Scottish Jewish Archives Centre

On Sunday 10th November from 2pm - 4pm, to mark Armistice Day, we will be holding a special Open Day at the Archives Centre in Garnethill Synagogue as part of the B'nai Brith UK European Days of Culture and Heritage Programme. The theme will be: The Impact of War on Scottish Jewish Families

Booking is essential. Please click on the link to book:
https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DNIQ

We will be showing material relating to the impact of the First and Second World Wars on Scottish Jewish Families with a short illustrated presentation.

There were a number of Scottish Jewish families with several family members who served at the same time, such as the Nathan family in Edinburgh in 1915 (3 brothers, an uncle and 12 cousins). Examples from the First World War exemption tribunal files show how some families feared the conscription of their main breadwinners. There was also the danger of bombing on the home front - in 1941 a bomb falling on a Glasgow street caused the deaths of a number of Jewish families.

We will also look at letters sent home from serving Scottish Jewish soldiers, including Second World War prisoners of the Japanese, and through the deaths announcements of the Jewish Echo newspaper we’ll see evidence of family casualties during the Second World War.

Admission is free; however, donations are very welcome to support the work of the Archives Centre.

This month we were delighted to welcome a party of attendees at the annual conference of the International Council on Archives (Section on University and Research Institution Archives – SUV) in Glasgow in October. The theme of the conference was ‘What Does Diversity Mean To You?’ and our visitors came from Glasgow, Caithness, Wales, the USA, South Africa, Bahamas and Abu Dhabi.

The Scottish Jewish Archives Centre is delighted to announce that it is recruiting for an Archivist to take forward the professionalisation of SJAC and contribute to its ongoing development.

This is a fixed term three-year grant funded part-time post.

Location: The post holder will be based in the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre in Garnethill Synagogue, Glasgow.

Salary: £21,000 (pro-rata three days a week based on full-time salary of £35,000). Salary will be subject to review on the anniversary of the start date.

Closing date: 1 November 2024

Interview date for those shortlisted: 25 November 2024

Start Date: Beginning of February 2025

We are seeking a professionally qualified and experienced archivist with experience of working in the archive or record keeping sector who is enthusiastic about community-based archives.

For the full role description and to apply for the post, please email: [email protected]

Our next Brunch and Speaker event will be on Sunday 3rd November at 12 noon. Our speaker will be Glasgow born Saul Metzstein, an award-winning TV & film director, currently directing Apple TV+’s hit show Slow Horses. His previous season was nominated for 9 Emmys and 6 BAFTAs.

Booking is essential.
https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DYPK

As always, a pleasure to welcome visitors on Doors Open Day.

It was a pleasure to host Dr Rodge Glass, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Strathclyde who gave us a fascinating insight into 'Scottish Jewish Writing in the 21st Century' at our recent Open Day. He began by examining what we might consider as Scottish Jewish stories, followed by an overview of the current landscape before focusing on some case studies that focused on personal stories and the multiple identities that we each can hold in our lives - and we were all encouraged to think about how we could record our own life stories!

The opportunity to ask questions and share experiences was followed by the opportunity to view the Synagogue and the Archives Centre's displays.

Thanks to Rodge, to our volunteers and to all who joined us.

The Archives Centre contributed 2 events to the Govanhill International Festival & Carnival this year: a guided walk of Jewish Govanhill and a presentation on Preserving Jewish History in Govanhill, both led by Harvey Kaplan and Deborah Haase of the SJAC. Both events were well attended and we were delighted as always to be included in the programme.

At the beginning of August we held yet another of our very popular speaker events.

Glasgow-born Katie Goodman spoke to us about her successful career as a multi-award winning journalist over 2 decades which took her “From the Oscars to the US Presidential Elections”. She shared highlights from her journey into journalism and the variety of genres she's covered. She's been in front of the camera as a presenter, but also carved a successful career behind the camera as a Specialist Producer, winning the Society of Editors Producer of the Year in 2022. She spoke about what it takes to get that "scoop", what it's really like in the newsroom and behind the scenes, and emphasised the responsibility journalists have. Instead of our usual brunch offer at these events, there was an afternoon tea to be enjoyed instead!

In July, we welcomed Dr Malcolm Cosgrove, elder son of the late Rev. Dr. I K Cosgrove, and his wife Dorothy, who were paying a nostalgic visit back to Garnethill and Glasgow from the USA, with two of his sons, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Danny Cosgrove. The Cosgroves met Garnethill Hebrew Congregation leaders, as well as representatives of the Archives Centre and the Heritage Centre. We were delighted to show the visitors around the synagogue, listening to Malcolm's memories and showing them material from the Archives Centre collections.

Everyone who attended thoroughly enjoyed this month's Open Day with guest speaker, Hildgarde Berwick. Her subject was artist Bet Low in the centenary year of her birth and we were treated to the fascinating story of Bet's artistic life accompanied by inspiring examples of the development of her work over the years. She was a significant figure in the Scottish arts scene of her day but sadly is not widely known nowadays. The talk also revealed the extent to which members of the Scottish Jewish community contributed to the vibrancy of the Scottish art world during the last century.

Our thanks to Hildegarde and to the SJAC's volunteers for their help on the day.

