SCoJeC has announced the results of its invitation to other communal organisations to propose joint projects "reaching out to bring in" Jewish people from outwith the mainstream community, particularly in rural Scotland.
Eleven organisations initially expressed interest, and six then submitted fully worked-out proposals. Since it was not possible to support all of these, they were considered by a small committee, chaired by SCoJeC Chair, Walter Sneader, who was joined by Vice-Chair Paul Spicker of Dundee, Hon Treasurer Neil Livingston, and Public Affairs Officer, Leah Granat. They considered the applications for compliance with the conditions of the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration fund grant awarded to SCoJeC last year by the Scottish Government, from which the projects will be funded - for example, that they should not duplicate existing activities - as well as how they would contribute to the overall aims of the Outreach project.
The subcommittee has now reported, and the following organisations and projects will benefit:
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Northern Region Chaplaincy Board for a project entitled "Rabbi on the Road: Giving pastoral support and Jewish life to Scotland's more remote communities". Up to £3000 over two years will be made available to meet the costs of additional activities by the newly appointed Chaplains, Garry and Suzanne Wayland, to enable them to visit the smaller communities as they travel round Scotland, and to strengthen links between student groups and the local communities.
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Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation will lead a joint project to produce "Cheder Resources for Primary School Age Children in Small Communities " in collaboration with the Dundee and Aberdeen communities. SCoJeC will contribute up to £2000 to the cost of producing these resources, which will be made available through its website. It is hoped also to involve Calderwood Lodge Jewish Primary School in the project.
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Limmud Scotland will be enabled to provide bursaries to up to 10 individuals from outlying areas who would not otherwise be able to participate in its activities.
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As a condition imposed under the original Government grant, these projects will be managed and delivered jointly with SCoJeC, and funds will only be made available to meet received expenditure.
Nicola Livingston, Chair of the Chaplaincy Board, said: "Northern Region University Jewish Chaplaincy is delighted to be given the opportunity to work jointly with SCoJeC on the 'Rabbi on the Road' project. This will enable Garry and Suzanne, our new Chaplaincy couple to provide a service to students on campuses outwith the main centres. There are 20 higher education institutions across Scotland, but only 6 have established Jewish Student Societies. The project will provide religious, educational and welfare support to all students who identify as Jewish, wherever they are studying and help establish links with university staff and community members across the country."
Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation Cheder teacher Merav Gardi-Kisilevitz, a qualified teacher from Israel, said: "There is clearly a real need in small communities in Scotland for support for cheder teaching. We have a wealth of activities, tried and tested at Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation, that we can build on to create flexible, appropriate resources. It's wonderful to have the opportunity to use this to help other communities."
Evelyn Tiefenbrun, Regional Co-ordinator of Limmud said: "We’re delighted to have the opportunity to work in partnership with SCoJeC to fulfil our common goals of reaching out to Jews of all ages, from all walks of life, backgrounds and lifestyles. Limmud aims to create openings for communities and individuals to connect and this funding gives us a great opportunity to make more of these connections in Scotland."
SCoJeC Chair, Walter Sneader, said: "We are delighted to be able to assist other organisations to expand their activities, especially as we will be furthering our own objective of involving new people from around the country. This is a golden opportunity to strengthen the cohesion of the scattered Scotland-wide Jewish community."
