SCoJeC was delighted to provide an opportunity for members of the Jewish Community from all around Scotland to put their questions to First Minister, the Rt Hon John Swinney MSP. Following the model established by our very successful hybrid public meeting with then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, there was a live audience of more than 60 people in Giffnock, a link to another live audience of 20 in Edinburgh, and 77 devices signed in on Zoom, many with more than one participant, including ex-pats in Canada, Israel, and the United States.

SCoJeC Chair, Nicola Livingston, welcomed the First Minister and thanked him for his efforts to promote good relations between Scotland’s faith communities. Timothy Lovat, President of the Glasgow Jewish Representative Council and SCoJeC Vice-Chair, opened the meeting by inviting the First Minister to make some introductory remarks. Mr Swinney recalled how the diversity of Scotland’s people had been a key element of the ceremonial opening of the Scottish Parliament presided over by the late Winnie Ewing twenty-five years ago, and noted how different religious faiths had played a role in the recent anniversary events. He said he recognised the close connection between the Jewish community and Israel, and therefore acknowledged the pain members of the community feel because of the situation there. He described the situation in the Middle East as “unconscionable” and added that it could only be resolved by a two-state solution.

From Edinburgh, Rabbi David Rose, Rabbi of Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation, read a prayer for peace, the safe return of the hostages still being held in Gaza, and an end to the current conflict.

The First Minister then responded to a number of questions that had been sent in advance by members of the community. Regarding tackling hate crime, he asserted that there should be no place for antisemitism in Scotland, but recognised the controversy around the new Hate Crime legislation. While acknowledging its importance, he said that “free speech should never be an excuse for hate speech”, and that education has a crucial role in ensuring that hatred is never be allowed to become part of the culture.

Mr Swinney said that as a man of faith, he had found Interfaith Week invigorating, the constructive dialogue very positive and encouraging, and had seen no evidence of the situation in the Middle East being used to drive a wedge between communities in Scotland. He was optimistic that the Scottish Government could facilitate good community relations by building as many bridges and pathways as possible.

In reply to questions sent by the chairs of Jewish Care Scotland and Cosgrove Care about substantial cuts in their grants, full cost recovery, and the impact of the recent budget, the First Minister said that a 50% cut is not acceptable after a commitment has been given, and seems fundamentally wrong. He also advised that the Scottish Government had held back money in order to be certain it could meet the legal requirement to balance its budget; however, at this stage of the year it is confident of achieving this, and will therefore release the funds for other purposes. Lack of full cost recovery is a product of years of austerity, and he had campaigned on the need to counter this. The budget had both positive and negative effects, and the Scottish Government had increased income tax, which was not popular but was honest.

More generally, local authorities should consider the challenges to public services and should work with communities to deliver their own aspirations, including facilities for worship and education. The First Minister gave a commitment to protect the right of faith communities to continue to observe their own practices, but said it is important to be aware of the implications, and invited SCoJeC to engage with officials to explore these issues.

Kimberly Vallance of the Jewish Teachers Network asked about institutional antisemitism in the educational establishment since October 7th. She gave examples of concerns being dismissed or ignored by schools, colleges, and trade unions, and of a memorial vigil being desecrated while police stood by. She said that children are frightened to show they are Jewish, and that families are having conversations about contingency plans if Scotland is unsafe. Mr Swinney replied that he found it deeply troubling that people feel unsafe, and that we must be free to hold our vigil. Education must be inclusive, and what Kimberley had described is not compatible with the “four capacities” that the Scottish educational system promotes. Scotland should respect distinctive identities and enable them to live side by side. Although he can’t control trade unions or the police, there are regulatory bodies to ensure standards and confront misconduct so that parents and students can be assured that they are safe.

In reply to a question from Edinburgh about how to promote accurate and authoritative education about Judaism and the Jewish Community, especially in remote areas, the First Minister said the Scottish Government provides support to ensure there is adequate material and advice to enable the educational system to promote an inclusive society.

Asked by Sammy Stein of Glasgow Friends of Israel about his attendance at an event that had honoured people who had been convicted of hate crimes, Mr Swinney said he had only attended briefly and had no knowledge of the people concerned. He added that although he agrees that the conduct and language reported was wholly and completely unacceptable and merits investigation, in a democracy the police must be operationally independent of government, and he is not, therefore, able to instruct them how to act.

Finally, in reply to a question from students in Aberdeen about how the Scottish Government could prevent antisemitic riots such as those recently in Amsterdam and Berlin, the First Minister said that events must be protected so that people are safe in Scottish society.

Delivering a vote of thanks from Edinburgh, Matthew Shaps, Chair of the Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation, thanked the First Minister for his frank and direct answers, as well as his recent visit to their synagogue on Rosh HaShanah. He stressed how important it is for the First Minister to understand the concerns of members of the community and to undertake to address them. SCoJeC Chair Nicola Livingston then presented Mr Swinney with a book about the history of the Scottish Community.

Following the meeting, SCoJeC Chair, Nicola Livingston, commented: “We appreciate the First Minister taking the time to meet the community in person. It was unfortunate that his visit was curtailed by other commitments and I am pleased that he has promised to follow up on a number of the issues raised, and address some of the questions that we were unable to put to him.”

First Minister John Swinney said: “The Scottish Government deeply values its relationship with all of our diverse faith groups and this was a valuable opportunity to hear from members of Scotland’s Jewish communities.

"There were some robust questions for me as leader of that Government, and some audience members shared details of very challenging personal experiences. It is very important to me as First Minister to hear such stories directly, and I thank all members of the audience for their contributions.

“I want to live in a Scotland where there is no place for any form of antisemitism or hatred that makes our Jewish communities feel insecure or threatened in their daily lives. My Government will continue working tirelessly to deliver a Scotland where everyone feels safe and accepted.”