Jewish Council of Scotland announces government backed antisemitism initiative
The First Minister praised the announcement, with chair of JCoS and a Scottish government official to co-chair the new working group
Scotland’s leading Jewish community body and the Scottish government have announced the formation of a new initiative to combat antisemitism.
The Jewish Council of Scotland (JCoS, formerly known as SCoJeC) has launched a Joint Working Group on Combatting Antisemitism and Enhancing Jewish Life, with support from the First Minister, John Swinney. The new group will be co-chaired by Timothy Lovat, chair of JCoS, as well as a Scottish government official.
In an official statement, Mr Swinney said: “I welcome the close partnership between the Scottish government and the Jewish Council of Scotland in establishing this new working group, which will bring together expertise from across public bodies and the Jewish community to identify practical steps to tackle the evil of antisemitism and to strengthen and enhance Jewish life nationally.
“Scotland is stronger for its diversity and we are firmly committed to ensuring people from all faith and belief communities feel safe, supported and respected.”
Timothy Lovat described how “this new initiative demonstrates our commitment to ensuring all Jews in Scotland are protected and recognised.
“We look forward to engaging across government, with public officials and community leaders to uphold the highest possible standards and accountability and for Jewish life to continue without fear of intimidation or any further threat.
“Our focus and clear intention is to ensure the future of Scottish Jewry is secure and we will take every necessary step required to achieve this.”
JCoS is the democratic representative body of the Scottish Jewish community, founded in 1999 in response to Scottish devolution. The members of JCoS’ Council are the elected representatives of the different formally organised Jewish communities in Scotland.
According to the most recent census data, there are approximately 5,800 Jews in Scotland, with most based around the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Annual data published by CST has shown a steady rise in antisemitic incidents in Scotland – 101 in 2025, compared to 74 in 2024 and 68 in 2023.
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