Another successful guided walk of the Garnethill Refugee Trail for a group from the Garnethill Multicultural Centre on a sunny, if windy, day. We were delighted to gain some new information from the attendees, so a learning experience all round!

Along with the Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre and Garnethill Hebrew Congregation, we were honoured to welcome the attendees at this year's International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance conference to a very special reception. There were several speakers: IHRA Chair, Lord Eric Pickles; Glasgow Jewish Representative Council President, Timothy Lovatt; Scottish Government Representative, Lesley Fraser; SJAC Director, Harvey Kaplan. In addition there was a recital from the Glasgow Jewish Singers, a tour of the Archives' displays and, of course, refreshments.

Great opportunity!

Job Opportunity: Learning & Admin Assistant - Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre The Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre (SJHC) is seeking a part-time Learning & Admin Assistant to join our small team. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in facilitating school visits and in supporting our public tours programme.

Preserving Jewish History in Govanhill - Presentation as part of the Govanhill International Festival and Carnival 2024 - Free event but booking is essential: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DRDE
(Donations to SJAC welcome)

Thursday 8th August 2024 6:00 - 7:30 PM

This presentation by Harvey Kaplan and Deborah Haase of the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre will look at the work of the Archives Centre in preserving Jewish history in Scotland. It will look at the story of the vibrant Jewish community which lived all around Govanhill and Crosshill for much of the Twentieth Century.

Preserving Jewish History in Govanhill This presentation at Govanhill Library by Harvey Kaplan and Deborah Haase of the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre will look at the work of the...

Jewish Govanhill Walking Tour - Free event but booking essential: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DOID
(Donations to SJAC welcome)

Tuesday 6th August 2024 2:00 - 4:00 PM

Jewish people have lived in Govanhill since the beginning of the 20th Century. This trail will trace the origins of Jewish settlement in the area, walking the streets where the Jewish community have lived, worked and played. We'll visit the locations of Jewish youth groups, communal organisations, shops, businesses and, of course, synagogues.

The trail is part of the GOVANHILL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL & CARNIVAL 2024 and will be led by Harvey Kaplan and Deborah Haase of the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre.

Jewish Govanhill Walking Trail Jewish people have lived in Govanhill since the beginning of the 20th Century. This trail will trace the origins of Jewish settlement in the area,...

We were honoured to host a visit to the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre and Garnethill Synagogue last week by U.S. Department of State Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Ellen Germain.

As part of Refugee Festival Scotland, the Archives Centre joined forces with the Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre to lead a group walking around the Garnethill area, visiting sites connected with Jewish refugees from N**i Europe who found safety in Scotland - from the flats in which refugee artists lived to the hostels where children from the Kindertransport stayed. At the end of the walk we offered the opportunity to view the exhibition ‘Scotland a Sanctuary’ at the Heritage Centre in Garnethill Synagogue which shows how people from all backgrounds throughout Scotland helped those in peril. It was a thought provoking and enjoyable afternoon - and the sun shone throughout!

https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/59888 As part of Refugee Festival Scotland, join us for a walk that reveals some of the places around the Garnethill area which are connected with Jewish refugees from N**i Europe - from the flats in which refugee artists lived, to the hostels where children from the Kindertransport stayed. You will learn about some of the people who came to Scotland and made their home here, and about the meeting places that were vital in supporting refugees in building new lives in Scotland.

The walk will take approximately an hour and a quarter (it is hilly in places), and at the end of the walk there will be an opportunity to view the exhibition ‘Scotland a Sanctuary’ at the Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre in Garnethill Synagogue. This exhibition is based on material in the collections of the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, and shows how people from all backgrounds throughout Scotland helped those in peril. You can also view our digital resources covering this time period.

Book now for a free event on the 18th June with Scottish Jewish Archives Centre- the Garnethill Refugee Trail Guided Walk. For info and to book: https://sjhc.org.uk/event-news/refugee-week-scotland-2024/

https://www.facebook.com/100062974582700/posts/791755936266885/?app=fbl

To join the Challah bake to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day 2024 please pre-register for this free event here: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/52621

Please spread the word about this job opportunity at the Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre.

We are looking for a Learning & Admin Assistant to join our team! This is a part-time role - full details are available on our website:
https://sjhc.org.uk/news/job-opportunity-learning-admin-assistant/

A lovely visit from a Cub Scout Group last night, led by Fiona and Howard Brodie.

It was a busy week for the SJAC last week, on top of our usual work.

Our Director, Harvey Kaplan, welcomed a group of genealogy students and their tutor from Strathclyde University, 3 visitors researching their family history (2 of them from South Africa.

Fiona Brodie welcomed a group of attendees from the Religion, Collections and Heritage Group Conference at St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art as well as 2 visitors from the USA. Fiona also represented the SJAC at Interfaith Glasgow's Scottish Interfaith Week Civic Reception 2023 at Glasgow City Chambers when she had the chance to tell Princess Anne about the SJAC and the history of the Jewish Community in Glasgow.

We were honoured to have Olivia Marks Woldman OBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, as our guest speaker at our latest sell out Speaker and Bagel Brunch event. All present found Olivia's talk inspiring and thought provoking.

Thanks to all who supported the event and to all the volunteers who made it possible.