Brazilian Jewish community leader and magazine editor, Ronaldo Hazan da Gomlevsky, was so impressed by his recent visit to Scotland and our community that he described it in an article for Four Corners 30 as "a trip to paradise" - and he's coming back with his wife for a holiday only four months later!

Ronaldo was originally a lawyer, but gave that up to pursue his commitment to the Jewish community.  He is fifth generation Brazilian, but his father's family came from Austria and his mother's family is from Kiev.  He was president of the Brazilian Jewish community and a member of parliament, where he promoted a number of measures outlawing racism and antisemitism.  When his father died, he took over Menorah, which, as well as the monthly magazine, runs a newspaper and daily radio and television programmes for and about the Jewish community. 

Twice a year he visits another Jewish community to write about it for a special edition of the magazine, and the May 2011 issue focuses on Scotland. As well as stunning pictures of Scotland, the magazine features interviews with leaders of all of Scotland’s Jewish communities and organisations such as Calderwood Lodge Primary School and Jewish Care.  SCoJeC was delighted to be able to facilitate his visit, and arranged for him to visit 25 communal organisations and buildings from Glasgow to Aberdeen, and to meet a wide cross-section of members of the Scottish community.

Ronaldo wrote, “I spent twelve unforgettable days, meeting Jewish people in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and St. Andrews, and taking photos of so many different synagogues, and of Calderwood Lodge Jewish primary school in Glasgow.  I was present at the festivities of Yom HaAtzmaut and at the Yom HaZikaron memorial service. I talked with Orthodox and Reform rabbis, the Chief Executives of the welfare organisations, with communal leaders, teachers, and students, and was welcomed into your homes.

“I also explored Scotland more widely, visiting several important and historic places.  From Loch Lomond to Urquhart Castle, and Loch Ness to the Highlands, from that most well-known of Scottish musical instruments, the bagpipes, to the good whisky and beers, from fields of barley and oilseed rape to Edinburgh Castle, from Aberdeen Angus cattle to Glasgow Cathedral, from the river Clyde to the river Tay, from Victorian architecture of the big cities to the modern architecture of the Scottish Parliament, and from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St. Andrews Castle, I recorded everything through the lens of my camera. But it is also engraved in my heart as one of the most fantastic experiences I have had in all my travels through more than 80 countries.  This trip was one of the most pleasant in all my life as a journalist.”