There are not many Jews in Scotland but it’s when Israel hits the news, well that’s when feeling against us rears its ugly head. Scotland’s Jewish population has always been smaller than that of English cities like London, Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, but by the 1930s its population had

In 2012, a delegation of Jewish students warned Edinburgh University that campus anti-Zionism had created a “toxic” atmosphere, leading a number of Jewish students to quit their degrees or transfer elsewhere. Scottish trade unions have been in the forefront of the boycott, divest and sanction group, calling for cutting ties with the Jewish state. In 2013, the Church of Scotland issued a blistering report denying the legitimacy of Zionism and the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state. He added: “People in Scotland are more concerned with Celtic and Rangers, so racism towards other minority groups is not dwelt upon too much. For example, one so-called Scotland fan took to Facebook ahead of the Israel game to ask fellow supporters: “Is it OK to sing ‘We Hate England More Than Jews’?”Abraham's son, Isaac had a son, Jacob, also called Israel. In this way the descendants of Abraham came to be known as the Israelites. God promised the Israelites he would care for them as long as they obeyed God's laws. While still traveling, the Hebrews lived in Egypt where they were enslaved. Moses, a Hebrew, was chosen by God to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt. Moses led the Hebrew people out of the Sinai Desert toward the promised land. At Mt. Sinai, God gave Moses the Law which would guide the Israelites to today. The laws were called the Ten Commandments and form the basis of the Torah, the book of Jewish law. His mother Doreen, famous for her former kosher catering business in Glasgow, now runs the deli kitchen. In the university town of St Andrews, lecturer Dr Emily Michelson from America lovingly describes the importance of celebrating Chanukah. Describing the nightly candle-lighting ceremony, the mother of three says: “I think the fact that it’s so dark in Scotland so early makes it extra special.” The practising Jewish population continues to fall in Scotland, as many younger Jews either became secular, or intermarried with other faiths. Scottish Jews have also emigrated in large numbers to England, the United States, Israel, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for economic reasons, as other Scots have done. According to the 2001 census, 6,448 Jews lived in Scotland, [28] According to the 2011 census, 5,887 Jews lived in Scotland; a decline of 8.7% from 2001. [1] [29] 41% (2,399) of Scottish Jews live in local authority area of East Renfrewshire, Greater Glasgow, making up 2.65% of the population there. 25% of Scottish Jews live in the Greater Glasgow suburb of Newton Mearns alone. Many Jewish families slowly moved southwards to more prosperous suburban areas in Greater Glasgow, from more central areas of Glasgow over the generations. [14] Glasgow city itself has 897 Jews (15% of the Jewish population) living there, whilst Edinburgh has 855 (also 15%). The area with the least Jewish people was the Outer Hebrides, which reported just 3 Jews (0.05%) living there.

In March 2008 a Jewish tartan was designed by Brian Wilton [30] for Chabad rabbi Mendel Jacobs of Glasgow and certified by the Scottish Tartans Authority. [31] The tartan's colors are blue, white, silver, red and gold. According to Jacobs: "The blue and white represent the colours of the Scottish and Israeli flags, with the central gold line representing the gold from the Biblical Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant and the many ceremonial vessels... the silver is from the decorations that adorn the Scroll of Law and the red represents the traditional red Kiddush wine." [32] Like every other Scottish Jew I have encountered in the course of the last month, she is horrified by the suffering in Palestine and her hope is the bloodshed will cease. Yet there is also a profound sense of frustration about the validity of a ceasefire that neither takes into account the fate of the 237 hostages taken by Hamas, or the prospect of these killers ever abiding by the terms of a ceasefire. Jewish mission with IMPJ involves getting alongside Jewish people, sharing the gospel with boldness and intentionality, building relationships, studying the Scriptures, and discipling new believers who have come to know Jesus. Judaism began about 4000 years ago with the Hebrew people in the Middle East. Abraham, a Hebrew man, is considered the father of the Jewish faith because he promoted the central idea of the Jewish faith: that there is one God. At the time many people in the Middle East worshipped many gods. It is said that Abraham and his wife Sarah, who were old and childless, were told by God that their children would be as plentiful as the stars in the sky and that they would live in a land of their own -- the Promised Land. This gradually came true.

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Collins Dr. KE, Borowski E, and Granat L – Scotland's Jews – A Guide to the History and Community of the Jews in Scotland (2008) Fisher to marry Baron Cohen 'soon' ". Hull Daily Mail. 13 January 2009 . Retrieved 13 January 2009. [ permanent dead link] Schwartzapfel, Beth (17 July 2008). "Sound the Bagpipes: Scots Design Jewish Tartan". Forward . Retrieved 1 May 2010.