A Glasgow woman will feature on a brand new BBC Scotland show all about the Jewish communities of Scotland.
The Being Jewish in Scotland documentary is a fascinating, revealing portrait of Scotland’s Jewish communities. The Jewish population has been a well-integrated part of Scottish society for centuries, but their story is not well known.
The community’s origins date back as far as the 1700s - small in number until the late 1800s, they grew to around 20,000 during the 1930s and 40s, with the last phase of immigration driven by the flight before and during WW2.
At one time, Scotland had around twenty dedicated synagogues and was home to countless kosher butchers, bakers and grocers. The core community centred around the Gorbals in Glasgow, but - then as now - was spread throughout the country.
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Today there are Jewish people living in every local authority in Scotland. The population remains vibrant but has shrunk to around 6,000 in number - with only six physical synagogues remaining - though there are smaller congregations and less formal communities on top of that.
This programme tells the story of a diverse range of Jewish people through a series of intimate, contemporary portraits. As younger generations migrated south or abroad for work, they often stay where they land, discovering the heady comforts of living in a ‘proper’ Jewish community, and when they have children of their own, parents often follow.
Although the population is smaller, according to Scotland’s most senior religious leader - Rabbi Moshi Rubin – the community “really punches above its weight”. His orthodox congregation – Giffnock and Newton Mearns - is the largest in the country.
Another contributor is Ash, a recent convert who decided to join Sukkat Shalom, the progressive liberal community-based in Edinburgh, due to its queer-friendly atmosphere.
Born in Glasgow to an orthodox family, Deborah reflects another perspective as she now sees herself as more culturally Jewish than devout. As an honorary curator at the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, she chooses to celebrate her heritage through history and education rather than adhere to strict religious practice.
For Mark and his mother, Doreen, food is at the heart of their Jewish lives, as owners of the only Kosher deli in the country, they are the custodians of a vital component of Jewish life. Says Doreen: “Hopefully, while there’s a community… there will always be a kosher deli”.
For Historian Emily – mother to three and a feminist, orthodox Jew based in St. Andrews – deliveries from the deli help keep her and her family in touch with Jewish life, but she and husband Bill have concerns - will their children feel they belong as Jews, growing up miles from the nearest synagogue?
Others who feature in the documentary include Kathy in Inverness, a holocaust survivor who came to Scotland in the seventies, Anita, a young professional living in Edinburgh, Ephraim Borowski of The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, Rabbi Pete Tobias of the Glasgow Reform community and novelist J. David Simons.
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