Preview: JSoc Ball

The ball is very early on in the season. Is it worth breaking out of good studying habits for?

Balls in Trinity are so mainstream. JSoc’s got a bit of a hipster rep recently thanks to our termly, sell-out drinks event Jewbilation (plug, Wed 8th Wk) which was described by someone in skinny jeans and Woody Allen glasses  as “like, really alternative” and has thus earned us the reputation of the Baby Love of faith societies. So we say, break the rules. Live a little. Studying, schmudying.

The town hall is a paragon of architectural mediocrity. How is it going to be beautifully transformed for the evening?

A little known nugget of info amongst Oxford’s gentile population is that the Oxford Town Hall has a prestigious Jewish history dating back to 1228, being entirely built on expropriated Jewish property (awkward). So we literally own it. Anyway, the venue will be transformed for the evening with spectacular, coloured lighting to create an amazing ambience, as well as being filled with all the biggest BJOCs in O-Town come 2nd February.

Have as much fun as this guy, election hero LJ Trup

Can we still buy tickets? My student loan has just come in – how much do they cost?

Ticket sales have officially ended but we may have very limited availability if you get in touch. Won’t break the bank either – at £70, it’s (very possibly) the cheapest ball in Oxford.

What is going to make JSoc ball stand out from the other …one… ball happening in Hilary term?

In this very publication, Catz Ball boldly declared: “We’re the only ball next term”. Ahem. As an old Rabbi once said, there ain’t no party like a JSoc party. So it’ll be like no Oxford ball you’ve ever experienced, with more food and drink than you can shake a stick at, raucous music and dancing and a few surprises along the way as we celebrate the first 110 years of the JSoc’s life. We don’t do this kind of shebang every year – we’re pulling out all the stops for our big birthday bash, so we mean serious partying. Don’t risk waiting another 110 years, it’s quite a long time.

An actual photo from the last JSoc ball

Will there be someone on a chair carried in the air to music, or does this only happen at Bar Mitzvahs?

Absolutely. Disclaimer: don’t attend if you suffer from vertigo. We’ve got a band in and a caller who’ll be doing all the classic tunes you probably last heard when you were watching an American film with a Jewish wedding – hava nagila etc. Think ceilidh, but Jew style.

How many times can I shout “mazel tov!” before people start to get annoyed?

Oy, as many times as you like! It’s our 110th birthday after all. Seek inspiration from the middle section of that bar mitzvah classic, the Black Eyed Peas’ ‘I gotta feeling’: “Fill up my cup (drink), Mazel tov (l’chaim)” and brush up on your Yiddish now if you want to impress that nice Jewish boy or girl you’ve had your eye on.

Still better than Camera

What sort of food can I eat?

Guests will enjoy a three-course, sit-down banquet all included in the ball ticket, a snip at £70. It’s kosher, trust us. And if you know anything about Jews, you’ll know nosh is our speciality and we inevitably over-cater for every occasion, so we’ve also thrown in canapés, a sushi bar and some sweet treats for good measure. Not to mention the dangerously copious amount of alcoholic beverages we’ll have available on the night!

What music will I be able to dance and throw my kippah in the air to?

Now obviously one of the added bonuses of attending the ball is to get your very own free kippah, also surprisingly adaptable for bop costumes. But have we got a musical line-up for you! We’ve got a bangin’ jazz band for the start, then live, traditional Jewish music complete with dancing in the middle and at the end, a PE cheese floor meets schmaltzy bar mitzvah disco DJ’d by the one and only LJT and Franky Murray Brown of Cellar, Baby Love and beyond. You’ll love it.

Part of the goody bag – also great for bop costumes

Can I have a free ticket?