Upcoming Events

Dr David Hampshire FRSA developed an interest in Kabbalistic literature and history as a result of exploring the history of his family in east Ukraine, where his ancestors were Chasid’s of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, and his experience of living with Chabad Lubavitch Chassidim whilst a student. Whilst at Bristol and Cambridge he contributed to the teaching of Jewish studies, with a focus on the Chassidic tradition, and he was a senior examiner for OCR in Jewish Studies for a…

Rabbi, writer and broadcaster, Jonathan Romain is minister of Maidenhead Synagogue in Berkshire. He writes for The Times, The Guardian and The Jewish Chronicle and is often heard on the BBC. His many books include The Jews of England and Faith and Practice: A Guide to Reform Judaism Today. In 2004, Jonathan received the MBE for his pioneering work nationally in helping mixed-faith couples, a theme covered in his book Till Faith Us Do Part (HarperCollins). He is chaplain to…

Join us to hear Professor Bryan Cheyette (University of Reading), discuss the famous East End author, Israel Zangwill. Save the date: 18 March at 8pm. Tickets below. If you are a JHSE member, log in to your account first and come back to this page to access complimentary tickets.

When the Bolsheviks came to power in 1917, they announced the overthrow of a world scarred by exploitation and domination. In the very moment of revolution, these sentiments were put to the test as antisemitic pogroms swept the former Pale of Settlement. The pogroms posed fundamental questions of the Bolshevik project, revealing the depth of antisemitism within sections of the working class, peasantry and Red Army. Brendan McGeever’s new book Antisemitism and the Russian Revolution offers the first book-length analysis of the…

On 23rd March 2021 Sussex branch welcomes Dr Jonathan Lewis, who will speak about a little known Jewish minister, Rev. John Harris of Liverpool, who adopted a pacifist position in the First World War. The cantor of the Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation (Princes Road), Reverend Harris, was an unassuming and religious man of conviction, who came to a pacifism which was personal and religiously inspired, not political. With the introduction of conscription in 1916, appeals against compulsory military service were…

Colin Shindler (Emeritus professor at SOAS) will be speaking to the JHSE on the Life and Times of Vladimir Jabotinsky April 19th 2021.  The author of several previous books which have focused on the political odysseys of Vladimir Jabotinsky, Menahem Begin and Avraham Stern, his recent publication The Rise of the Israeli Right: From Odessa to Hebron (Cambridge University Press) was awarded the gold medal as the best book for 2016 in The Washington Institute’s for Near East Policy’s Book Prize competition. Tickets below.…

The Spanish Island of Majorca is known for its beach resorts, limestone mountains, and being home to tennis celebrity Rafa Nadal. But Majorca holds a secret, never discussed in most travel guides. During the Inquisition, the Crypto-Jews or Chuetas publicly professed Catholicism while privately adhering to Judaism. Still, hundreds of Jews were murdered and only 15 families survived. Join guide Dani Rotstein on a special virtual tour of Majorca’s history and its lessons for all Jews today. Dani Rotstein moved…

Speakers: Professor Sarah Rees Jones, University of York and Ms Shannon Kirshner, Chair, Liberal Jewish Community of York Synopsis: We only know of the events in York in March 1190 through various acts of commemoration. From descriptions composed by chroniclers within living memory of the events to the creation of memorials and new histories of York’s Jewish community in the later 20th and early 21st centuries. Sarah Rees Jones will survey different approaches taken to these acts of memorialisation from…