UK Campus Chabad Celebrated

More than 200 friends and supporters of Chabad on Campus UK, including leaders of the British Jewish Community, attended the organisation’s 2nd annual reception, held this past Monday, 18th July, at the Bevis Marks Synagogue in the City of London.

Rabbi Brackman, chairman of Chabad on Campus UK and director of Chabad of Oxford, pronounced that “the event was a tremendous success and is testament to the valiant efforts of the 13 centres across the country serving the needs of the Jewish students throughout the year.” He added that “with the highly valued and vital partnerships of our dedicated supporters, we anticipate even greater accomplishments in the future.”

Some of the achievements of the past year included the establishment of three new centres, serving Jewish students at Manchester University, LiverpoolUniversity and East End of London campuses.

Rabbi Mendel Cohen, director of Chabad on Campus in the East End of London, warmly welcomed the guests to the historic East End of London location, a place that has seen a revival of Jewish life in recent years.

Guests included senior Vice President of the Board of Deputies of Great Britain, Mr. Jonathan Arkush, who praised the longstanding work of Chabad with students in the UK and said “the warmth of a Shabbat dinner and the open environment of the campus Chabad Houses are vital necessities for Jewish students today”.

Oxford Chabad Society student president Michael Bodansky extended a warm thank you on behalf of the students to the supporters of Chabad on campus UKand the 13 campus Rabbis and their wives. Drawing on Jewish teaching, Bodansky said that the major contribution of Chabad on campus is their steadfast dedication to the welfare of Jewish students ‘day in day out’, offering open Friday night Shabbat dinners for hundreds, as well as classes and an open home to the Jewish students throughout the year.

Guest speaker Lord Michael Levy, who acted as personal envoy to the Middle East on behalf of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, highlighted the importance of being proud of one’s Jewish identity even in adverse circumstances and applauded Chabad on Campus for playing a key role in instilling this pride in Jewish students on campus today.

In his captivating and humorous talk, Lord Levy shared personal anecdotes of his commitment to donning Talis and Tefillin daily, even in challenging locations such as Damascus and Saudi Arabia, as well as bringing along his wife’s homemade kosher food for Shabbat dinner with Mr. Blair at Number 10 Downing Street.

Rabbi Nachman Sudak, principal of Lubavitch UK, thanked the supporters of Chabad on campus UK and wished them success.

Alumnus Alex Stephany, who attended the event, said “there was a real warmth and an openness to the occasion and I enormously appreciated the welcoming and fun atmosphere. All the talks were excellent.”