President’s Message

It is now just over two months since I was elected as President of the Glasgow Jewish Representative Council.

It was apparent from discussions that I had with many members of our Community, before I became President, that there was a lack of understanding of what the Representative Council does on behalf of the Community. It is my responsibility to ensure that the Community are made aware of the work that the Council does for and on its behalf. As part of that process, I approached the Jewish Telegraph and they readily agreed to publish a “President’s Column” which I intend to utilise to regularly inform the Community of the wide and varied work of the Council.

Early on in my Presidency, the passing of Henry Tankel, a Past President of the Council, was an extremely sad occasion. Henry and his wife Judith worked tirelessly in the service of our Community, and beyond, for all of their adult life and they have been an inspiration to me and others who work voluntarily in the service of the Community. It is my intention that a full and detailed Obituary to Henry will be given at the next Delegate Meeting of the Council.

I want to let you know about the Community Future Project which, whilst it is a Representative Council initiative, cannot succeed without the support of the whole Community and its Organisations. So far the Project has obtained widespread backing within the Community and it is my intention that this support is maintained during the course of the Project. The aim of the Project is to produce a blueprint for the future of the Community which has the support of the Community and to which Organisations sign up and agree to implement where they are in a position to do so. There is little point in producing a Report which simply gathers dust on a shelf. It is therefore imperative that there is as widespread consultation as is possible during its course and that a plan is put in place at its conclusion to ensure implementation of whatever blueprint is produced. The elements that I consider will certainly need to be taken into account are the religious, care, educational (informal), social and leisure needs of the Community in the years ahead. There were a number of operational strands that were identified by those who attended the initial meetings the Representative Council called to discuss the Project:

• Community Opinion
• Assets (Physical) and Liabilities of the
  Community
• Demographics
• Other Communities
• Review of the Caplan Report
  (Report produced by Simon Caplan in 1990
  on the Future of the Community).

Sub Groups have been formed and individuals co-opted to consider these strands. Stephen Gold, for example, is chairing the Community Opinion Group, Adam Berkley is looking at Assets and Liabilities and Stephen Kliner is reviewing the Caplan Report. We are looking at employing professional assistance where necessary to ensure that what is eventually produced is as comprehensive as is reasonably practicable. Organisations within the Community have been approached seeking their consent to release information for the purposes of a Demographic Report which is a key element of the Project. It is my aim that information on the Project’s progress will be made available to the Community as time progresses, through the President’s Column in the Jewish Telegraph and the Representative Council Website. We are looking now at detailed time frames to complete the various strands of the project and produce a Final Report but I imagine that it will take a year or so to complete the process.

Prior to, and subsequent to the commencement of my Presidency, I have been visiting Community Organisations. I have so far visited Maccabi, Jewish Care, Cosgrove Care, JLGB and CST. My intention is to visit all of the principal Organisations within our Community, and as many others as is possible, during the first year of my Presidency in order that I can better understand how the Community operates and hear of the successes of the Organisations and the problems they face. I have so far been encouraged but not surprised by the enormous dedication of those who run our Community Organisations.

Many of us in the Community bemoan the fact that we no longer have a Kosher Butcher. Demographics may have played the most significant part in their demise but lack of support may also have been a factor. We now have two Delis and a Kosher Restaurant and I would ask the Community, whenever possible, to support them. I know it is a cliché but “use them or lose them” is not inappropriate.

As President, I am also an ex-officio member of the Community Trust, UJIA Renewal and SCOJEC. I have so far attended meetings of the latter two Organisations and been appraised of the ongoing work of the Community Trust. This has given me an insight into the incredible and varied work that these Organisations do on behalf of the Community.

The Representative Council are, together with The Scottish Jewish Archives, supporting the “Capturing Voices” Project which is the brainchild of Angela Shapiro and Claire Singerman. The stories of holocaust survivors are being recorded and their narratives will encompass not only their stories of survival but also their lives in Scotland and will be retained for the benefit of future generations.

During my lifetime I have been a member of two congregations, South Portland Street Hebrew Congregation and Queens Park Hebrew Congregation, which have closed. I can therefore empathise with the members of Netherlee, Clarkston and Queens Park Hebrew Congregation who are facing the closure of their shul. I hope that they will retain happy memories of the Congregation after its closure and will all be comfortable in their new spiritual home, wherever that may be. I wish to thank Rabbi Bokow for his hard work on behalf of Netherlee, Clarkston and Queens Park Hebrew Congregation in recent years and wish him every success in the future.

Philip Mendelsohn, (Immediate Past President), Fiona Brodie (Honorary Secretary) and I recently met with Councillor Gordon Matheson, the Leader of Glasgow City Council, and Baillie Liz Cameron, former Lord Provost of the Council. We discussed a number of wide and varied issues including our Community Future Project, Holocaust Memorial Day, the GJRC Centenary in 2014 and the recent Council Motion on the Gaza Flotilla. Whilst Councillor Matheson did not give any commitment in relation to future motions regarding Israel, we did gain the impression that our concerns on this particular motion were well understood.

I would like to express my thanks to David Strang and Kalman Bookman who have for a number of years managed the Jewish Community Centre on behalf of the Representative Council. They are stepping down at the end of this year and will be a hard act to follow. We are fortunate that Jeff Freeman has offered to step into their shoes and we are sure that he will do an excellent job on behalf of the Council. I would like to express my thanks to Sheryl Landman who recently left the services of the Council as Office Administrator and I welcome our new Administrator, Vicky Jackson, who has settled seamlessly into the position.

I am fortunate to have an excellent team of Office Bearers and Management Board and look forward to working with them all in the service of our Community. Finally, I wish the whole Community Shana Tova, a happy and sweet New Year and well over the Fast.

Edward Isaacs
President