Halimi, a young Jewish boy, was kidnapped in the Paris area and tortured in January 2006 by a group of twenty people calling themselves the "gang of barbarians" led by Youssouf Fofana. Their choice was Ilan Halimi because of his affiliation with the Jewish community, who they believed were rich and would pay a ransom for his release.

The Toulouse incident has also political ramifications, as it comes at a time when France is just a month before the presidential election. In particular, Marine le Pen, a candidate of the 'National Front' was heard saying on French radio after the killing: "we should have been watching out for this green fascism that is developing in our country... since ten years there is an increase of Islamism in our country.. there are district controlled by extremist... it is time to put an end to that". Many believe she might be correct and it is likely to be represented in the results of the upcoming elections.

On a personal level, I have my own personal experiences with anti-Semitism in France. I have been insulted because I am Jewish, and once rocks, albeit small ones, just to frighten us, were thrown at my father and me. I have heard similar stories from other people in the community in my home city of Grenoble, and I believe many Jews in France have experienced minor acts of anti-Semitism.

Can one predict the future of the French Jewish community? Well, it would be sensible to say that this will encourage a desire to immigrate to Israel, though recent history has proven that despite incidents such as these, no major change can be anticipated. In fact, the numbers immigrating to Israel from France have actually decreased over the past few years, even after 'l'affaire Halimi'. It remains to be seen what will happen in the future with French Jewry after these tragic events in Toulouse.

In conclusion, as a French Jewish student studying in Oxford, it is not with pride that I am talking tonight about my home country but with a certain disappointment that these types of things are happening in France today. On a positive note, however, there have been a number of actions taken by national and local Jewish bodies to make sure that measures are taken to better protect the French Jewish community, and all the political parties seem to have demonstrated their strong support for the well being and security of the French Jewish community.

Daniel Cohn Bendit speaks at Oxford Chabad Society

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 5:26:00 PM

Oxford Chabad Society had the honour of hosting during February Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a Franco-German Jewish politician, famous for being a student leader during the unrest of May 1968 in France. During that time he was known as Dany le Rouge (French for "Danny the Red", because of both his politics and the color of his hair). He is currently co-president of the group European Greens–European Free Alliance in the European Parliament, becoming "Dany le Vert" (French for "Danny the Green", because of his new fight for ecology), and co-chair of the Spinelli Group, a European parliament intergroup aiming at relaunching the federalist project in Europe. In 2010, he was involved in founding JCall, a European advocacy group to lobby the EU Parliament on foreign policy issues concerning the Middle East.

Mr. Cohn-Bendit gave a fascinating talk entitled "EU and Israel Relations." Mr. Cohn-Bendit argued that EU policy toward Israel cannot be divorced from its views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that in his view solving this conflict is the best way to secure a stronger relationship between the EU and Israel. Mr. Cohn-Bendit referenced a number of cases in which societies with historical tensions solved seemingly intractable conflicts, including the Franco-German project that laid the groundwork for the European Union four decades later, and the Dayton Accords that ended the war in the Former Yugoslavia. He spoke on his travels and efforts in a variety of contexts, including meeting with Israeli settlers in Hebron, European parliamentarians in Brussels, and various stakeholder communities in Europe.

Mr. Cohn-Bendit, an accomplished debater, then responded to an extensive round of questions with enthusiasm, covering his past as a student leader, his involvement in Israeli activities since the late 1960s, the nature of European peace agreements, and other topics. He advocated for structural incentives to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, arguing that upon the achievement of peace, Israelis and Palestinians should be offered accession to the European Union as a reward.

Chabad on Campus UK Hosts Exhilarating Shabbaton in Welsh Countryside

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 9:25:00 AM

Chabad on Campus UK hosted an exhilarating Shabbaton with students from over 10 university campuses across the UK in a suitably idyllic location in South Wales, in West Glamorgan, Goytre Valley.

Surrounded by water falls and hills, students indulged in the beauty of the Welsh countryside while enjoying the richness of Jewish life and study.

They had the opportunity to attend sessions on a variety of topics of contemporary Jewish interest, as genetic engineering, the environment, Judaism and psychology, in addition to spirited and lively Shabbos dinners, with discussions that went on until the early hours of the morning.

Scholar in residence for the weekend and guest speaker was Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe, director of the Institute for Talmudic Law in NY and scholar in residence at Chabad at Harvard University, in addition to renowned psychologist Professor Kate Loewenthal.

A highlight was a Jewish hip hop concert on Motzoei shabbos with London based performer and "Jewish Star" alum Menachem Weinstein who sang with a student band led by Nottingham students Nathan Finkel and Joel Hamilton, and Rabbi Mendy Loewenthal, who is also director of Chabad at Imperial College.

Rabbi Eli Brackman, Chairman of Chabad on campus UK and director of Chabad of Oxford, said that "the third annual Shabbaton was a great success beyond expectations and will serve as a strong motivation for Jewish students to get more involved in Jewish life on campus."

"It was an exciting weekend with excellent Jewish learning, fantastic people and I really hope to take what I learnt here into the future," said Bristol student Alex Benedyk

Nottingham student, Joel Hamilton, who attended the Shabbaton for the second year running, commented "it was a great success, a wonderful place in Wales with nice countryside, and everyone had an amazing time; hope to see you next year."

CAPA visiting American student, Ashley Steinberg, commented that "the Shabbaton was great and the place was just so beautiful - I met a lot of great people, who I will keep in touch with for years to come."

Hythrop London student, Fishel Tietelbaum, commented that "it was an absolutely inspirational and enriching Jewish-identity weekend and has given me a very strong injection of Jewish identity and Jewish pride. It's been beyond what I could have anticipated; the setting has been absolutely beautiful, tranquilizing. Thank you very much! I shall definitely be back."

