On 5 May, a celebration of Lag BaOmer, a Jewish religious holiday, took place on Broad street, run by the Oxford Chabad Society.
Lag BaOmer is a holiday celebrated on the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer, a ritual in Judaism counting each of the 49 days between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot. This hence gives it the name ‘Lag BaOmer’, meaning “33rd [day] in the Omer”. The holiday takes place on the 18th day of the Hebrew month of lyar. According to some leading Rabbis, it is the day on which the plague that killed Rabbi Akiva’s (a leading Jewish scholar in the latter part of the first century and beginning of the second) 24,000 disciples came to an end. For this reason, many Jewish communities choose to conclude the mourning period of the Counting of the Omer on Lag BaOmer.
Ashkenazi Jews consider the 33rd day of the Omer to be the day all restrictions of mourning are lifted, and, as a result, they often schedule weddings, parties, listening to music, and haircuts to coincide with Lag BaOmer. Sephardic Jews, however, consider the mourning to cease on the following day, and therefore celebrate Lag BaOmer on the 34th day of the Omer instead. It is customary among Hasidic Jews that three-year-old boys be given their first haircuts (upshernish).
The Oxford Chabad Society is itself a Hasidic organisation. Chabad is a worldwide Orthodox Hasidic movement and philosophy focusing on outreach, education, and Jewish awareness, rooted in Lubavitch, Russia. The name Chabad is an acronym for the Hebrew words ‘Chochmah’ (wisdom), ‘Binah’ (understanding), and Da’at (knowledge).
The Oxford-based society was established in September 2001 and is dedicated to “serving Oxford Jewish Students”. According to the society’s website, at the same time the University was founded in the 12th century, the Jewish sage Moses Maimonides was compiling works of Jewish law, philosophy, and medicine. During the Crusades, he was allegedly invited by Richard the Lionheart to live in England but declined, at a time when Jews were not permitted to be members of the University. However, today, according to Oxford JSoc, a “social, cultural, religious, and pastoral home of Jewish students in Oxford”, there are approximately more than 400 Jewish students on campus.
The founding of the Oxford Chabad society took place when a young Chabad Rabbi and his wife came to re-establish the Chabad House in Oxford, after many years of students using every large venue in Oxford for Passover Seder nights, Shabbat dinners, and discussions. There was also the additional goal of establishing a centre. This led to the Oxford Slager Jewish Student Centre opening on George Street in 2006. It serves as a venue for Jewish students, and includes a popular prayer hall, and a space for Shabbat and holiday dinners for over 100 students. The founding of the centre was made possible by the support of Oxford alumnus David Slager, and was named after his grandfather, also named David Slager, who perished in Auschwitz.
Today, the society has many members and holds activities and events like this regularly, sometimes even several times a week. Their event on 5 May was the 13th annual Oxford Jewish Fair in celebration of Lag BaOmer. It took place from 12pm until 5pm and hosted a range of activities. Firstly, a formal opening was led by the Lord Mayor of Oxford at 1pm, followed by London’s Jewish Music Band ‘SHIR’, comprising Ivor Goldberg and Maurice Chernick, who played Klezmer, Israeli, Sephardi, Mizrahi, Ladino, and Simcha music. There were also various other musicians, including Oxford musicians Phi Freisinger, Sue Smith, and Matthew Faulk, as well as Kosher hot food and stalls selling books and art. In addition, there was also a ‘Jewish History of England Exhibition’ and Kosher cooking, including pickle making and Challah baking, as well as Kosher and Israeli wine tasting. Scribal art was presented by the expert scribe, Arieh Freeman. There was also archery, a cartoonist, and the celebration of the upshernish of Lev Mitchell.
The event was supported by many societies, businesses and organisations, including the Oxford City Council, the Community Security trust, (CST), Kedem Europe, Mamou Family, JTrails, and the National Anglo-Jewish Heritage Trail. Other societies that supported the event were: Oxford JSoc, Oxford Jewish Chaplaincy, Oxford Jewish Congregation, Kaifeng Glatt Kosher Chinese Restaurant, Aisenthal Judaica.
Unfortunately, there has been a recent government declaration that the national threat level has increased after a recent attack on Wednesday 29 April in Golders Green, which means that there is a heightened risk of antisemitic terror attacks. In response to the attack, the chief for the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, explained that more resources are being used to support the Jewish community. This could be seen at the event on Broad Street, which was accompanied by a strong police presence, with several police cars parked close by. In an interview with the BBC, Rowley stated: “it’s tragic that any British citizen should feel afraid simply because of who they are and what they are”, and that the force have put extra resources into areas to help the Jewish community. He assures that they will “do everything possible” to keep this going.
Despite the rise in anti-semitic behaviour and violence, the Jewish community continues to celebrate festivals which are integral to their religion. In north London, thousands gathered to celebrate Lag BaOmer just two days after the attack in Golders Green, in order to bring the Jewish community together. The Jewish Community Leader for Stamford Hill, Levi Shapiro, stated that, because of the heightened antisemitic incidents across the area, their celebrations are different. He outlined how “there will be that extra element of prayers, a moment of unity and reflection for the Jewish community, and of course, a community that stays strong together in the most challenging times”.
The Oxford Chabad Society was approached for comment.