Parliamentarians say farewell to Glasgow shul ahead of final service on Sunday

Scottish parliamentarians this week helped mark “the end of an era” ahead of a farewell service at a well-known Glasgow synagogue.

It comes as members of Newton Mearns Synagogue in the Eastwood area of the city prepare for a final service on Sunday – due to be attended by Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis – before the shul merges with Giffnock Synagogue.

Jackson Carlaw, a Conservative member of the Scottish Parliament, said Newton Mearns Synagogue had “been a fixture in the local area for decades”, adding that “the farewell service marks the end of an era for members of the local Jewish community in Eastwood and the start of an exciting new chapter”.

In March 2021, members of Giffnock and Newton Mearns – just over two miles apart – voted overwhelmingly to merge, forming the Giffnock Newton Mearns Synagogue (GNMS) with about 850 members, to be based at the Giffnock site on Fenwick Road.

Rabbi Aharon Lemberger, a university chaplain and part-time rabbi at Newton Mearns, becomes youth rabbi at the combined shul.