Oxford Jewish Heritage

This timeline will be updated as soon as possible to include more twentieth and twenty first century events:

1655 – Manasseh ben Israel, a rabbi from Holland, arrives to persuade Oliver Cromwell to re-admit Jews into England. Three months later Cromwell holds a conference and in 1656 makes a positive signal to the Jews by allowing a Spanish merchant to keep his ships and goods whilst England is still at war with Spain.

1753 Jew Bill - allows Jews to become naturalized by application to Parliament.

1844 – Rabbi Aaron Jacob and daughter Rebecca die in a fire in St Ebbe’s – reported in Jackson’s Oxford Journal 2nd March

1847 – Synagogue in Paradise Square

1851 census records 10 Jewish households in Oxford, predominantly jewellers.

1858 – Lionel de Rothschild becomes the first Jewish MP

1868-1901 Adolf Neubauer – catalogues the Hebrew collections in the Bodleian

1871 - Universities Tests Act

1883 - J.J. Sylvester, Mathematician – first Jewish Fellow (New College)

1891 – New synagogue building constructed on present site.

1905 - Oxford University Jewish Society (the Adler Society) founded

1906 – first University Zionist Society founded

1922 – Chaim Weizmann speaks at Oxford Town Hall

1931 – Einstein given a fellowship at Christ Church for a month every summer.

1938 – Cecil Roth made Reader in post-biblical Jewish studies

1939 - During the war - hostel for refugee boys at 1 Linton Rd.

1945 – Ernst Chain shares Nobel Prize for Medicine with Prof Florey and Fleming.

1951 - Arthur Goodhart became the first Jew to become Head of a college, Master of Univ., followed by Arnold (Lord) Goodman.

1953 - Hans Krebs (Trinity college) receives the the Nobel Prize in Physiology

1966 - Isaiah Berlin becomes first President of Wolfson College.

1970-71 Rabbi Prof Jonathan Sacks, current Chief Rabbi, grad student at New College

1970 – May, Daniel Barenboim and Jacqueline Du Pre perform at the Town Hall

1990 - college heads include Sir Zelman Cowan – Provost of Oriel; Lord Goodman Master of Univ; Ruth Deech – St Anne’s; Baruch Blumberg – Master of Balliol; Sir Claus Moser – Wadham; Isaiah Berlin – President of Wolfson