Turning to the quality of the lectures and discussions, Tietelbaum commented that "the Chabad on campus Shabbaton reminded me that traditional Judaism can compete on the highest academic standards, so thanks for that so much."

Students attended the Shabbaton from the following universities: Bristol, Birmingham, Nottingham, Oxford, London, Hythrop, Kingston, Imperial College, Royal Holloway, Goldsmiths, CAPA and more.

The weekend, concluded with an outdoor activity, including quad biking and golf, was made possible by grants from the Zalman Klyne charitable trust, March of the Living UK and Chabad on Campus International Foundation.

The Shabbaton followed a successful holiday of Purim for Chabad on campus UK hosting a record number of over 1,700 Jewish students from all backgrounds at themed Purim parties and celebrations during the joyous holiday.

Chabad on Campus UK serves the estimated 10,000 Jewish students in the UK through its 14 centres situated on every major university campus with a substantial Jewish student population, including Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Manchester, Brighton, Bloomsbury, South London campuses, East End of London campuses, Imperial College and South Kensington and Bristol.

For more info, visit www.chabadoncampus.org.uk

Head of German Jews, Dr. Knobloch, is hopeful for future of Jews in Germany & praises Chabad

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 8:18:00 AM

Dr. Charlotte Knobloch, Vice President of World and European Jewish Congress and former President of Central Council of Jews of Germany, gave last week the Edward Ross memorial lecture at the Oxford University Chabad Society, on ‘Challenges facing Jewish life in Germany after the Holocaust’.

She explained her significant life decision to continue to live in Germany after the War due to her ultimate belief in the good of the German people and that it is possible to rebuild the Jewish community of Germany even after such destruction.

This was despite what she witnessed first hand in November 1938 with Kristallnacht when she was hit by a Nazi officer after refusing to give away the hiding place of her father, a senior lawyer in the senate, when she was a young girl.

She said that, as a Jew, she believes in miracles - her standing here today is a miracle and the revival of Jewish life in Germany is nothing less than a miracle.

Dr. Knobloch said there are about 120,000 Jews in Germany today, four times the amount that existed in 1989. Jews in Germany contributed enormously to the history of Germany going back 1,700 years and they were proud to fight for Germany during the First World War and suffered enormous losses.

Pointing to the building of a major community centre in Munich, the Ohel Jakob synagogue, in 2006, which she helped found, as President of Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland, she said that she saw this as a milestone in the development of Jews of Germany today as a successful community.

Dr. Knobloch praised the work of Chabad Lubavitch in this regard as crucial to Jewish communities around the world, pointing out that Chabad serves a critical role in places where there are large Jewish communities and particularly where there are no established Jewish communities, like many places in Germany. She said Chabad are excellent at involving countless unaffiliated Jews into Jewish life and whe was proud that she was instrumental in founding the first German Chabad centre in Munich.

She also addressed the stark challenges facing the German Jewish community with the rise of the far right Neo Nazi party. Dr. Knobloch declared that it is now time for the German government to declare these groups illegal, as the notion that they will on their own moderate their views has failed to materialise and therefore it is time to outlaw them completely.

Emphasising the point further, she quoted a recent study which indicated that 20 percent of Germans still have anti-Semitic views, believing in the conspiracy that Jews have too much power in the world and 45 percent think that Jews focus too much on the Holocaust.

She said that modern day anti-Semitism can be manifest in hatred to the State of Israel and that if Israel would have existed in 1941 the Holocaust of European Jewry would not have occured.

She concluded her talk by saying that Judaism is a religion of hope and that she is hopeful for the future of Jews of Germany and Europe; the Jews can be strong as a community while living in modern Germany successfully.

Dr. Knobloch visited before her lecture the medieval Jewish sites of Oxford and an exhibition of German Jewish refugee archaeologist Prof. Paul Jacobsthal, the founder of Celtic Art, which is currently on display at Oxford Town Hall.

Dr. Knobloch was welcomed to Oxford by Rabbi Eli Brackman, director of the Oxford University Chabad Society, and introduced by Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Mr. Jon Benjamin.

Why are Jews successful in business?

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 8:31:00 PM

Oxford University Chabad Society had the honour of hosting Kivi Bernhard for a talk at its Slager Jewish student Centre on Tuesday 31st of January. Mr. Bernhard, a South African who has been based in the US since the 1990s, is known as one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the world today, as author of the internationally acclaimed book “Leopardology – The Hunt For Profit In A Tough Global Economy” and as successful entrepreneur in the diamond industry.

Kivi, also known as ‘The Jungle Jew’ in the US media, spoke of his strong attachment to and roots in Orthodox Judaism and the role and responsibilities of Jews in today’s world.

Specifically, he hypothesized that the Jewish person is related to a unique ‘seventh’ dimension, beyond the six dimensions of material existence - in some way connected to the Shabbat, according to the Kabbala - that allows Jews to see connection of aspects of reality where others might not. He argued that it is a certain transcendence that, while elevates them above existence to a certain degree, allows them to see things strategically that others might overlook. This, he claims, makes them sought after on executive boards in the world of finance and as the world is changing course, Jews will continue to contribute in their own important way in shaping the future.

In his second part of the speech, Kivi described his now-famous concept of leopardology, derived from his long-held passion for the African Bush, as a way to succeed in the business world. By describing the hunting style of the leopard, maybe not the most deadly yet definitely the smartest of all hunters in Africa, Mr Bernhard was able to draw fascinating parallels between the animal’s hunt and the path to success for today’s enterprises.

Despite the grim economic environment, Kivi’s speech was optimistic and inspirational. Even in a tough environment it is possible to thrive. The leopard knows how, and we can learn it as well. By bringing this message across, Kivi Bernhard was definitely able to create a lasting impression at Oxford Chabad’s event.

The event was opened by the President of the OU Chabad Society Oleg Giberstein and the speaker was introduced by local business Jewish entrepreneur Steven Zimmer. The talk was received with great interest and predictably followed by much debate and discussion.

Holocaust Memorial Lecture at the Oxford University Chabad Society

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 9:24:00 AM

On 29 January, 2012, two days after Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Oxford University Chabad Society hosted an event to commemorate 70 years since the Nazi Wannsee Conference. Three speakers shared their insight and experiences of the European climate during this period of social and political upheaval. Dr. Alexandra Lloyd, a professor of German studies at Oxford University, spoke of the difficulties of Jewish children growing up in a war-torn Germany in the 1940s. She made the poignant remark that for children, watching adults slowly unravel as the difficult climate, having close family members brutally taken from them, took its toll was one of the many tragic consequences of growing up during this period.

Fritz Sternhell, an Austrian Jewish Kindertransport refugee and current Oxford resident, spoke of how though he was disconnected from his Jewish identity growing up in pre-war Vienna, he was subject to anti-Semitism and persecution through the Nuremberg laws not allowing him to sit on park benches. He said ironically, the law of having Jewish only classes allowed for less attacks on them by their non-Jewish peers after the Anschluss in March 1938, when Austria became part of the Third Reich. Despite enduring unavoidable hardship as a child, losing his father, he declared that he considers himself fortunate to have had the opportunity by the insistence of his family to leave central Europe under a period of oppression, and to make a happy life for himself in Britain even though he father didn’t manage to survive.

Mr. Sternhell also spoke about joining the British army after the war and being sent to Palestine only to demand to be released from High Command due to internal conflict in his role as law enforcement with having to perform searches amongst fellow Jews, some of whom were family members in Tel Aviv.

Lastly, Auschwitz survivor Victor Greenberg described the devastation he endured when his family was murdered in the concentration camps, and he barely made it out alive. He told how miraculously at the selection ramp when he arrived at Auschwitz someone randomly came up to him and asked him his age. He said fourteen, upon the person corrected him and said, no, you’re eighteen. He said this saved his life, as children under eighteen and women were sent straight to the gas chambers, as his mother and younger siblings were.

Greenberg ended his moving speech on a positive note, explaining that he has been blessed with a growing family of three children and eight grandchildren, and encouraging the audience to cherish life and live it to the fullest. He intimated that he struggled with identity after the war, after what he had witnessed but made a conscious decision that he will live proudly Jewish and enjoy living for the future. The central message conveyed by the three speakers was that humans have an extraordinary ability to rise out of the worst forms of devastation and despair.

The speakers were welcomed by the society director, Rabbi Eli Brackman, with an introduction by senior member Sara Tisch.

The History of the Brachmann Family of Eastern Europe & the Holocaust

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:17:00 AM

The history of the Brackman, known formerly as Brachmann, family is, a story of, as many Eastern European Jewish families, survival, tragedy of the Holocaust and revival. This article will for the first time offer a chronological insight into the history of the Brachmann family from Eastern Europe and a preliminary sketch of its past up to the present, which will hopefully serve as the bases for further research and a memorial.

The history of the Brackman family that can be traced dates back to the end of the 18th century with the presence of Jews in Kuldīga, in German Goldingen, Latvia. The family seems to have had a substantial presence in the town with many related family members. The end of the Brackman family in Latvia, as with millions of others in Eastern Europe, however, tragically ended in 1941 with old and young slaughtered in the Holocaust at the hands of the brutal Nazis and their Latvian collaborators. This took place in the dunes near Liepaja on the Baltic Sea, or nearby, in one of, according to Holocaust historians, the most horrific killings the Holocaust saw.

To understand the history of the Brackman family one has to first understand the history of the Jews of Kuldiga. The following brief history has been compiled by Eric Benjaminson with material provided by Latvian genealogist Aleksandrs Feigmanis.

History of Kuldiga

Kuldiga is an ancient town in western Latvia that is mentioned for the first time in 1242. In 1368, Kuldiga (then known in German as Goldingen) became a member of the Hanseatic League of trading cities by virtue of its location as a river port with an outlet to the Baltic Sea.

From 1596 until 1616, Kuldiga was the capital of the Duchy of Courland, and enjoyed its most prosperous period in the 17th century. During this economic boom, a shipyard and a nail and anchor forge were established. The town was captured and damaged by Swedish armies during the Great Northern War in 1702.

The town was incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1795 and suffered some stagnation until the Imperial "Rule on Trade and Industrial Freedom" in 1866 allowed economic opportunities and some commensurate growth.

Founding of Jewish community in Kuldiga and arrival of Jews

Jews had been scattered without legal status in Courland from as early as the late fourteenth century. It is believed that the first Jewish settlement in Kuldiga began at the end of the seventeenth century.

However, it was only from 1795, after Courland was annexed by Russia, Jews in the region were granted civic rights and Jewish communities in Kuldiga and elsewhere grew quickly. In 1800, there were 658 Jewish merchants and craftsmen living in the Goldingen district, fifteen percent of the total district population 4350.

In approximately 1801, the first official synagogue was built and a burial society (chevra kadisha) was founded. A short while thereafter a "Talmud Torah" school was built and a society for help to poor brides (Gmilut Chassadim) and other Jewish social organizations were formed. The first rabbi assumed office in 1826. One illustrious rabbi was the father of the founder of the Musar movement, Rabbi Israel Lipkin, known as Yisrael Salanter. The first state school for Jewish boys was organized in 1850.

Jews who had the means also sent their children to the local German high school. By 1901 there were three private Jewish schools in the town; one for boys and the other two for girls. The languages of instruction at the school were German and Hebrew.

The first Jews to settle in Kuldiga were strongly influenced by German culture and by the Jewish enlightenment movement, the Haskalah. A later influx of Jews from the Pale of Settlement in Russia and from Lithuania consisted in large part of "shomrei masoret" (religious observers), and they organized a group of Chassidim.

