The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC) consists of representatives of all the Jewish communities in Scotland – Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee as well as two looser groups – the Jewish Network of Argyll and the Highlands, and Jewish students studying in Scottish Universities and Colleges. We also consult as appropriate with the leadership of the orthodox, reform and liberal communities, and with the management of relevant communal organisations on matters that affect them such as welfare, charity law, education and youth work. Its representative democratic constitution enables us to speak authoritatively in the name of the whole Community to government, parliament, churches, trades unions, the media, etc.

 Our activities include:

• representing the Jewish community in Scotland to government and other statutory and official bodies. This includes:
• monitoring the Scottish Parliament and Executive on a daily basis
• regular formal and informal contact with Ministers, MSPs and civil servants
• responding to official consultations that affect the Community, including Family Law, Charity Law, the census, shechitah, equalities,medical matters, anti-semitism, and child protection.
• representation on the Scottish Boards of the Commission for Racial Equality and Equal Opportunities Commission, BEMIS (the Ethnic Minority infrastructure body), Inter-Faith Council, Policy Officers Network, and the Scottish Human Rights Coalition.
• membership of the Scottish Executive’s Faith Liaison Group
• regular meetings with senior officers and officials of the Church of Scotland and the STUC
• organising occasional high profile events such as the Chief Rabbi’s visit to the Parliament.

• working in partnership with other organisations to promote good relations amongst community groups and to promote equality. This includes collaboration with the Scottish Executive and BEMIS on a variety of projects including MEMO (Minority Ethnic Matters Overview) a weekly electronic bulletin of information of interest to minority ethnic communities and MEMO+ a new series of briefing papers.

• providing services to all of Scotland’s Jewish communities:
• organising briefings on current issues for communal professionals and others. Topics have included new health legislation, the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, child protection, women’s issues, and briefings for teenagers on the Lebanon war and antisemitism.
• processing Disclosure applications for most voluntary organisations (including all the youth groups, synagogues and educational organisations) as well as the Scottish Interfaith Council.
• providing information to communal organisations on developing issues such as exemption from water rates, regulation of burial societies, and employment legislation
• responding to general enquiries from local authorities, potential visitors and others, ranging from the location of synagogues and kosher facilities, to Jewish wedding music for bagpipes.

• supporting the smaller Scottish Jewish communities by:
• publishing a quarterly newsletter, Four Corners, to provide information about events and activities across Scotland
• facilitating social and educational events in remote venues such as Lochgilphead and Oban
• responding to requests from rural local authorities, NHS boards, schools, police forces, etc

• bringing Scottish issues to the attention of relevant organisations such as the Board of Deputies, the Office of the Chief Rabbi, the Israeli Embassy, Shechitah UK and the Community Security Trust.

One of the effects of Devolution is that the Scottish government and other bodies expect to deal with organisations that are based and governed in Scotland, and many UK organisations have set up autonomous Scottish branches, so that policy for Scotland can be made in Scotland.  SCoJeC's relationship to the Board of Deputies of British Jews is therefore like that of Holyrood to Westminster.  

Our success depends upon our being seen to be taking an active interest in Scottish politics on behalf of the whole Jewish community of Scotland. Regular personal contact with a wide range of people and organisations in Scotland is crucial; networking – simply being seen – is a key part of our success.  The Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament has said that "The Scottish Council’s representatives are very effective at presenting the views of the Jewish community and are very familiar figures around the Parliament.  The Council is a role model for other communities."

Click here to find out who's who in SCoJeC.
Click here to read SCoJeC policy documents.
Click here to read SCoJeC annual reports.