Last week, as I walked down Oxford’s busy High Street on the way to hand in my dissertation, I felt myself overcome by an enormous sense of nostalgia over the four years I have spent at the University of Oxford. Without a doubt, some of my happiest memories will be forever attached to this place.
Yes it is true that there have been a number of stories about antisemitism in the Labour Club and the wider student body (a topic I covered in an earlier blog post ). It is also true that the town has played host to inflammatory anti-Israel speakers such as Norman Finkelstein and Ken Livingstone. I have also directly experienced the tensions that can sometimes arise between Jewish and Israeli students regarding Israel advocacy. This, however, is only one aspect of my experience at university. No Jewish student should feel put off studying at Oxford. For me, it has opened up many academic and personal opportunities and nurtured my enthusiasm for involvement in the Jewish community.
Firstly, it goes without saying that the Chabad house and the JSoc have been wonderful. I am truly grateful to have had spiritual leaders as welcoming and caring as Rabbi Eli and Friedy Brackman, and Rabbi Michael and Tracy Rosenfeld-Schueler. I have spent many a joyous Shabbat dinner in their company. While it is often the case that Jewish students have found it difficult to have their needs met at smaller campuses, this was never the case in Oxford. Chabad and JSoc provided everything from weekday Kosher meals to educational events, film showings, external speakers and festivities.
The Oxford Jewish community has a proud presence at the university. Each Hanukah, the Chabad Menorah stands proudly next to the Christmas tree outside Balliol College. As someone who has served on both the Jsoc and Chabad committees, my favourite memories include the termly ‘Jewbilation’ celebrations and the annual Jewish festival held on Broad Street (replete with a bookstore, a Klezmer band and Israeli food). These events proved so popular that many non Jews attended - there is nothing quite like simcha dancing to bring people together!
The Oxford Israel Forum, of which I was also a part, was able to put on an exciting programme of lectures and events. This included a number of prestigious speakers, including Yaakov Peri (former head of Shin Bet), the historian Professor Benny Morris, and the legal expert Professor Alan Dershowitz. These events attracted a deeply engaged audience. I can only hope that future students are able to continue our work and get more people involved in a fair and open discussion of Israel.
While the Oxford Union put on a disproportionate number of anti-Israel speakers, it also hosted the former and current Israeli ambassadors to the UK (Daniel Taub and Mark Regev), Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, and other fascinating speakers from the Jewish and Israeli world. Its pricey membership fee was more than worth the incredible line up of speakers and social events that this world class debating chamber is able to attract.
I could not have studied history, my favourite subject, in a more pleasurable and intellectually fulfilling place. I would be the last person to downplay the serious concerns that some Jewish students have faced at Oxford or other universities across the UK. I share those anxieties; indeed, there were times when I thought that the JSoc in particular should have been doing more to combat antisemitism and anti-Israel activities like BDS. But the Jewish Oxford I knew was one that was deeply engaged with the non-Jewish world. It was vibrant, forward looking and open minded. The vast majority of students that I became friends with embody the best of these values. I know that I will always look back fondly on my time at the city of dreaming spires and hope to return again soon.
Richard Black is a postgraduate student at the University of Oxford, studying Modern British and European History. He has served on the committee of the Oxford Jewish Society and the Israel Forum. He has previously written for Standpoint and a number of student publications.