Kuldiga's Jews in the beginning, with great difficulty, earned a living through small scale commerce, peddling, the sale of second-hand clothing, the leasing of inns, production of strong liquors and as middlemen. From the end of the 19th century their economic situation began to improve, and the Jewish merchants in some cases supplanted the Baltic German businessmen. Jews, for example, built a flour mill and factories for the manufacture of matches and needles and established a credit fund for Jewish merchants and tradesmen.

By 1835, the total Jewish population, families included, was 2330, already fifty-seven percent of the population. In 1850, there were a total of 2534 Jewish residents, of whom 112 were merchants and 1137 working craftsmen.

In 1840, 171 of Kuldiga's Jews (22 families) left for agricultural settlements in the southern Russian province of Cherson, to take up a Czarist offer of land and exemption from military service and certain taxes in return for settling these territories bordering the Ottoman Empire. In the second half of the century a large number of Latvians came to the town and the Jewish community lost its majority status. In 1897 there were 2,543 Jewish residents, twenty-six percent of a total population of 9,720.

Jewish migration from Kuldiga to Liepaja and beyond

Along with difficult economic and political times in the latter half of the nineteenth century, Kuldiga's Jews began to emigrate. Some stayed in Latvia but moved to the larger port cities of Libau, also called Liepaja, in the south, and Windau, in the north, where there was greater economic activity. Others, either using these cities as jumping-off points or leaving directly from Kuldiga, emigrated to the U.S. or South Africa.

It is also noteworthy for our story that developments in maritime transportation both increased the number of emigrants and pointed them in specific directions. Not only did steamship services become more affordable, more regular and safer, but agents of large European shipping lines posted in Russia encouraged potential emigrants to travel to destinations according to the economic needs of the shipping companies. "Package deals" for Baltic Jews to South Africa, travelling via England, were one such incentive; passage to the U.S. via Hamburg was another.

By 1935 the Jewish population had declined to only nine percent of the town's 7000 inhabitants. Much of this decline was due to the fact that during the First World War, the Jews of Courland were banished to the interior of Russia as suspected German sympathizers. During the course of the war many community buildings and Jewish houses were destroyed. After the war about a third of the Jews returned to the town and the community was rehabilitated with the help of the "Joint" (a relief agency of American Jewry). The Jews gradually re-consolidated their position and in 1935, of the 205 shops and businesses in the town 95 were owned by Jews.

The Holocaust in Kuldiga

On August 23, 1939, the Soviet Army established bases in Latvia and in the summer of 1940 a Soviet regime was installed. Jewish public institutions were gradually liquidated. After the Nazi invasion of Russia in June 1941, about one-tenth of the Jews of Kuldiga succeeded in escaping to the interior of Russia. The young men among them were conscripted into the Soviet Army. On July 1, 1941, when the Nazis occupied the town, the majority of the community was still there. Immediately thereafter Latvian fascists began rioting against the Jews and murdered several of them. The remaining Jews were ordered to perform forced labor.

One day all the Jews were concentrated in the synagogue from which the men were taken to a nearby forest. There they were murdered in pits which they had been forced to dig. Others were taken to be murdered in the Padura Forest a few kilometers from the town. The Kuldiga Jews were thereby destroyed by the beginning of 1942, the property of the Jews was divided among their murderers and the Torah scrolls were put into the municipal archives.

Several Jews, who were hidden by farmers, survived. The town was liberated by the Soviets in 1944. After the war a number of families returned to the town. One of these Jews was killed by opponents of the Soviet regime. The survivors brought back the remains of those murdered for a Jewish burial. The Torah scrolls were returned to the Jews who organized a minyan. The synagogue, which had been converted into a movie house, was not returned (and remains today as a cinema). Over time the survivors left the town, many of them made aliyah to Israel and the minyan ceased to exist, thus ending the approximately 150 year history of the Jewish community of Kuldiga.

The Brachmann family of Kuldiga

The modern settlement of Jews in Kuldiga thus begun in 1795 when Kuldiga was annexed by Russia and Jews were given civic rights to live their as citizens. It appears that it was during this first wave of Jews settling in Kuldiga, at about 1800, when the Brackman family, known then as Brachmann, arrived in Kuldiga, though it is possible they had been there since 17th century or earlier.

The first mention of the family name Brachmann residing in Kuldiga is found in the 1842 family register in the State Historical Archives in Riga that shows the names of Jewish families then resident in Goldingen (Kuldiga), together with first names, father’s name, occasionally age and some comments. The list was transcribed and donated by Dr. Martha Lev-Zion of Ben Gurion University (www.jewishgen.org/courland/goldingen_1842.htm).

In this register, it lists two Brachmann names: Baruch son of Heyman Brachmann (no. 227) and Chaim son of Baruch Brachmann (no. 5).

It seems from this list that the name Brachmann came from the name Baruch, similar to the other names on the list, whose surname is a derivative of their first name, for example, Hirsch’s family name is Hirschberg and Ahron is Ahronsberg. Similarly, Baruch became Brachmann.

The father of Baruch Brachmann is Heyman. The only Heyman on the 1842 list is a Heymann son of Salomon Nogaller (no. 125), who most likely was the grandfather. It seems that Nogaller comes from a name of nearby district in Courland with a similar name.

From the Kuldiga register of 1842, it appears that Heyman had an extensive family, in addition to his son Baruch, and many of them associated their family names with the patriarchal name Heyman. It is possible that the following list of people in the 1842 register were also sons of Heyman: Salomon son of Heyman Glatzmann; Levin son of Heymann Heymansohn; Behr son of Heymann Weinberg; Daniel son of Heymann Braneburger; and Abraham son of Heymann Shachter.

The following could have been his grandchildren: Josel son of Salomon Heyman; Behr son of Abraham Heyman.

