THEY fled Nazi Germany and occupied Europe for a new life in Scotland.
Now the experiences of three young refugees will be used to help today's children learn the 200-year-old story of Scotland's Jewish community.
Beautiful Garnethill Synagogue in Glasgow now hosts the Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre (SJHC), which launched today.
The unique site is seven years in the making and unravels the contributions made to Scotland over years of migration.
Displays also explore the period from 1933 to the 1950s when Scotland responded to events in Nazi Germany and took in a number of refugees, including children.
Holocaust-era refugee collections will be used in interactive learning kits for visiting school pupils. These follow the experiences of Dorrith Sim, Ernst Marchand and Hilda Goldwag, all of whom fled Nazi Germany and occupied Europe for a new life in Scotland before the outbreak of the Second World War.
READ MORE: Neo-Nazi student to be sentenced for terrorism and hate offences
Students will reflect on wider issues of citizenship, democracy, persecution and belonging, through the refugees’ experiences.
Susan Hodgins, daughter of Dorrith Sim, commented: "The new Heritage Centre is about learning and understanding. My mother’s raison d’être was to make sure that people never forgot about the experiences of the refugees. The displays are not just about Judaism, they’re about people, about life."
The centre has been backed by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Edinburgh, which contributed to capital costs.
Dr Andreas Zimmer, German Consul General in Scotland, said: "We must challenge distortion and denial of the Holocaust. I am very pleased that the German Consulate General Edinburgh could contribute to the excellent and important project, the Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre incorporating the Scottish Holocaust-era Study Centre.
"If we take our responsibility seriously, we owe it to the victims and to ourselves to openly and honestly face our past and to prevent discrimination, antisemitism and hate crimes today."
The centre is a partnership project between the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre (SJAC), Garnethill Synagogue Preservation Trust (GSPT) alongside Garnethill Hebrew Congregation, all based in Garnethill Synagogue.
Major building restoration and renovation has also taken place in the Category A-listed building to improve access and regular public tours will take place.
Booking and other information is available at www.sjhc.org.uk.
Kerry Patterson, SJHC manager, said: "The Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre is an important resource for Scotland.
"By enabling greater access to the collections and encouraging an understanding of the history of Jewish immigration and the contributions of the Jewish community to Scottish life, we hope to contribute to furthering equality and diversity and promoting inclusion."
Susan Siegel, chair of Garnethill Synagogue Preservation Trust, added: "The centre brings into focus fascinating stories about people associated with Garnethill Synagogue, who contributed so much towards the modern city of Glasgow."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel