We are delighted to announce that the First Minister, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP, has accepted Glasgow Jewish Educational Forum’s invitation to address the Glasgow Jewish Community.

Mr Salmond will speak at a public lecture in early 2008. The issue under discussion will be:

“Why will an SNP-run Scotland be good for the Scottish Jewish Community?”

This is the first time since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament that the First Minister has addressed the Jewish Community in his own right, and we are honoured that he has agreed to speak at an event to be held under the auspices of GJEF.

The lecture will be open to all members of the community and we anticipate a very high demand for tickets. We are currently in the process of finalising the arrangements for the meeting, and the exact date will be announced within a few weeks. 

Update, 14th October: The date and venue for the meeting have now been confirmed. The lecture will take place at Eastwood Park Theatre on Tuesday 19th February, 2008 at 8.15 pm.

GJEF would like to express a very belated thank you to all the speakers who participated in the community Balloon Debate. The debate was conducted in a spirit of warmth and openess, and it exemplified our community at its finest.

Congratulations to Paul Livingston of the Youth Forum, whose bravura performance won the vote for the best presentation.

A few apercus from Paul’s presentation:

Ladies and Gentleman, if Martin Luther King had lived in Glasgow 40 years ago he may have said something like “I have a dream that one day on the green grass of Rouken Glen, little FZY boys and little FZY girls will be able to join hands with little RSY boys and little RSY girls as brothers and sisters.

Well Ladies and Gentleman, largely down to the Youth Forum, that dream is now a reality. The tribalism which once affected our Youth in Glasgow (and largely still exists in the adult community) has been swept away by the values of consensus and co-operation which the Youth Forum has strived to promote.

It is my opinion that the in-fighting which infects our community, with people eager to promote their own views as facts and others’ as slander, is the single biggest factor in the continuing decay of our community.  With certain organisations suppressing any dissent within their ranks, the Youth Forum’s policy of encouraging different opinions is a breath of fresh air.

Resources for downloading:

Paul Livingston Presentation (Word)

Jewish Telegraph – Balloon Debate Article  (pdf)