In addition, there is an Isaac Blumberg son of Samuel, listed as nephew to Heymann Salomon Nogaller, and Levin son of Samuel Blumberg, also nephew to Heymann Salomon Nogaller. Finally, there is also a Levin son of Michel Heymansohn; Salomon son of Chaim Heymann; and Levin son of Chaim Heymann.

Although it can’t be proven with certainty they were all related, it appears likely they were, typical to a close nit life of a Shtetl, and it would appear that the Heyman family had then quite an extensive family in Kuldiga.

1799 tax register of Jews of Kuldiga

There is also an earlier register with a list of Jews of Kuldiga from 1799, called the “Goldingen Oklad (tax) 1799” and is among the earliest of the Courland archival records. It was microfilmed in 1940 and now held by the Herder Institute at the University of Marburg, Germany. The copies were made from a set held by the Family History Library of the Mormon church, and are used with the permission of the Herder Institute.

In the Goldingen Oklad (tax) 1799 register (www.jewishgen.org/courland/goldingen.htm), there are only two listings with the name Heymann, which could have possibly been Baruch’s father, Heyman. One is a Heymann son of Salomon Marcus and Rive. His brother was also called Marcus. Another listing is Heymann Salomon, whose mother was Mine and brother Boroch and sister Dewora.

If this is so, it would then appear that the Brachmann family was one of the earlier families to arrive in the 18th century in Kuldiga and grew to be a sizable family in the town with many relatives.

We can deduce from the above research the following possible lineage from 1799 to 1842: Salomon, Heyman, Boruch Brachmann and Chaim Brachmann.

There is also listed in Courland register list, as army recruits, Fabian Brachmann, son of Henoch, born in 1819, and Baruch, son of Henoch, born in 1816, both residence of Kuldiga (http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=39&gsln=Hennoch&gsln_x=XO). They appear to be brothers, both sons of Henoch.

It is unclear whether Baruch son Henoch is the same as Baruch son of Heyman and if not why they are not listed in the 1842 census as a Brachmann with residence in Kuldiga.

Other Brachmanns found in Kuldiga are Abraham Brachmann and Meta Brachmann (http://unclaimedpoliciesswissre.org/)

Aron son of Chanoch Brachmann

The next Brachmann family member of the 19th century discovered to be born in Kuldiga is Aron Brachmann and his father was called Chanoch. As he was most likely born only in the 1850’s, he is not recorded on the 1842 register.

Aron Brachmann married a girl called Klara, who was also born in Kuldiga on 11 January, 1857 (www.liepajajews.org/ps03/ps03_289.htm).

The name Aron Brachmann can also be found in the Liepaja Jewish Cemetery book 1935-1941 (www.liepajajews.org/cem/1935_41.htm), where there is a listing Aron ben Chanoch Bruchman, passed away 30 November, 1938 / 8 Kislev, 5699.

Aaron and Klara had three children, called Freide, who was born 12 December 1892, Paula and Shalom Shachna - Sasha Sydney.

Aron son of Chanoch Brachmann

It is possible, though there is no evidence, that Chanoch, father of Aron Brachmann, was indeed the son of Chaim Brachmann. If this was the case, one would have to assume that Chanoch must have been about fifteen years old in 1842, so that he can have a child, Aron, in 1850’s, as Aron later married Klara, who was born in 1857. Indeed, this would mean that teenage children were not consistently listed in the 1842 register, though it appears that some clearly were.

If this is the case, we have a

clear line of the Brachmann family lineage of Kuldiga going back to 1799: Salomon, Heyman, Baruch, Chaim, Chanoch and Aron.

Brachmanns leaves Kuldiga to Liepaja

Many members of the Brachmann family did not stay in Kuldiga; they moved further west to Liepaja, a port city on the Baltic Sea and third biggest city in Latvia. There is evidence that Aron and Klara both died not in Kuldiga but rather Liepaja.

In a person sheet with the passing of Klara in 1941, killed by the Nazis, it states she was born in Kuldiga and died in Liepaja (www.liepajajews.org/ps03/ps03_289.htm).

Similarly, Aron died on 30 November 1938 and was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Liepaja. His burial is listed in the Liepaja Jewish Cemetery book 1935-1941 with the name Aron son of Chanoch Bruchman, passed away 30 November, 1938 / 8 Kislev, 5699 (www.liepajajews.org/cem/1935_41.htm).

Their address in December in Liepaja in 1938 was Ulicha 58-1 (http://www.liepajajews.org/ps03/ps03_289.htm).

Another entry in the Liepaja Jewish Cemetery book 1935-1941 is Abram son of Chanoch Bruchman, who passed away 4 January, 1935 / 1 Shvat, 5695. One can assume that Abram, who died 2 years before Aron, in Liepaja, was his brother, both sons of Chanoch.

The name that appears in Liepaja Jewish Cemetery book 1935-1941 is spelled Bruchman, however, as it explains in the introduction, the names are recorded from the Hebrew without concern for the precise common spelling in the English.

This is also evident from the above mentioned "person sheet" of Klara Brachmann that lists her husband Aron’s passing with the same date that is recorded in the Liepaja Jewish Cemetery book 1935-1941 - 30 November, 1938 / 8 Kislev, 5699.

One can deduce that Aron passed away in the evening, when it was already the next day according to the Hebrew calendar. Had he passed away earlier in the day it would have been 7 Kislev, which corresponds to 30 Nov, 1938.

When did Brachmann’s leave Kuldiga?

Aron and Klara and the family would have left Kuldiga for Liepaja certainly not before 1892, as Freide was born in Kuldiga on 12 December, 1892. It is not known however how long afterwards they moved to Liepaja.

One can assume however that the reason for them leaving had not to do the evacuation of the Jews from Kuldiga during the First Work War or later.

