Jewish Boost for French Students

Chabad on Campus UK hosted recently a Shabbaton in Oxford for a group of thirty French Jewish students visiting from top engineering schools in Paris, including Ecole Central, Pharmacy Chatenay Malabry, H E C and Polytheqnic – coming less than two months after the brutal killings that shook the Jewish community in Tolouse and worldwide.

The Shabbaton was organized by Central School of Sceaux and Rabbi Levi Mimoun, Director of Chabad on Campus in Sceaux, for French Jewish students to meet Jewish students in the UK and become more inspired to get involved in Jewish student life in France when they return, despite the challenges ahead.

Guest speaker was Professor of Jewish studies at the Sorbonne, Professor Bernard Yossef Paperon, who addressed the students on numerous subjects of interest, including Psychoanalyses and Kabbalah and French Jewish philosopher and Talmudist Emanuel Levinas and Chassidism.

Rabbi Eli Brackman, Chairman of Chabad on Campus UK and Director of Oxford University Chabad Society, commented that “hosting French Jewish students in Oxford was a great display of Jewish unity and an enriching experience for the Oxford students as well; we look forward to welcoming Jewish students from other European universities for similar trips in the future to help strengthen Jewish student life in Europe”.

The program included a walking tour of medieval Jewish Oxford, in addition to spirited Shabbat dinners, stimulating sessions and talks on a variety of interesting contemporary topics, student led discussions about Jewish student life in Europe, and concluded with sight seeing in Central London on Sunday before returning to France.

This EU-UK Shabbaton followed two successful Shabbatons earlier this academic year hosted by Chabad on Campus with about 60 students attending the annual Chabad on Campus UK Shabbaton in Goytre Valley, South Wales, and a sizable student participation representing the UK at the International Chabad on Campus Shabbaton in NY in November for over 700 Jewish students from across North America and Europe.

The Shabbaton was kindly sponsored by Chabad on Campus Europe and Chabad on Campus International Foundation.

For more information about Chabad on campus Europe, visit www.chabadoncampus.eu and for Chabad on Campus UK, visit ww.chabadoncampus.org.uk.