Rabbi Eli's Blog - Chabad of Oxford

Ahmadinejad, Israel, and the Jews of Iran By Iranian Jewish Lawyer Hamid Sabi

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - 5:20 PM

Ahmadinejad, Israel, and the Jews of Iran

By Hamid Sabi

I will now discuss the modern story of Iranian Jews: the oldest and largest Jewish Diaspora. The bulk of Persian Jews came after the fall of Babylon. Cyrus had been viewed as the messenger of God, and thus, not as an enemy. This was also at a time when Jews felt more Persian than Jewish. Then Shi’ism came, and there was a drive to segregate the Jews, who were seen as unclean by Shi’a Muslims. Nevertheless, these groups had lived in harmony originally, and conditions were made better at the start of the 20^th century by the king who saw himself as anti-religious and closed shrines and mosques. He opened the Jewish quarters (not ghettoes) and invited them to join him. G… Read More »

Shabbat Dinner with 1972 Munich Olympic Survivor Dan Alon

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 1:27 PM

Shabbat Dinner with 1972 Munich Olympic Survivor Dan Alon

Friday, 14 November 2008

The Oxford University Chabad Society was honoured to host a Shabbat dinner and lecture at the David Slager Jewish student centre on Friday, 14 November 2008, with 1972 Munich Olympic survivor, Dan Alon. Mr Alon, who is a former Israeli fencing champion, was one of five Israeli athletes who escaped the 1972 massacre of Israel's Olympic team by Palestinian terrorists in Munich. Mr Alon, who never spoke about his experience for 35 years, addressed a distinguished audience of approximately 100, including members of the university, as well as representatives of the local media, including Mr Bill Heine of BBC Oxford. Mr Alon, who is now resident in Tel … Read More »

A Message from Antony Flew to OU Chabad Society

Monday, November 17, 2008 - 5:15 PM

A Message from Antony Flew to OU Chabad Society

Antony Flew was one of the world's most famous atheists for the last 50 years, who taught at the University of Oxford and the University of Aberdeen, and then Professorships at the University of Keele and the University of Reading.

Among Flew's most influential works are his essays "Theology and Falsification" (in New Essays in Philosophical Theology) and "The Presumption of Atheism". He has also published a work on the possibility of an afterlife, first released under the title The Logic of Mortality but now available as Merely Mortal?

In 2004, Flew announced in a symposium on science and religion that the discoveries of modern science have led him to ac… Read More »

Israeli Munich Olympic survivor Dan Alon speaks at Chabad Society

Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 1:52 PM

Israeli Munich Olympic survivor Dan Alon speaks at Oxford University Chabad Society

Oxford University Chabad Society will be hosting Israeli Munich Olympic survivor Dan Alon for Shabbat dinner on Friday, 14 Nov at the David Slager Chabad centre. As former Israeli fencing champion, Dan Alon was one of the five Israeli athletes who escaped the 1972 massacre of Israel's Olympic team by Palestinian terrorists.

Mr. Alon didn't speake about his experience for 35 years until he was invited by Rabbi Eli Brackman, director of the OU Chabad Society, in 2005. It was a very emotional event for Mr. Alon to speak publicly about the massacre that still impacts him, and in which he lost a very clos… Read More »

Did Darwin Get it All Right?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 11:02 AM

Dr. Gerald Schroeder addresses contentious issue of science and religion at Oxford University Chabad Society

The annual Baruch Samuel Brackman Memorial Lecture on Science and religion

The Oxford University Chabad Society was honoured to host on Wednesday 5^th November an evening lecture presented by the renowned Israeli scientist, Gerald Schroeder.

The annual Baruch Samuel Brackman Memorial Lecture was delivered before a large audience of around one hundred, including scientists as well as students and scholars working in the humanities and social sciences, drawn from both the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University.

Dr Schroeder, who is an MIT-trained scientist who has worked in both… Read More »

Turkish Ambassador enjoys Chabad Society Shabbat dinner

Monday, November 3, 2008 - 3:52 PM

The Oxford University Chabad Society was honoured to host the Turkish Ambassador to the United Kingdom Mr Yigit Alpogan for a Shabbat dinner and lecture on Friday on 31 October 2008. His Excellency Yigit Alpogan spoke on the subject of ’Turkey & Israel Relations’ as a special lecture dedicated to the late Jewish professor of Turkish language, Geoffrey Lewis.

Mr Alpogan addressed an audience of well over 100 people for half an hour, after which followed numerous questions. The event was chaired by Rabbi Eli Brackman, director of the Oxford University Chabad Society.

Geoffrey Lewis (19 June 1920-12 February 2008) was formerly Professor of Turkish at Oxford University and published numerous important and influential work… Read More »