The reason for this is, due to the following sequence of events. There were three waves when Jews seemed to have left Kuldiga. The first was during the 19th century, when Jews were looking for greater economic opportunities and they moved to the major port cities of Liepaja, in German Libau, and Windau in the North where there was greater economic activity.

The second wave was the expulsions during the First World War when the Jews of Courland were banished to the interior of Russia as suspected German sympathizers. During the course of the war many community buildings and Jewish houses were destroyed and after the war only about a third of the Jews returned to the town.

The third wave was after the Nazi invasion of Russia in June 1941, when about one-tenth of the Jews of Kuldiga succeeded in escaping to the interior of Russia and many were conscripted. The rest were rounded up and shot by the Nazis.

As they moved to Liepaja and not to the Russian interior, it would seem the migration of the Brachmann family from Kuldiga was in the 19th century, not long after the birth of Freide.

Brachmann’s leave Liepaja

On the Liepaja Jews "Person Sheet” listing the death of Klara, it states that Paula emigrated to South Africa and Sasha Sydney (Shalom Shachna) to England. In was in England where the name Brachmann became Brackman (www.liepajajews.org/ps03/ps03_289.htm).

Paula married Hugo Agmon, born in South Africa, and had two children Yael and Edna, currently living in Israel.

The reason why Paula and Shalom Shachna - Sasha Brachmann emigrated not to the US but to South Africa and England respectively is explained, as stated earlier in the history of Kuldiga, that in the 19th century agents of large European shipping lines posted in Russia were encouraging potential emigrants to travel to destinations according to the economic needs of the shipping companies and "package deals" for Baltic Jews to travel to South Africa, via England, were one such incentive.

It is interesting therefore that Paula continued on her journey to South Africa, while Shalom stayed in England.

It is possible that he also intended to continue to South Africa and desired to arrange for his parents, Klara and Aron, to join him in England and perhaps then continue as a family to South Africa where Paula had already settled.

The place where Shalom - Sasha Sydney settled was Northern England, in Manchester, and in 1921 opened a Kosher bakery called Brackman’s bakery on Leicester Road, while he lived around the corner on Northumberland Street. It subseqently became the longeststanding Kosher bakery in Manchester.

Shalom - Sasha married another immigrant Chava Feitelson, which became shortened to Filson, and had a son Derek Samuel in 1928, who later studied at Manchester University and got a doctorate in chemistry. He subsequently moved to London, where he found work with ICI, and raised a family of seven boys and 2 girls, some who became rabbis in different communities in Europe and the US.

The name became somewhat anglicized in England, pronounced Brackman, a further derivative of the original Boruch ben Heyman of Kuldiga.

Elderly Brachmann family stays in Liepaja with young family

Aron and Klara and their daughter Freide meanwhile unfortunately never left Liepaja, perhaps due to old age of Aron and Klara and Freide not wanting to leave them alone or for economic reasons.

Freide married Josef Glasser, also from Kuldiga, born about 1892, most likely a descendent of Schmuel ben Juddel Glasser, who is mentioned in the 1842 register of Kuldiga. Freide and Josef had three children: Hena, born 1927, Selma, born 1930, and Henoch, born 1932.

Liepaja (Libau) and the Holocaust

The tragic end of the Brachmann family who remained in Liepaja was in 1941 when Klara, Freide, her husband Josef, and their three children under 15 years old were all murdered by the Nazis with the help of Latvian auxiliary police.

With the conquest of Liepaja by the Germans on 29 June, 1941, the Jewish population counted over 7,100 people and immediately the systematic extermination began. The killings took pace principally in three places, in "Rainis Park" in the city centre, where there were trenches dug by Latvians for the defense of Liepaja; a small fishing port near the Lighthouse at the entrance of the Port; and most took place in trenches dug in the dunes near Shkeden on the beach.

On 30 June, the day after the invasion, there were random shootings of Jews who showed up to work in Liepāja by German soldiers. About 100 Jews were killed in these shootings. On 3 and 4 July, 1,430 Jews were killed in the park in the centre of Liepaja, however due to complaints this location was no longer used for executions. Another supposed revenge mass shooting took place on 7 July. Between 8th and 10 July, about 600 were shot, shooting ten at a time. According to testimony, about 200 were killed each day.

Shootings of small groups of Jews continued after 10 July, occurring every evening. This was a pattern particular to SS-Untersturmführer Wolfgang Kügler’s administration in Liepaja.

A major execution took place on 24th and 25th of July, when about 1,100 men were assembled on the "Hauptwachplatz" and after their papers and valuables were taken from them, they were transported to the port near the lighthouse and killed. This was done by the urging to accelerate the killings by German naval commandant in Liepaja, Fregattenkapitän Dr. Hans Kawelmacher.

The killings continued in August but on a lessened scale. From 30 August to 10 December, 1941, there were a large number of shootings, in which about 600 Jews were killed near the harbor and the light house during this period (Ezergailis, The Holocaust in Latvia, at page 33, n.81).

The largest killings took place on the beach near Shkeden. On three days, 15-17 Dec, 2,731 Jews were shot on the beach.

By the end of June 1942 the Ghetto of Liepaja was founded, where the remaining 816 people including 175 males were settled. The Ghetto existed 18 months and was dismantled on 18 October, 1943, when all the inhabitants were transported to the "Kaiserwald" Camp near Riga. Of those who were sent there, 360 people were sent to Auschwitz. When Liepaja was liberated by the Russians, 40 Jews were found alive.

In one of these many shootings, Klara Brachmann, great grandmother to the Brackman family in England, a widow of 84 years old, her daughter Freide, 49, her husband Josef Glasser, about 49, and three daughters, Hena 14, Selma 11, and Henoch 9, were all mercilessly shot and killed into mass graves near the Baltic Sea.

May their memories be for a blessing and live on in the lives of their family members who survived and have helped rebuild Jewish life after the destruction of Holocaust.

