Report shows adverse affect of Gaza conflict on Scottish Jews

A report commissioned in Scotland has found that last year’s 50-day Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas affected the experiences of many Jewish people north of the border.

While the full report is not due for several weeks, a preliminary paper issued last week says “a large proportion of respondents reporting that their experiences have changed as a direct result of attitudes to the changing situation in the Middle East”.

One 40-year-old man with dual Scottish and Israeli citizenship reported “being less welcome in many conversations, to the point that I now keep my mouth shut and keep my Jewish and Israeli identity in a sealed box”.

Outreach worker Fiona Frank, who led the research project, said: “We had anecdotal evidence of the effect on the Scottish Jewish community of events in the Middle East and we have been disturbed by the extent of the discomfort expressed by many of our respondents.”