UK News

Few if any archaeological finds in the past century have elicited the interest or controversy that has surrounded the Dead Sea Scrolls. With that in mind, Jewish residents of Manchester, England, sat down to learn more about the scrolls, and what they can and cannot tell researchers, from one of the world’s leading scholars on the topic, New York University professor Lawrence H. Schiffman.

Schiffman, who serves as chair of NYU’s Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and is a member of the university’s Centers for Ancient and Near Eastern Studies, began his pre-Shavuot address at the Beis Menachem Community Centre by referring to what he called the “mystique” of the scrolls.

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In honour of Mother's Day – which is celebrated in May in the USA and Canada - four women, considered to be exceptional mothers, were invited to discuss motherhood on the popular Professor Gerry Cammy Show on Canada's national talk radio.

Among them were Devora Caytak, a mother of twelve from Ottawa, and her daughter, Sara Loewenthal , co-director of Chabad of South Kensington in London.

Devora Caytak doesn't just confine herself to being a full-time mother of twelve. Rather, she is an integral part of Ottawa's Jewish community, busy running the city's Camp Gan Israel, a Montessori Jewish preschool, friendship circle and Jewish youth library.

"I see it as my duty to mould good citizens. I always pray for insight in fulfilling… Read More »

Edith Einhorn couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her granddaughter, who co-directs a Jewish Student Center on England’s South Coast, would be doing the unthinkable: Making a Friday night meal without meat, or eggs, or any animal product of any kind.

“What? No gefilte fish? No chicken soup? Challah without eggs?” exclaimed the incredulous grandmother, who lives in Israel. “No kugel? No matza balls?!”

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To mark 25 years of the Rambam study cycle, Chabad.org has unveiled a new and exciting multimedia section offering a full online English translation of Maimonides' classic work on Jewish law.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, encouraged every Jewish man, woman and child to add to their Torah learning by studying a portion of Maimonides' compendium of Jewish law, known as the Mishneh Torah.

"Unity among Jews is such an important matter that all efforts must be undertaken to achieve it," he said at a public gathering 1984 announcing the initiative.

"Since one of the principal elements in the study of Rambam is the unity of Jewry, as many Jews as possible, men… Read More »

Renowned Jewish scholar Rabbi Adin Even Yisroel Steinsaltz visited Oxford University’s Chabad Society this week to deliver a lecture in honor of Sir Isaiah Berlin, considered by many to be one of the most prominent liberal thinkers of the 20th century.

Not just content with simply presenting a lecture, though, the Israeli rabbi joined a group of students to tour Jewish sites of interest in the city, including the presumed location where Haggai of Oxford, a 13th century convert to Judaism, was executed by edict of the non-Jewish religious authorities. They held an afternoon prayer service at the site.

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Before inaugurating Chabad-Lubavitch of Oxford’s Sir Isaiah Berlin memorial lecture, renowned scholar Rabbi Adin Even Yisroel Steinsaltz took some time to tour the city’s Jewish sites with students from Oxford University’s Chabad Society.

Among the stops was an afternoon prayer service at the presumed location where Haggai of Oxford, a 13th-century convert to Judaism, was executed for his religious beliefs, and the university’s Bodleian Library to peruse its collection of rare Jewish manuscripts.

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Music and colourful banners filled the streets of Stamford Hill on Tuesday morning as close to one thousand people participated in the annual parade to celebrate Lag B’Omer – the day which marks the passing of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and the ceasation of a plague which claimed the lives of Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students.

Students from kindergartens and schools in North and North West London gathered with the wider community and civic leaders outside the headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in the UK.

A rally was held with speeches delivered by Dayan L Y Raskin, rabbi of the Lubavitch community in London, and Councillor Mutallip Unluer, deputy speaker of Hackney Council, who commended the children for their… Read More »

Bonfires and BBQs burnt throughout Lag B’Omer as Chabad Lubavitch centres around the United Kingdom welcomed crowds to celebrate the day which marks the passing of the Talmudic Sage and author of the Zohar Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, and the cessation of the plague which claimed the lives of Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students.

In Leeds, over 150 people from across the community attended a family fun day organised by the Lubavitch Centre. A fascinating presentation by the “Animal Man” entertained the young and a bouncy castle let them burn off the extra calories from an appetising BBQ. As is the tradition on Lag B’Omer, an opshernish (first haircut) was also held for a young three year old boy.

Families also… Read More »

In Pearls For the Shabbos Table, by Rabbi Yosef Y. Alperowitz, co-director of Chabad Lubavitch of Bournemouth, the title doesn't lie.

Like real life precious pearls, shining ideas are compiled from the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of blessed memory, and condensed into approximately 1500 letters on two pages.

A collection of thoughts on the weekly Torah portions and Jewish festivals, the 158 page book should stir the minds of anyone gathered for a Shabbos or Yom Tov meal.

As written on the back cover, its easy-to-read style is designed to be accessible to children as well as adults, while its powerful messages are sure to inspire deeper discussion even among the more seasoned… Read More »

This week marks the beginning of a new series of JLI – the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute – classes in London and Leeds.

The new course, entitled “Biblical Reflections: Find Yourself in the Stories of the Bible,” takes participants through the book of Genesis exploring the way in which the biblical narrative and characters capture the imagination and provide a window into the soul.

The six-session course, professionally designed for people at all levels of Jewish knowledge, began this week in London taught by Rabbi Dovid Katz, education director of Hendon Chabad House.

“In March we had a successful JLI course which explored Jewish civil law,” says Rabbi Katz.

“At the end we had a graduation… Read More »