UK and EU Chabad on Campus Rabbis unite for historic Conference in Manchester

Thu, 5 Jan 2012 3:30:00 PM

This week, twenty Chabad on Campus couples and their families representing 16 centres across the UK and Europe converged in a hotel in Altrincham, South Manchester, for a two day conference to discuss vital issues confronting Jewish students in the UK and Europe today.

The fifth annual conference was opened by chairman of Chabad on Campus UK and coordinator for Europe, Rabbi Eli Brackman, who is also director of Chabad of Oxford, and Executive Vice President of Chabad on Campus International Foundation, Rabbi Yossy Gordon.

The participants attended specialised workshops covering the full spectrum of their important work on campus, including sessions on Jewish education, student leadership, combating assimilation, anti-Semitism, media, development and student led programming.

This year's conference marks a phase of unprecedented growth of Chabad on Campus UK and Europe with the opening of its most recent centres in Manchester and Birmingham, completing 14 centres spanning the whole UK, the purchase of a major Jewish student centre in Brighton, and a further expansion on the European continent that is currently under way, including centres in Paris, Hungary, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Berlin and Stockholm.

"Incorporating Europe into the UK conference for the first time is a historic development for Chabad on Campus and an enormous success, said Rabbi Eli Brackman, chairman of Chabad on Campus UK, who is also directing the European expansion, with Rabbi Michoel Danow of Chabad on campus at Leeds University.

“This successful conference will help further invigorate the crucial work the rabbis are doing on university campuses in support of the Jewish students, despite the challenges Jewish students are facing in the UK and Europe today”, Brackman added.

The highlight of the conference was a gala banquet at the home of Manchester communal philanthropist, friend and partner of Chabad on Campus UK, Mr. Zalman and Risa Klyne, attended by many local dignitaries and Jewish community leaders.

"The dinner was prepared fit for a king," Zalman Klyne said. "This was our tribute to the Shluchim, we wanted to honor them for their incredible work."

"Chabad takes care of my three Jewish needs on Campus: education, family support and Kosher food", said Jonathan Chernick, medical student at Manchester University, during a speech he gave at the banquet. He summed up the work of Chabad on university campuses as a real home away from home for the Jewish students in all its aspects.

Representing the worldwide network of campus Chabad centres, Rabbi Yossy Gordon, Executive Vice President of Chabad on Campus International Foundation expressed his thoughts on the joint UK and EU conference saying "the warmth and dedication of the Chabad Shluchim (emissaries) on campus is exhilarating. The practical ideas and inspiration shared at the conference in Manchester will bring a greater measure of success to the Chabad on campus centres in the UK and EU."

Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Vice Chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch, Chabad-Lubavitch’s educational arm, and Chairman of Chabad on Campus International Foundation, said that “a focus of the conference was how to help create more committed and inspired Jewish leaders in Europe for future generations.”

Rabbi Bentzi Sudak, of Lubavitch UK, commented, “What was very obvious at this most successful and inspiring conference, was the tremendous growth Chabad is seeing in its crucial work on behalf of each and every Jewish student throughout the UK. This is a tribute to the talented, selfless couples who run each Centre, and the generous and visionary supporters who make this possible.”

The conference was organised by a steering committee which included Manchester's Chabad on campus Rabbi Zalman and Mushky Loewenthal, Liverpool's Rabbi Shmuli and Tzivia Brown, Leeds's Rabbi Michoel and Chana Danow and others.

For more information please visit www.ChabadonCampus.org.uk or www.chabadoncampus.eu .

Oxford Jewish alumni celebrate engagement & wedding at Chanukah party in Mayfair

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 7:39:00 AM

Over 60 Oxford alumni and friends attended Friends of Oxford Chabad Society’s annual Chanukah party in Mayfair last night hosted by Oxford alumnus Alexander Telford and family.

The event took place for the third year running in high-end venue Nove Bar, on Sackville Street, round the corner from Piccadilly Circus, with a Kosher Sushi bar and drinks, as well as traditional Chanukah delacacies, kindly sponsored by Parkway Kosher Patisserie.

The highlight of the gathering, in addition to meeting up with old friends, was the celebration of the recent engagement of Alex Telford (St Peters) to Emma Zimmerman and the recent marriage of Jonny Hyam (Wolfson) to Natasha Shina. They both led the kindling of the Menorah for the evening. We wish them many happy years together.

Rabbi Eli Brackman, director of Chabad of Oxford, welcomed the crowd and addressed the theme of Chanukah as emphasising the need to resist watering-down of Jewish heritage and identity, as the Greeks tried to do in the 2nd century BCE, and also show gratitude for blessings in life.

Aryeh Kahn, who graduated Oxford in 1999, said that it was ‘a fantastic and enjoyable Chanukah cocktail that the Chabad Society put on in Mayfair!!’

Oxford celebrates Jewish festival of Chanukah with Lighting of Giant Candelabra on Broad Street

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 6:15:00 AM

Over 150 people celebrated the beginning of the Jewish Festival of Chanukah with the lighting of the giant menorah candelabra on Broad Street, Oxford, this past Tuesday, 20 Dec, with the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Cllr Elise Benjamin, organised by Chabad of Oxford.

Oxford Rabbi Eli Brackman, director of Chabad of Oxford, addressed the theme of the festival that dates back to 2nd century BCE when the Jews in the Holy Land were under threat of Helenization by the Seleucid Greeks and were successful in maintaining their heritage and traditions against all odds. Rabbi Brackman said that the holiday is relevant to today’s time promoting the values of freedom of expression and religion and the triumph of light over darkness.

The lighting of the candelabra recounts the miracle of the lights when the Jews reclaimed the Jerusalem Temple from the Greeks, they only discovered a single cruise of oil for the kindling of the Temple Menorah but miraculously burned for eight consecutive days, thus establishing the festival of Lights - Chanukah.

