“ I count the programme in Jewish studies at the Centre as one of the most valuable academic experiences I have ever had. ”

“ The year at Yarnton wasn’t easy, nor should it have been. Indeed, it was probably the most academically challenging thing I’ve ever done. ”

“ The Jewish studies programme provided an opportunity for me to study at one of the best and oldest universities in the world. Participating in it enabled me to learn from and study with some of the finest scholars in their field. ”

Library resources

The Centre’s Leopold Muller Memorial Library is housed in two converted stone barns. The basis of the library was laid in 1974, when the Centre acquired the lifetime collection of the leading bibliographer of Modern Hebrew literature, Getzel Kressel (1911-1986). Assembled over a period of four decades, the collection, specialised mainly in the areas of Jewish history and Hebrew literature. It comprises some 30,000 Hebrew volumes and pamphlets and an archive of 400,000 newspaper cuttings mostly from the Hebrew press.

A significant addition to the holdings was the library of Gedalyah Elkoshi (1910-1988), which was acquired in 1991. This collection contains some 17,000 books, and constitutes a richly varied library in Jewish studies and Hebrew literature.

A further development was the creation of a Centrum Bibliographicum. Building on the already substantial holdings in the field, the library has supplemented its reference and bibliographic literature in all areas of Hebrew and Jewish studies, with the assistance of the Catherine Lewis Foundation. As a Bibliographic Centre, the Leopold Muller Memorial Library provides an unparalleled resource for bio-bibliographic and literary-historical research.

Thanks to the ongoing support of the Catherine Lewis Foundation the Library holds a collection more than 600 Yizkor Books, the largest unified and open-access collection of this literature in Europe. Yizkor Books – memorials to Jewish communities destroyed in the Holocaust – are indispensable sources of information regarding Jews in Eastern and Central Europe.

The Library contains several other important collections. The Montefiore Book Collection was part of the Library of the Judith Lady Montefiore College, initiated by Sir Moses Montefiore (1784-1885) the most prominent figure in 19th century Anglo-Jewry. It is one of the most significant collections of its kind in the UK and a major resource for the study of modern European Jewish history. The Coppenhagen Collection comprises nearly 30,000 books relating to the history of Dutch Jewry from the early 17th century until the end of the 20th century. Also noteworthy is the Rabbinic library donated by Rabbi Dr. Louis Jacobs, in particular the sections on Kabbalah, Mysticism and Hasidism, subjects little covered in the Centre’s Library previously. The section on Halakhah, containing Responsa from early to modern times, provides an exceptional resource for the study of Rabbinic Judaism and is probably the only one of its kind in Europe.

The main sections of the library are: Bible, Bibliography, History of the Jewish People, Holocaust, Israel Judaism, Modern Hebrew Literature, Yizkor Books, Zionism.

Read more about the Leopold Muller Memorial Library

The principal library of the University of Oxford is the Bodleian Library with unrivalled collections of Hebrew and Yiddish manuscripts and printed books. MSt students will also  be able to benefit from the Oriental Institute Library, which contains Biblical, Jewish, Islamic and other Oriental works.

Accommodation

Students live in comfortably furnished, self-catering cottages or a purpose-built student house in the grounds of the Yarnton Manor estate. Each student is allocated a single study/bedroom.

Students are invited to events organized by the Centre. In addition, each student becomes a member of a college, where meals and other Graduate or Middle Common Room facilities are available.

A shuttle service links Yarnton Manor to the centre of Oxford until late in the evening, making it possible for students to enjoy Oxford’s first-rate theatre and concerts, and to benefit from this beautiful city’s sporting and social activities, including punting on the river.

Students are eligible for membership of the famous Oxford Union Society, scene of many historic debates, and a wide selection of other University of Oxford clubs including political, musical, literary and sports societies.

Oxford, one of the most stimulating and historic university towns in the world, is surrounded by beautiful countryside and medieval villages, and is only an hour away from London by train or bus. It is also near Stratford-upon-Avon.