His Excellency Ambassador Yehuda Avner speaks at Shabbaton in Oxford

His Excellency Ambassador Yehuda Avner speaks at Shabbaton weekend in Oxford

Friday, 27 Feb, 2009

The Oxford University Chabad Society hosted a Shabbaton weekend for 120 students from Oxford and other UK campuses across the country with keynote speaker His Excellency Israeli Ambassador Yehuda Avner, chaired by Rabbi Eli Brackman, director of the Oxford University Chabad Society and chairman of Chabad on campus UK.

Ambassador Avner spoke to a full capacity at the David Slager Jewish student centre with eloquence and humour, beginning his lecture with anecdotes concerning his warm and special relationship with the Lubavitch Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneersohn, of blessed memory, whom he considers, quoting Menachem Begin, as one of the greatest Jewish leaders and sages of the 20^th century.

During his service as private advisor to five Israeli Prime Ministers, including Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Menachem Begin, Yitzchok Rabin and Shimon Peres, he would regularly visit and consult with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He went on to discuss the challenges concerning Israel’s unique history and standing in the world as a singular people with no regional grouping or family, as prophesised by the non-Jewish prophet, Bilam, “Israel will dwell alone”.

He said that the Lubavitcher Rebbe impacted his view of the Jewish people as a necessary and indispensable combination of “peoplehood and faith”.

Avner was pessimistic of the Palestinians ever accepting Israel as a Jewish state, even when they mostly support a two state solution, posing an acute obstacle to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Ambassador Avner spoke against the backdrop of up to ten pro-Palestinian protestors who had established a picket outside the front door of the David Slager Jewish student centre, bearing flags and offering leaflets to people entering the centre and passers-by. They respectably kept the protest silent not to disturb the prayers that were going on inside, after they learnt from a student that it was a religious, rather than political, event. The event was patrolled by a number of representatives from the Community Security Trust, and the protestors had voluntarily dispersed by the end of the evening.    

Yehuda Avner was born in England and immigrated to pre-State Israel in 1947, after which he fought in the 1948 siege of Jerusalem. He went on to be appointed to the personal staff of Prime Minster Levi Eshkol and following the Six Day War, he was appointed Consul in New York and then Counsellor at the Embassy in Washington. In 1972, he was appointed to the staff of Prime Minister Golda Meir, then as advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1974, and in 1977 he was appointed advisor to Prime Minister Menachem Begin. He also served as personal advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and, subsequently, to Prime Minister Shimon Peres. In 1983, he was appointed Ambassador to the Court of St James and Ireland, and in 1992 he was appointed Ambassador to Australia. In 1995, he was made personal advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and, subsequently, to Prime Minister Shimon Peres.

Michael Stark of Hertford College, who attended the evening, comented that "it was the best lecture he has heard in Oxford this year."

Community member, Julian Harris, observed, "To have 100 plus Jews in a busy provincial city centre, sharing a service and a meal, hearing such a speaker and then joining together for grace, dancing and more was a delight to behold and in which to partake. I was sad to leave at almost midnight and amazed to be one of the first to do so."

Avner responded to numerous questions from the floor once he had concluded his speech, following which students stayed on and socialized, enjoying the evening, until the early hours of the morning.