Scottish Jewish Archives Centre

The once large and active Jewish community of the Gorbals - the former immigrant district of Glasgow just south of the River Clyde - began to be dismantled from the late 1950s onwards as many buildings were demolished in efforts to regenerate the area. In 1979, centenary celebrations for Garnethill Synagogue included an exhibition, but nothing permanent ensued from this venture. In 1984, the Gorbals Fair Society, a non-Jewish social and cultural group, embarked on a project on the history of the area, beginning with the story of the decades of Jewish settlement there, producing both an exhibition and accompanying booklet, 'A Scottish Shtetl: Jewish Life in the Gorbals, 1881-1974'. The…

The Scottish Jewish Archives Centre (SJAC) documents, preserves, exhibits and publishes aspects of its collections; it also offers support to community, academic and family history researchers. It is open to members of the public, but access must be arranged by appointment. In addition to monthly Sunday public openings, there are also volunteer-led guided tours on the building's history, architecture and key early 19th-century congregants. SJAC Open Days and fundraising events have included distinguished speakers such as Chaim Bermant, Alan Brodie, Maria Chamberlain, Kenneth Collins, David Daiches, Sir Monty Finniston, Michele Gold, Alex Graham, Samm Hankin, Horace Phillips, Hugo Rifkind,…