Jewish Council of Scotland welcomes new director

The recently formed Jewish Council of Scotland (JCoS) has appointed Carmen McPherson as its new director.

The Edinburgh resident most recently served as coordinator of Masorti Europe, managing the activities of the movement across the continent, and also previously worked as part of the media team at The Movement for Reform Judaism.

JCoS’ membership encompasses Jewish communities in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Tayside and Fife, as well as Jewish students, Israelis in Scotland, and other national Jewish organisations in Scotland.

Under McPherson’s leadership, the council aims to strengthen connections between Jewish communities across the country; build on existing partnerships with government, interfaith, and civic organisations; expand educational and cultural engagement and advocate for Jewish communal interests and concerns.

Commenting that she was “deeply honoured” by her appointment, Carmen McPherson said: “I look forward to working with our exceptional team to continue to elevate and strengthen the voice of Jewish people throughout Scotland, whilst connecting, representing, and supporting our Jewish communities across the country.

“The Jewish community at home and abroad faces unprecedented challenges and we must now look ahead to the future of JCoS with a renewed commitment to see Jewish life continue to thrive across our communities and country.”

Timothy Lovat, Chair of the Jewish Council of Scotland added that McPherson’s “experience and understanding of our community will play a key role as we take JCoS forward into its next chapter, especially during this challenging period for the Jewish people of Scotland.”

• The Jewish Council of Scotland has been created by the former Scottish Council of Jewish Communities together with Glasgow Jewish Representative Council to form a united, democratically-elected representative body for Scotland’s Jewish community.