MP John Bercow, the first Jewish speaker of the British House of Commons, talked shop with students, faculty and community members at Oxford University’s Chabad-Lubavitch Society last week, pointing to his upbringing in London’s Edgware section as giving him the strength to challenge long-held prejudices among his peers.

According to a report on the website of Chabad-Lubavitch UK, Bercow told the crowd at the Slager Jewish Student Centre that the Friday night meal took him back to his childhood and his family’s Shabbat celebrations. He stressed the importance of not being ashamed of one’s background, saying that it troubled him that “in an un-oppressed society, someone would conceal one’s Jewish identity.”

Asked by a student about anti-Semitism in Parliament, he suggested that the best way to deal with it was to “just get on with it and be successful at what you are doing. This really bothers them.”

Speaking after the close of the holy day, attendees said that the politician’s candor was refreshing.

“It was great to share a traditional Friday night meal with such a prominent public figure who is not ashamed to be proudly Jewish,” said one student.