Kosher Food at Imperial College 

As students gave out pamphlets promoting boycotting Israel in the Sir Alexander Fleming building in Imperial College's South Kensington campus, Jewish students sat proudly eating kosher food.

Kosher food at Imperial College is not a new thing.

"It was in 1970" Mr Freddie Hager, then a Law student at UCL, recalls. "I had visited New York and was granted an audience with the late leader of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, the Lubavitcher Rebbe".

The Rebbe asked Mr Hager "what about kosher food on campus in London?" Mr Hager responded that Hillel House (then being rebuilt) would be opening up a kosher cafeteria in a few months.

"What about till then? asked the Rebbe. By the end of the conversation it was agreed that there would be kosher food made available on campus right away.

At that point UCL had a well-established sandwich lunch venue at the Law School, with a minyan for Mincha. Mr Hager organised kosher food at LSE, Kings College and Imperial College.

A few years later a generous Jewish businessman, Mr Willi Stern, gave access to students from Imperial College to eat at the cafeteria in his nearby offices on Prince Consort Road. 

"The Lunch Place" as it is known became a place where Jewish students of all backgrounds were able to sit and eat good kosher lunches in a pleasant environment.

In the summer of 2009 the Lunch Place had to close temporarily.

For a few months the dedicated students have been bringing packed lunches from home. However all felt the loss of easily accessible kosher food on campus and fondly missed the warm atmosphere of "The Lunch Place".

After talking with students about the kosher food situation, Rabbi Mendy Loewenthal director of Chabad of South Kensington, managed to raise funds from private donors, to kick start the provision of kosher food at Imperial College again, till the Lunch Place will re-open.

“It is very generous of the donors giving money for kosher food” said David Polikoff, 4th year Imperial College Maths student. “It is a good thing to have kosher lunches on campus and there is great variety too”.

Apart from regular study sessions and packed Friday Night meals the Chabad House is working to strengthen Jewish life at Imperial and other local colleges.