Giffnock Newton Mearns Synagogue, commonly known as Giffnock Shul, located at 222 Fenwick Road in
Giffnock
Giffnock (; sco, Giffnock; gd, Giofnag, ) is a town and the administrative centre of East Renfrewshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland.
It lies east of Barrhead, east-southeast of Paisley and northwest of East Kilbride, at the south ...
,
East Renfrewshire
East Renfrewshire ( sco, Aest Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù an Ear) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. Until 1975, it formed part of the county of Renfrewshire for local government purposes along with the modern council areas ...
(on the south side of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
), is the largest
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
congregation in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. The
synagogue also features a religious
day school
A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...
for both children and teenagers.
Spiritual leadership
The congregation is led by
Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
Moshe Rubin who hails from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and joined the community in 1990, first serving as their
cantor
A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds.
In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...
. He was asked to take over the pulpit in 1999, after the retirement of the Rabbi Philip Greenberg, who retired in 1998. Giffnock's cantor from 1964 to 1990 (then emeritus cantor) was Rev Ernest Levy OBE (d. August 2009). The cantor for the high holy days since 2008 has been Mr. Russell Grossman, of London.
Brief history and community
Founded in about 1934, the synagogue stood at May Terrace in
Giffnock
Giffnock (; sco, Giffnock; gd, Giofnag, ) is a town and the administrative centre of East Renfrewshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland.
It lies east of Barrhead, east-southeast of Paisley and northwest of East Kilbride, at the south ...
until 1968. The current complex was erected on Maryville Avenue. Giffnock Synagogue is described as a "provincial synagogue". As an affiliate member of the
United Synagogue
The United Synagogue (US) is a union of British Orthodox Jewish synagogues, representing the central Orthodox movement in Judaism. With 62 congregations (including 7 affiliates and 1 associate, ), comprising 40,000 members, it is the largest ...
organization of
UK, it is under the aegis of the
Chief Rabbi. It is the largest Jewish community in Scotland.
Services are conducted in the Ashkenazi Orthodox ritual.
Membership
*1938 – 350 seatholders (''
Jewish Year Book
The ''Jewish Year Book'' is an almanac targeted at the Jewish community in the United Kingdom. It has been published every year since 1896 and is currently published by Vallentine Mitchell in association with ''The Jewish Chronicle'' and is edit ...
'' 1939)
*1950 – 400 seatholders (''Jewish Year Book'' 1951)
*1953 – 550 seatholders (''Jewish Year Book'' 1954)
*1957 – 750 seatholders (''Jewish Year Book'' 1958)
*2007 – 700 seatholders (approximation)
See also
*
List of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom
This is a list of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom, including synagogues, yeshivotA yeshiva (Hebrew: ישיבה) is a centre for the study of Torah and the Talmud in Orthodox Judaism. and Hebrew schools. For a list of buildings which w ...
*
History of the Jews in Scotland
The history of the Jews in Scotland goes back to at least the 17th century. It is not known when Jews first arrived in Scotland, with the earliest concrete historical references to a Jewish presence in Scotland being from the late 17th cen ...
*
Garnethill Synagogue
Garnethill is a predominantly residential area of the city of Glasgow, Scotland with a number of important public buildings.
Geography
Located in the city centre, the area borders Cowcaddens to its north, Sauchiehall Street to its south, Camb ...
References
External links
*
The Virtual Jewish History Tour – ScotlandJewish Encyclopedia on ScotlandScottish Jewish Archives Centreo
''Jewish Communities and Records – UK''(hosted by ''jewishgen.org'').
{{United Synagogue
Buildings and structures in East Renfrewshire
Giffnock
Jewish organizations established in 1934
Modern Orthodox Judaism in Europe
Modern Orthodox synagogues
Orthodox synagogues in the United Kingdom
Religion in East Renfrewshire
Synagogues in Glasgow
1930s establishments in Scotland