List of Scottish Jews

This is a list of Scottish people of some Jewish background, or Jewish people with a Scottish background or connection.

See History of the Jews in Scotland for more information.

Academic figures and scientists

• Charlotte Auerbach, geneticist^[1]
• Philip Cohen, FRS FRSE researcher, academic and Royal Medal winner; based at St Andrews and Dundee
• David Daiches, writer and literary critic; father of Jenni Calder
• Jack David Dunitz, chemist
• Alfred Edersheim, Bible scholar
• Charles Frank, maker of scientific instruments
• Ralph Glasser, psychologist, economist, author of The Gorbals Trilogy
• Professor Sir Abraham Goldberg, Emeritus Regius Professor of the Practice of Medicine, University of Glasgow
• Philip Hobsbaum, academic and literary critic at Glasgow University; an influence on many Scottish writers as diverse as Aonghas MacNeacail and Jeff Torrington
• Peter Kravitz, editor of the compilation Contemporary Scottish Fiction; literary critic
• Stefan Reif, professor
• J. M. Robson, geneticist and physicist, lived and worked in Edinburgh
• George Sassoon, scientist, electronic engineer, linguist, translator and author; buried on Mull, where he spent much of his childhood
• Leonard Schapiro,^[2] historian
• Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, contemporary Torah scholar and author

Arts, literature and music

• Jenni Calder, literary figure and daughter of David Daiches
• Ivor Cutler, poet, songwriter and humourist
• Hannah Frank, sculptor, studied under Benno Schotz
• Muriel Gray,^[3] author, The Tube presenter
• Jeremy Isaacs, broadcaster
• Mark Knopfler, co-founder (with brother David), lead vocalist, and lead guitarist for the band Dire Straits
• Macdonald brothers, grandsons of the Hungarian-born English filmmaker Emeric Pressburger
  • Andrew Macdonald, producer, Trainspotting
  • Kevin Macdonald, director, Touching the Void
• Isi Metzstein, modernist architect
• Saul Metzstein, director of Late Night Shopping
• Rebecca Pidgeon, actress, singer and songwriter, grew up in Edinburgh^[4]
• Shulman brothers (Simon Dupree and the Big Sound; Gentle Giant), rock musicians, born in Glasgow
  • Derek Shulman, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter
  • Phil Shulman, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter
  • Ray Shulman, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter
• J David Simons, author
• Muriel Spark, writer, Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
• Scottie Wilson, artist and designer, born in Glasgow
• Eric Woolfson, musician and composer, founding member of The Alan Parsons Project

Politicians

Malcolm Rifkind

• Malcolm Rifkind, Conservative MP
• Manny Shinwell, Labour MP

Athletes

• Gary Jacobs, Scottish, British, Commonwealth, and European (EBU) boxing champion welterweight^[5]

Business and the professions

• Hazel Cosgrove, Lady Cosgrove,^[6] first female Court of Session judge
• Esta Henry, art and antiques dealer in the 20th century
• Sir Isaac Wolfson, businessman and philanthropist

Religious and communal leaders

• Rabbi Salis Daiches, father of David Daiches
• Rabbi Cyril Harris, Chief Rabbi of South Africa^[7]
• Rabbi Shmuel Yitzchak Hillman
• Rabbi Yaakov Benzion Mendelson
• Rabbi Nancy Morris, the first female rabbi in Scotland^[8]
• Rabbi Louis Isaac Rabinowitz
• Rabbi Naftoli Shapiro

Show business

Oscar Hammerstein II, right

• Ronni Ancona (Sephardi), comedian^[9]
• Arnold Brown, comedian

People of Scottish-Jewish heritage / Jews of Scottish extraction

• Simon Cowell, British presenter of The X Factor^[10]
• David Duchovny, American actor, X-Files^[11][12][13]
• Isla Fisher, Australian actress, born to Scottish parents, converted to Judaism upon marriage to Sacha Baron Cohen;^{[14][15][16][17]} has described herself as "quite observant"^[18]
• Oscar Hammerstein II, American lyricist, librettist, and theatrical producer
• Zarif, singer^[19]

References

1. Jewish Year Book 1977 p20
2. born in Glasgow of an anglophile [sic] Riga Jewish family. Concise Dictionary of National Biography.
3. "Muriel Gray: Overview of Muriel Gray". Scottish-places.info. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
4. "Rebecca Pidgeon Biography (1963?-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
5. Deborah Andrews (1992). Annual Obituary, 1991. St. James Pr. ISBN 1-55862-175-X. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
6. "Feature article". culham.ac.uk.
7. Freedland, Michael (16 September 2005). "Rabbi Cyril Harris". The Guardian.
8. The Sunday Herald interview of Rabbi Morris upon her appointment at Glasgow New Synagogue, dated 14 December 2003
9. Jewish Chronicle, 28 September 2005, Diary p. 66, "Could there a hint of racial stereotyping in the Almeida's decision to cast two Jewish actors – Ronni Ancona and Henry Goodman – in its upcoming production of The Hypochondriac?"
10. Mcgivern, Mark (22 November 2006). "Mr. Nasty's Mum Defends 'Those Nice McDonald Bros.'". The Daily Record. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
11. "David Duchovny DuchovnyNet – Article: A Man and His 'X'". Duchovny.net. 26 October 1997. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
12. "David Duchovny DuchovnyNet – Article: Cult Times 1997". Duchovny.net. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
13. Archived 12 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
14. "Isla Fisher maintains she is not a shopaholic | Fashion | Style & Beauty | The Hour | STV Programmes". Video.stv.tv. 19 February 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
15. "Fisher to marry Baron Cohen 'soon'". Hull Daily Mail. 13 January 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
16. Das, Lina (8 February 2008). "Isla Fisher: My husband Borat is so tall he makes me look like a circus freak". Daily Mail. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
17. Hellard, Peta (3 September 2007). "Isla Fisher's pregnant pause". NEWS.com.au. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
18. Lipworth, Elaine (19 February 2009). "Fisher: I'm addicted to breastfeeding". Metro. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
19. theguardian.co.uk New Band of the Day 448: Zarif

See also

• History of the Jews in Scotland