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FM meets with Jewish leaders
05/12/2007
Scotland's strength is the diversity of cultures and faiths that thrive in our communities, First Minister Alex Salmond said today as he met with representatives of the Jewish community on the first day of the Jewish Festival of Lights.
The First Minister was in Giffnock visiting Calderwood Lodge Primary School, Scotland's only Jewish school, before being given a tour of the Giffnock and Newlands Synagogue.
The First Minister also met with representatives from the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities.
First Minister Alex Salmond said:
"Scotland's diversity of cultures and faiths has always been a source of strength. Each culture brings with it values, ideas and innovations that enrich our arts, our language and our lives.
"Only last week I was proud to launch Scotland's fourth Inter Faith Week, which saw events taking place across the country celebrating all faiths and building understanding.
"It is a privilege to visit another faith's place of worship and the welcome that I have received is testament to the goodwill that is born when people of different religions or backgrounds seek to grow their friendships.
"I have been particularly impressed by the work of Calderwood Lodge Primary School. This is a great example of the benefits that faith-based schools can bring when they are matched by local demand and married to their communities.
"The Jewish community sits at the heart of our modern Scotland and shares a great deal of common ground with the other religions that make up our nation. The core values of family, faith and hospitality run strong through all and it's from these shared principles that the future of what it means to be Scottish will grow.
"With a new Scottish government has come a wave of optimism, and people across Scotland are realising that we now have a chance to redefine our nation and reshape the way we are regarded by the rest of the world. I want the common ground across all the strands that make up our Scottish tartan to be the foundation for the New Scotland. I want us to step out towards our ambitions with conviction but also with tolerance.
"That's why I want to take this opportunity to encourage others to develop their understanding of the different faiths that enrich our culture, and to embrace the principles we all share.""
The eight-day Festival of Lights marks the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks. At the end of the three-year war, the Maccabees recaptured Jerusalem and rededicated the temple. There they discovered enough oil to light the six-branched temple candelabrum, the Menorah or Chanukiah, for only one day. But the Menorah miraculously stayed alight for eight days.
Calderwood Lodge Primary School in Giffnock is the only Jewish school in Scotland. It was founded by the Glasgow Jewish community in conjunction with the British Zionist Federation and accepted its first pupils in 1962. It was taken over by Strathclyde Regional Council in 1982 and became part of Glasgow City Council in 1996. Since April 1997 it has been run by East Renfrewshire Council.
The Hebrew and Jewish religious content of the school's work is the responsibility of Calderwood Jewish Education. This aspect is funded by the parental body.