As we celebrate the holiday of Chanukah, I am delighted to present the following essay on the subject of forced conversion in Oxford in the Middle Ages - a theme that is connected also to the historic setting of Chanukah, when Jews were forced to abandon their Jewish faith for Greek Hellenism in the 2nd century BCE.
The history of the Jews of Oxford includes many important figures who contributed enormously to the University of Oxford[1]. A less known fact however is that for most of the history of the university, Jews were either not allowed to reside in England or were not admitted to the university, whether as a student or academic. The establishment of Merton College, one of the first colleges at Oxford, was in 1264 and… Read More »
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On Sunday, 1st of November, Professor Alan Dershowitz addressed a full-to-capacity hall at the Oxford Chabad Society after having successfully debated the Oxford Union. The much-anticipated events were well attended; a full chamber of 250 people at the union, and around 200 at the Chabad society.