List of Scottish Jews explained

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

• Ruth Adler, child welfare campaigner and human rights campaigner
• Charlotte Auerbach, geneticist^[1]
• Philip Cohen, FRS FRSE professor of biochemistry, University of Dundee, winner of the Royal Medal and other awards
• David Daiches, writer and literary critic, professor of English, University of Sussex; father of Jenni Calder
• Jack D. 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, 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
• A C Jacobs, poet
• Hans Kosterlitz, professor of pharmacology, University of Aberdeen
• Lesley Lokko, architect, academic, and novelist
• Stefan Reif, emeritus professor of medieval Hebrew studies, University of Cambridge and director of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit
• John Michael Robson, geneticist, University of Edinburgh
• George Sassoon, electronics engineer, translator and author; son of Siegfried Sassoon, 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

• Chaim Bermant, author
• 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
• Howie B, DJ, musician and producer
• Jeremy Isaacs, broadcaster
• David Knopfler, member of Dire Straits
• Mark Knopfler, co-founder (with brother David), lead vocalist, and lead guitarist for the band Dire Straits
• Peter Kravitz, literary critic, editor of the compilation Contemporary Scottish Fiction
• Daniel Lobell, stand-up comedian and podcaster
• Macdonald brothers, grandsons of the Hungarian-born English filmmaker Emeric Pressburger
  • Andrew Macdonald, producer, Trainspotting
  • Kevin Macdonald, director, Touching the Void
• Miriam Margolyes, actor, Harry Potter
• Isi Metzstein, modernist architect
• Saul Metzstein, filmmaker, director of Late Night Shopping
• Rebecca Pidgeon, actor, singer and songwriter (grew up in Edinburgh)^[4]
• B. Marcus Priteca, Seattle architect
• Jack Ronder, author, dramatist, playwright
• Hugo Rifkind, journalist
• Benno Schotz, sculptor
• 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
• Edith Simon, artist
  • Robin Spark, artist
• Scottie Wilson, artist and designer, born in Glasgow
• Eric Woolfson, musician and composer, founding member of The Alan Parsons Project

Politicians

• Myer Galpern, Labour MP
• Harry Primrose, 6th Earl of Rosebery, Secretary of State for Scotland, elder son of Hannah de Rothschild
• Neil Primrose, MP and soldier, younger son of Hannah de Rothschild
• Malcolm Rifkind, Conservative MP
• Manny Shinwell, Labour MP

Athletes

• Noam Dar, professional wrestler
• 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
• Sir Monty Finniston, industrialist, chairman of British Steel Corporation
• Esta Henry, art and antiques dealer in the 20th century
• Sir Isaac Wolfson, businessman and philanthropist
• Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf, barrister and judge

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, first female rabbi in Scotland^[8]
• Rabbi Louis Isaac Rabinowitz
• Rabbi Naftoli Shapiro

Show business

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

People of both Scottish and Jewish heritage

• Simon Cowell, presenter of The X Factor^[10] (Jewish father, Scottish mother)
• David Duchovny, American actor, X-Files^{[11] [12] [13]} (Jewish father, Scottish mother)
• Isla Fisher, Australian actress, born to Scottish parents, converted to Judaism upon marriage to Sacha Baron Cohen;^{[14] [15] [16]} has described herself as "quite observant"^[17]
• Oscar Hammerstein II, American lyricist, librettist, and theatrical producer (Jewish father, Scottish mother)
• Norman Swan, Australian paediatrician known for his work as a science and medical broadcaster on ABC, born in Glasgow
• Zarif, singer^[18] (Scottish father, Iranian Jewish mother)
• Muriel Spark (Scottish-Jewish father, English Anglican mother)
• Eugene Levy, actor known for his roles in the American Pie series and Schitt's Creek.

See also

• History of the Jews in Scotland

Notes and References

1. [Jewish Year Book]
2. Book: born in Glasgow of an anglophile [sic] Riga Jewish family. Concise Dictionary of National Biography .
3. Web site: Muriel Gray: Overview of Muriel Gray . Scottish-places.info . 2016-03-03.
4. Web site: Rebecca Pidgeon Biography (1963?-) . Filmreference.com . 2016-03-03.
5. Book: Annual Obituary, 1991 . Deborah Andrews . 1-55862-175-X . St. James Pr . 1992 . 3 June 2010.
6. Web site: culham.ac.uk . Feature article . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071020133720/http://www.culham.ac.uk/tvr/Feature/f980917_rh.html . 20 October 2007 .
7. News: Rabbi Cyril Harris. The Guardian . Michael. Freedland . 16 September 2005.
8. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_/ai_n12585041 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. News: Mcgivern. Mark. Mr. Nasty's Mum Defends 'Those Nice McDonald Bros.'. The Daily Record. 22 November 2006. 11 June 2007.
11. Web site: David Duchovny DuchovnyNet – Article: A Man and His 'X' . Duchovny.net . 26 October 1997 . 8 May 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20010305020525/http://duchovny.net/articles/latimes1026.htm . 5 March 2001 . dead .
12. Web site: David Duchovny DuchovnyNet – Article: Cult Times 1997 . Duchovny.net . 8 May 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080124023415/http://duchovny.net/articles/culttimes.htm . 24 January 2008 . dead .
13. http://www.jvibe.com/popculture/duchovny.shtml
14. Web site: Isla Fisher maintains she is not a shopaholic | Fashion | Style & Beauty | The Hour | STV Programmes . Video.stv.tv . 19 February 2009 . 8 May 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091229104959/http://video.stv.tv/bc/entertainment-film-interviews-20090218-isla-fisher . 29 December 2009 .
15. News: Fisher to marry Baron Cohen 'soon'. Hull Daily Mail. 13 January 2009. 13 January 2009.
16. News: Hellard. Peta. Isla Fisher's pregnant pause. NEWS.com.au. 3 September 2007. 18 February 2008.
17. News: Lipworth. Elaine. Fisher: I'm addicted to breastfeeding. Metro. 19 February 2009. https://archive.today/20120904114731/http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/interviews/article.html?Fisher:_Im_addicted_to_breastfeeding&in_article_id=546831&in_page_id=11. dead. 4 September 2012. 19 February 2009.
18. theguardian.co.uk New Band of the Day 448: Zarif