In attempting to assess the meaning of Thursday’s No vote on Scottish independence, we checked out the Jewish Chronicle, which interviewed Ephraim Borowski, director of the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, who told them Scottish Jews are “unlikely to be significantly affected by the outcome.”
Scotland voted by a hefty 55 to 45 percent against independence. The media were working this up into a froth, suggesting the vote was too close to call – based on polls. Shows you what polls are worth.
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The Jews got scared, though. Many of Scotland’s 6, 000 Jews expressed fears that a split from the UK would boost antisemitism in their country. They were also worried about circumcision and kosher slaughter, and all the great stuff Jews have been facing in Europe recently..
“This is a decisive result, reached after an unprecedented level of participation, but while we wait with interest to learn details of the further powers that have been promised, it is important to note that more than 90 per cent of day-to-day life in Scotland is already governed from Edinburgh and has been since devolution, ” Borowski told the Chronicle.
He also mentioned “the recent unprecedented spike in antisemitic incidents, ” about which he was hoping the authorities would bring about “a successful conclusion.”
As in, please don’t let those madmen kill us…
Paul Morron, president of Glasgow Jewish Representative Council, said he was sure Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister, who led the “yes” campaign, had the best interests of the Jewish community at heart.
There you go. It’s all good, then. I’ll bet you many, many of our brothers and sisters in Scotland will be swigging the aged, single malt tomorrow during kiddush. In other words, nothing’s changed…
