RABBIS AT THE DOUBLE
Bristol JSoc has gone from no rabbis to two in the space of a few months following the move by a Chabad couple to the area.

Rabbi Mendy Singer, with his wife, Chaya, moved from Brooklyn to the Cliftonwood area, not far from University of Bristol campus.

In what Rabbi Singer described as "kind of a coincidence and kind of a miracle", the couple have ended up living in a building that also houses Jacob's Well, a medieval mikveh known to be the UK's oldest surviving medieval Jewish structure.

Rabbi Singer's arrival comes after the University Jewish Chaplaincy appointment of Rabbi Avi and Laurie Rosten as resident part-time chaplains for the Bristol area, announced last month following an appeal by students and UJC for funds for the 150-strong Jewish society.

JSoc president Natalie Lang said: "We are very pleased to welcome both couples to campus. As a growing JSoc, we hope to welcome many more Jewish students to campus next year - all with different backgrounds. We hope that both couples will be able to cater for the varying needs of the students."

AN INTENSE SHABBAT
More than 200 students in Nottingham crowded into a huge marquee hired for a special Shabbat dinner organised by Chabad couple Rabbi Mendy and Brocha Lent as a treat during the tough exams period.

Beneath the tent, set up in the couple's garden, students enjoyed a four-course meal and singing. Undergraduate Leah Port said it was "a truly stunning evening - a highlight of my first year in Nottingham".

NOT LAGGING IN OXFORD
The second annual lag b'omer street fair was held in Oxford earlier this month, and saw locals and students dancing to klezmer music and learning how to make challah. Over 500 people attended the event, run by Oxford Chabad Rabbi Eli Brackman and opened by Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Craig Simmons.