INTRODUCTION

The next few years will be critical for all of Scotland’s communities as the country faces major constitutional, social, economic and environmental questions. This Manifesto has been published to inform the Scottish Government and existing and prospective members of the Scottish Parliament about the interests and concerns of the Jewish community of Scotland.

There are Jewish people in every local authority area in Scotland, with substantial communities in the Glasgow area, and in Edinburgh and the Lothians. There are also small but vibrant clusters in Tayside and Fife, and around Aberdeen. It should be noted that there are significant numbers of Jewish individuals throughout the whole of Scotland.

Although there is no single ‘Jewish view’ on many political issues, there is a great deal of unanimity on issues that directly affect the community, and throughout this document, we have sought to represent as much of that consensus as possible.