SCoJeC is delighted to welcome the latest addition to the Jewish Community of Scotland. The new Scottish Israeli Cultural Association (SICA) held its inaugural event in Edinburgh, a Burns Night with an Israeli Twist, and around 50 people braved the appalling weather conditions to attend.

As Danielle Bett, Chair and co-founder of the new group, and representative of Israelis in Scotland on SCoJeC Council, explained, SICA is a cultural, not a political, organisation that enables Israelis and anyone interested in joining in, to celebrate Israeli culture and give Israelis a taste of home in Scotland.

SICA was established with the active support and encouragement of the Scottish ethnic minority umbrella body BEMIS, and shares its commitment to promoting awareness of the cultural heritage of the diverse communities in Scotland, and enhancing community cohesion and active citizenship. BEMIS also provided funding for the event as part of their Scottish Government funded Scotland's Winter Festivals programme.

Before the rather un-traditional buffet that included a mix of traditional Israeli and Scottish food, the gathering was addressed in Hebrew by Shoval Medrick, the new director of Israeli House London, who also supported the event. This was followed by a fascinating talk by Joyce Caplan, who lectures on Scottish poetry at the University of Edinburgh and spoke about Robert Burns' life and work.

There was an excellent mix of people at the event – Israelis, Scottish friends and family, students, and others of all ages and backgrounds. Of course the whisky flowed, but the highlight was the dessert – Krembo, a very popular winter sweet amongst Israelis, which Scots would recognise as not dissimilar from Tunnock's marshmallow teacakes!

To sign up for future events and for further information, please e-mail info@scotil.org