- Oxford Academia at:
- 2026 Sessions:
July 17, 2026–July 30, 2026
July 31, 2026–August 13, 2026
- Eligibility:
Completing grades 9–12
Motivated rising 9th graders will also be considered
- Typical Seminar Size:
Explore the rich and complex history of Jewish life in Europe through the lens of Oxford’s own Jewish past, dating back to the 1100s. Beginning with the medieval community of European Jews and in particular the Anglo-Jewish community, trace the evolution of the Jewish experience from expulsions and persecution to political emancipation and modern identity. Through site visits, discussions, and primary sources, examine how European nationalism planted the seeds of Zionism in Jews yearning for a homeland and trace the history of antisemitism from 12th century Europe to the modern day. Visits to historic sites, libraries, and museums—including Oxford’s synagogue, Mansfield College’s collection of Hebrew texts, and the Ashmolean’s Jewish collections—bring this history to life, connecting centuries of Jewish resilience, culture, and thought.
FEATURED FACULTY
University of Oxford, M.St., Modern Jewish Studies
SOAS University of London, B.A., Hebrew and Israeli Studies
Peter is Lecturer in Oriental Studies at Mansfield College, University of Oxford, and Research Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. He specializes on the British Mandate for Palestine, with a particular interest in Maximalist-Revisionist Zionism. His first monograph, The Making of the Israeli Far-Right: Abba Ahimeir and Zionist Ideology (I.B. Tauris, 2020), focused on the ideological and political genesis of one of the major leaders of pro-Fascist, Far-Right Zionism, in the 1920s and 30s. He is preparing a manuscript that focuses on the role of Jewish anti-British resistance in Britain’s withdrawal from the Palestine Mandate. His current research looks at Anglo-Jewry in the first half of the 20th century, using the British Zionists Paul and Romana Goodman as a case study.