SCoJeC joined up with Enjoy, the youth wing of the Glasgow Council of Synagogues, to organise a second "Family Festival Experience".
More than 50 people enjoyed the day's activities, which began with the serious business of eating a delicious lunch of fish balls, sandwiches, and cakes in the sunny courtyard of Rozelle House in Ayr, while the duo "Mysterious Minds" performed magic tricks and illusions.
After a short film about how a shofar is made, Norrie Zinger gave a live demonstration, ably abetted by the stars of the show – a pair of local rams with impressive sets of horns. The children then all had the opportunity to blow their own shofar – although no-one could match the endurance of Enjoy's Rabbi Eli Wolfson, who managed to keep up a continuous blast for almost a minute! No animals were harmed during this event, but one of the rams has now been renamed 'The Rabbi' and will go on sale at the end of the month under that name!
With Rosh Hashanah still very much in mind, attention turned to honey, with another short film, this time about bee-keeping, before local beekeeper Tony Riome let the children observe a beehive – protected from each other by glass! – before providing a tasty treat of honey.
There was also an opportunity for everyone to enjoy the Cultural Connections Exhibition in the Maclaurin Gallery, which features the work of a number of Jewish artists with a Glasgow connection, including Benno Schotz, Hannah Frank, Josef Herman, and Jankel Adler, as well as photographer Judah Passow's exhibition Scots Jews.
SCoJeC's Projects and Outreach Manager Fiona Frank said, "It has been a pleasure to work in such an exciting and productive partnership with with the Maclaurin Gallery and Enjoy. Many members of Scotland's Jewish community had already visited the exhibitions, and this trip, and the visit to the gallery later in the week by more than 70 children from Calderwood Lodge Jewish Primary School, were both immensely successful. SCoJeC is delighted to have been able to bring so many appreciative new - and young - visitors to make these Cultural Connections."
