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 my responsibilities to my children," said Caytak.

Sara Loewenthal spoke about how time is the most important gift that a parent can give to a child.

"My mother always makes sure to spend time with all twelve of us despite being so busy. I always remember spending quality and special time with her," said Loewenthal.

"Even though I'm now in London, we speak every day, and she gives me a great amount of encouragement."

Loewenthal moved to London in 2008 with her husband Mendy and their son Yitzi to established Chabad of South Kensington as a ‘home away from home’ for students at Imperial College and other universities in the surrounding

In her role as co-director of Chabad of South Kensington, Loewenthal takes much inspiration from her parent'’ philosophy of having an open house.

Asked what she learned from her mother, she responded "the blessing of community involvement," explaining how she had recently made Passover seders and meals for over 150 people.

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, women and children, should participate."

Although many people would use the Rambam’s work to supplement their study Talmud and Jewish law, it was not being studied as a text in its own right by the ordinary layman as its author had intended.

"The Rebbe brought Rambam back from being a book for scholars to being a book for the masses to study from," wrote Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the former Sefardi chief rabbi of Israel.

There are three suggested study tracks: a three chapter a day cycle which completes the whole Mishneh Torah in just under one year; a one chapter a day cycle which takes close to three years to complete; and the study of Sefer Hamitzvot – the Book of Commandments – which allows one to cover all 613 commandments in the space of one year.

To make the study of Rambam more accessible, each tack has been made available for daily study on Chabad.org’s with the original Hebrew text as well as Rabbi Eliyahu Touger's fully annotated English translation published by Moznaim. In addition, downloadable English audio classes for each track are available to aid one’s study.

Besides these useful study resources which have been welcomed by scholars and laymen alike, an array of articles detailing the Maimonides’ life and teachings can be found as well as a wide selection of audio and visual resources.

Visit www.chabad.org.uk/rambam to find out more.

To read more news:

• Hundreds of Thousands Celebrate Medieval Sage and His Foundational Text by Chana Kroll
• Jerusalem Celebration Encourages Women to Join Study of Maimonides by Chana Kroll

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 energy and pride in their religion and community.

"People have different personalities... Each of Rabbi Akiva's students felt that the others would do well to adopt his particular mode," explained Dayan Raskin.

He urged the children to respect others’ differences and to utilise their “unique personalities” to reach out to others.

Following the rally the police stopped traffic to allow the children to march in a parade down Stamford Hill’s main road holding banners and singing songs with Rabbi Y Cyprys of Shir Chodosh band providing joyous musical accompaniment.

The colourful banners reflected Jewish themes and carried slogans from Torah passages, such as "Love Your Fellow as Yourself" and "It is a Great Mitzvah to Live with Happiness."

The vibrant rally and parade drew the attention of passersby, local residents and those who came from further afield.

“It is great to see Jewish children expressing themselves in such a lovely way and reaching out to the rest the community,” exclaimed one pedestrian who stopped to watch the parade.

Frederic Aranda, a South London-based photographer, was inspired to travel to Stamford Hill especially to capture the parade on film.

"I admired the spirit of the event. People showing a joyful spirit is rare in the current gloomy climate. It was a breath of fresh air!"

In addition to the London event, other such parades took place in various locations throughout the world, including Crown Heights, Israel and Australia.

The practice of holding parades for Lag B’Omer was established by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of blessed memory, as a demonstration of Jewish pride.

Click here to launch Photo Gallery.

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 enjoyed a festive atmosphere in North East London and Essex as Chabad of Buckhurst Hill hosted a BBQ evening at the home of one of their supporters in Loughton with over 180 people joining in the fun. A fire juggler and fireworks provided entertainment for the whole family. 

In Scotland, Chabad of Edinburgh celebrated Lag B'Omer with a BBQ with a full range of kosher meat which attracted crowds of students.

"Every one was excited to have kosher meat in the middle of Scotland,” says Rabbi Pinny Weinman. "For many students it was the first time they ate kosher meat since they have arrived in September."

Students in the seaside town of Brighton enjoyed a Lag B’Omer BBQ on the beach organised by Rabbi Zalman and Shterna Lewis, co-directors of Chabad on Campus of the South Coast. Musical entertainment was provided as well as food to cater for all tastes, including kebabs, burgers, sausages, marshmallows and a veggie burgers.

Also in Brighton, Rabbi Pesach and Penina Efune, co-directors of Lubavitch of Brighton, hosted a Lag B'Omer bonfire and BBQ for members of the local Brighton and Hove community. Attendees enjoyed music performed by renowned Jewish entertained, Eli Tamir.

In Central London, Chabad of Bloomsbury hosted 50 students and young professionals for a BBQ in a rooftop garden in the heart of capital. As well as food and music, attendees enjoyed impressive views of the city skyline, including the London Eye.

Two BBQ events - one for students and the other for community members and their children - attracted 70 people at Chabad of Cambridge.

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 scholars.

The author's experience as a Chabad emissary - co-directing Chabad Lubavitch of Bournemouth with his wife Chanie Alperowitz - makes this book a perfect source for an off-the-cuff Torah thought for those running a Chabad House or for people in their own homes.

Pearls for the Shabbos Table, 2009, Kehot Publication Society.

To view sample pages, click here.

To purchase contact the Lubavitch House Bookstore or click here.

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 ceremony where people received a certificate. The course was also accredited by the CPD Institute, so please could gain credit for their professional development.”

In Leeds, the course begins on Tuesday 19 March led by Rabbi Eli Pink, director of education at the Lubavitch Centre of Leeds.

Leeds will also be the first city outside the United States to run a JLI course adapted especially for teenagers. The classes will use CCTV footage and movie clips to trigger discussion on Jewish topics such as extreme sports, drug abuse, suicide and saving lives.

"I am really proud that we have been given this opportunity," said Rabbi Reuven Cohen, Lubavitch Youth director.

"It is an exceptional course and teenagers will benefit."

The Rohr JLI is the is the largest institute of adult learning of its kind and participants in London and Leeds will join with Jews from around the world in over 300 cities where the JLI course is also taking place.

Preview the course with the video below: