Rabbi Shmuel Boteach, aged 31, is an American born orthodox rabbi.

Following rabbinical studies in Australia, Israel and the United States, Rabbi Boteach at age 21, was sent by the Lubavitcher Rebbe to Oxford as the first residential rabbi in a number of decades. His aim, to stimulate students and share Judaism’s timeless message of inclusion, tolerance and love as well as conveying its engagement in the modern world. The community he established has become known as the L’Chaim Society (Hebrew for "to life") and is now the second largest student organization in Oxford’s history with branches also in London and Cambridge.

In ten years, the L’Chaim Society, inspired and driven by Rabbi Boteach, has become a central part of Jewish life in the UK, a hub of intellectual debate and religious celebration for Jews and non-Jews. Already regarded as a leading contemporary Jewish thinker, Rabbi Boteach believes wholeheartedly in the synthesis of heaven and earth, a message which challenges issues central to humanity.

The universal debates and lectures he organizes attract world figures from all fields. Visitors to the Society include Binyamin Netanyahu, Mikhail Gorbachev, Bob Hawke, Elie Weisel, Natan Sharansky, Simon Weisenthal, Amos Oz, Diego Maradonna, John Voigt, Professor Stephen Hawking, Jerry Springer and Boy George. In debates held by the L’Chaim Society, Rabbi Boteach is involved in addressing subjects such as the existence of G-d, the role of women in society, the question of human evolution and the role of the media in representing the truth, to name but a few.

Rabbi Boteach appears regularly on radio and television. The BBC have produced a one hour documentary about his work and the L’Chaim Society, entitled Moses of Oxford. He has also appeared on Many Questions, a religious talk-back program produced by ITN, along with many other programs including the Big Breakfast (Channel 4), Thursday Night Live (Carlton TV) and Moral Maze (BBC). The BBC have also been working on a four part radio series entitled Jewish Guide to Adultery in which Rabbi Boteach will speak about marriage, divorce, adultery and sex. A book of the same name, written by Rabbi Boteach, has already been published.

Barbara Streisand’s film company, Barwood Studios in New York, have been working on a script for a potential film on the life of Rabbi Boteach and a former President of the L’Chaim Society, Cory Booker.

As the author of seven books, Rabbi Boteach writes prolifically on all manner of contemporary issues. He has written on relationships and sexuality, broader social issues such as racism and gender equality, and theological issues such as the existence of G-d and human suffering. Books published include Dreams; The Wolf Shall Lie With The Lamb; Wrestling with the Divine; Moses of Oxford; The Jewish Guide to Adultery; Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge and his latest work, published in May 1998, Kosher Sex. Further works due to be published in 1998 include The Intelligent Persons Guide to Judaism. He has built an international following as a spirited and lucid exponent of the role of Judaism in modern thought and life, through his weekly essays, available on the World Wide Web.

Rabbi Boteach resides in London and Oxford with his Australian wife, Deborah, and their six young children.

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