The lighting in Oxford is performed each year in Oxford in memory of late Jewish City Councillor, Dr. Mike Woodin, who was instrumental in helping establish this tradition in Oxford together with Chabad of Oxford in 2001.

The Menorah will be kindled each evening, 20-27 Dec, at 5pm, outside Balliol College on Broad Street.

For more information about this holiday, visit: www.oxfordchabad.org/chanukah

Pictures taken by Agnieszka Badger

Giant menorah wrecked and rebuilt - just in time

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 6:09:00 AM

Volunteers rebuilt a 15ft menorah in less than six hours after vandals destroyed Scotland's biggest public chanuciah in an antisemitic attack.

Edinburgh Chabad constructed and installed the new menorah in time for Tuesday night's first candle-lighting - describing the feat as a modern-day Chanucah miracle.

The original menorah - erected in the city's St Andrew's Square - was found destroyed earlier the same day. Its broken pieces were recovered close to tents set up in the square by the Occupy Edinburgh movement.

Rabbi Pinny Weinman said: "We put up the menorah on Monday afternoon and it was all wired up ready for lighting. At midday on Tuesday I got a call saying the menorah had been totally destroyed.

"We did not cancel the ceremony. We pulled together a team of people to build a new one from scratch, using wood, and it was then spray-painted. It was ready just in time for the lighting."

A crowd of around 200 people gathered in the square to cheer the new menorah's arrival.

Rabbi Weinman said: "It really brought people together to see this Chanucah miracle."

In a statement, Lothian and Borders Police confirmed officers were investigating the vandalism and treating the incident as a hate crime. They will also keep watch over the new menorah to avoid a repeat of the attack.

Following the candle-lighting, a Chanucah party was held in a bar at the nearby Harvey Nichols store.

New Israeli Ambassador to the UK honoured at Oxford University Chabad Society reception

Thu, 1 Dec 2011 7:33:00 AM

The Oxford University Chabad Society honoured the new Oxford educated Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Court of St James, His Excellency Mr. Daniel Taub, with an exclusive buffet reception just a week after he submitted his credentials to HM the Queen.

Close to a hundred students and community members attended the reception, which took place at the Oxford Jewish Centre, and was preceded by a lecture organised by the Oxford Jewish Congregation.

The president of the Oxford University Chabad Society, Oleg Giberstein of St Antony’s college, welcomed the Ambassador on behalf of the Oxford University Chabad Society and the Jewish students at the university and wished him well on his ambition to reach out directly to British society in representing Israel, despite a sometimes unsympathetic audience.

Rabbi Eli Brackman, director of Chabad of Oxford, opened the ceremony with greetings and said that it was an honour to host the new Israeli Ambassador in Oxford and pointed out the longstanding strong support of Chabad for the well being, welfare and security of Israel.

British-born Mr Taub was previously the Israeli Foreign Ministry's deputy legal counsel and was a regular spokesman for the Israeli government. He has also been a member of the Israeli teams in Israel's negotiations with both Syria and the Palestinians, and served as head of the Israeli side of the Israeli-Palestinian Culture of Peace negotiations.

Thanksgiving Shabbat dinner with lecture by Oxford Professor of American Literature Ron Bush

Thu, 1 Dec 2011 7:30:00 AM

On November 25th the Oxford University Chabad Society held its annual Thanksgiving Shabbat Dinner at the Slager Jewish student centre. Guest of honour was Drue Heinz Professor of American Literature Ron Bush who has been teaching at St John’s College, Oxford for the last 14 years.

The topic of Professor Bush’s talk was ‘Ezra Pound and the Jews’ and the Professor was explaining to about 50 guests who were attending the dinner his fascination with the classic anti-Semite yet great poet, Ezra Pound.

Professor Bush made a connection between Pound and other famous literary minds with anti-Semitic tendencies, for example Henry James or Hemingway, and spoke of the deeply ambivalent attraction of modernist writers to Jews.

For his own conclusion as to where his fascination is coming from, Professor Bush quoted the Jewish American critic Alfred Kazin who wrote in 1949, “We cannot let them go nor can they let us go, for they imitate us, they are obviously fascinated by us,” and we in return are drawn not to modernist humanists “but precisely to the nasty ones.”

Professor Bush and the American as well as non-American guests of the Thanksgiving Shabbat Dinner were welcomed by president of Chabad Society, Oleg Giberstein, and Freida Brackman who once again delighted the crowd with a wonderful and traditional Turkey dinner.

Summary of the talk by Professor Ron Bush:

"Ezra Pound, one of the founders of Anglo-American modernism, was in some ways a classic anti-Semite of the early twentieth century who identified Jews with the bankers who profited from the Great War and also with the whole market system of modernity that reduced art (c.f. his “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley”) to the status of a commodity “in the market place”.

He was, however, also a great poet, without whom it is impossible to understand writing in English in the twentieth century.

Examining his anti-Semitism raises interesting questions not only about the relations between the imagination and prejudice (questions that have more recently been pondered by Umberto Eco in

The Prague Cemetery), but more specifically about the deeply ambivalent attraction of modernist writers to the Jews.

As Jonathan Freedman has noticed, alienated and cosmopolitan critics of their own societies such as Henry James, Hemingway, T.S. Eliot, and Ezra Pound in their depictions of modernity obsessively presented rootless Jewish intellectuals as projections of what they most disliked and feared about their own situation.

And in response, several generations of Jewish American literary critics devoted their lives to containing, re-orienting and re-appropriating these writings in a larger project of associating the more positive aspects of modernity with themselves and with their community.

As the Jewish American critic Alfred Kazin wrote in 1949, “We cannot let them go nor can they let us go, for they imitate us, they are obviously fascinated by us,” and we in return are drawn not to modernist humanists “but precisely to the nasty ones.”"