More than 200 students from 17 universities across the United Kingdom and local community members gathered in Oxford to celebrate Jewish life at the Chabad on Campus UK National Shabbaton.

Funded by the Slager and Tajtelbaum families, the weekend event took place at the Slager Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish Student Centre at Oxford University and featured guest speakers from around the world, including Israeli economist and Nobel Laureate Robert Aumann and former NBC News producer Molly Resnick.

“The weekend was a success beyond all expectations,” proclaimed Rabbi Eli Brackman, chairman of Chabad on Campus UK and director of the Oxford Chabad Society. “This will no doubt help further strengthen and energize Jewish life at universities across the United Kingdom.

RELATED

“The large attendance reflects the desire of Jewish students to connect with Jewish life in a stimulating and exciting atmosphere, and we look forward to having this Shabbaton become part of the Jewish student calendar in the UK for years to come,” added the rabbi.

Resnick opened the Shabbaton with a Friday inspirational talk describing highlights from her career at NBC and how she balanced her journalistic commitments with her Jewish identity. The talk was followed by a presentation on the “Spirituality of Shabbat” given by Rabbi Naftali Loewenthal, a professor of Jewish studies at University College London.

Aumann addressed the Friday night dinner with a talk on Game Theory and Jewish unity that explored the concept of the collective in conjunction with the role of the individual.

At another presentation, he stressed that Torah presented a “way of life,” and insisted that it couldn’t be seen as contradicting the purpose of science. He urged students to focus on “living” Jewishly as opposed to just “believing.”

Psychology professor Kate Miriam Loewenthal, meanwhile, spoke about the relationship between psychology and Judaism.

The Shabbaton also included the local Oxford tradition of punting on the Cherwell River and a walking tour of medieval Jewish Oxford. After the close of the Jewish Sabbath Saturday night, the Moshe Hecht rock band from New York performed for the students at a club in the city.

“The weekend was absolutely amazing,” said Michael Karlinski from Cambridge University.

“It was awesome,” added Nottingham University undergraduate Joel Hamilton,” especially the gig on Saturday night.”

The Shabbaton was also supported in part by the Chabad on Campus International Foundation and the Keren Shmuel Charity Fund.