ב"ה
Jewish History
Chabad at Oxford
93 items in this section
Sort By:

Contextualizing and appraising a new documentary book on the Rebbe's early years
The perceived conflict between legitimate Torah knowledge and secular knowledge and culture has often figured as a point of controversy around the publication of biographies of rabbinic figures. Following the work of historian Prof. Immanuel Etkes, Dr. Naftali Loewenthal argues that this black and white perception was not shared by rabbis in the pre-enlightenment era. Within this context he appraises recent biographical works on the Rebbe, culminating with "Early Years: The formative years of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, as told by documents and archival data, 1902-1929" by Boruch Oberlander and Elkanah Shmotkin.

A history of the Yiddish literary scene of post war Soviet Russia
Tracing the postwar history of Yiddish publishing in the Soviet Union, describing the infamous purge of Yiddish writers in the early 50's and the subsequent revival in the late 50's. Looking particularly at the history of the Journal 'סאוועטיש היימלאנד' (Soviet Homeland) launched in 1961, and ran until 1991, reappearing in 1993 under the title 'די אידישע גאס' (The Jewish Street.)

Unraveling the 300 year old mystery of the 'Bodleian bowl'
Tracing the history and possible usage of the 'Bodleian bowl', discovered in a moat in Norfolk, east England in 1696. Examining the meaning of its Hebrew inscription and its connection to the famed Tosafist Rabbi Yechiel of Paris and his son Yosef.

The untold story of the secret Chabad underground in the former Soviet Union
Precious little is known of the tremendous devotion and self-sacrifice of Chabad activists in upholding Judaism against the oppressive Communists’ ruthless stamping out of religion. Rabbi Dovid Eliezrie shares fascinating insights and anecdotes to illustrate the clandestine and heroic activities of the Chabad underground that ultimately laid the foundation for the phenomenal rebirth of Jewish life in Russia today.

How royal protection shaped the legal status of the Jews and led to their expulsion
From the very beginning, the presence of the Jews in England would have been dependent on the express protection of the king. This shaped their legal status in ways both good and bad, and ultimately paved the way for their expulsion.

How the complex legal status of the Jews of England shaped the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was the result of a standoff between King John of England and his barons in 12th century England. The special status of the Jewish community as property of the king was a factor in the tensions that led to the standoff, and is reflected in the charter itself.

The complex legal history of Judaism's holiest site
Though the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is technically under Israeli sovereignty. But due to the complex history of the site's status under international and Israeli law, and also due to Jewish legal (i.e. halachic) considerations, access to Jews remains severely restricted.

The unique situation of Jews in Britain has had upsides and downsides
For the last few hundred years Jews have not faced overt persecution or anti-Semitism. Though welcomed into society, the casual stigmatization they faced often forced them to abandon their unique identity as Jews. While individual Jews prospered in England, Judaism and the Jewish community has fared less well.

Russian Jewry in the Geo-Theological Imagination of Chabad
The founder of Chabad was imprisoned by the Tsar in 1798 and 1801, but yet took a patriotic stance in the war of 1812. In Soviet Russia, intense persecution forced Chabad underground and its center eventually moved to the United States. Nevertheless, Chabad retained a strong active and ideological connection, which has again come to the fore with the fall of the Iron-Curtain.

How tolerant were Jews in the first century?
In the late Second Temple era, the Pharisees upheld the oral law and practiced the customs handed down by tradition, but the Sadducees held that Jews should only adhere to a strict literalist interpolation of the Law of Moses. Professor Martin Goodman explores the degree to which these two factions did or did not tolerate one another. ("The Isaac Meyers Memorial Lecture")
Sort By: