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The Israelites enter the shop that Moses built. They have dreamt of seeing the product that stands inside – freedom. They glimpse it inside of the store and imagine what it might feel like in their deepest soul.

They seek what is currently outside of their concrete vision in the deep recess of the shop’s rear and then he appears draped in flowing white robes a prince’s finery combined with a fiery purposeful countenance. The theatre provides assurance of some future award ceremony.

Now Moses hardly spoke but muttered in the ear of the salesman whose name tag announced 'Aaron.' What a smooth talker. The product sold itself and what price could one put on freedom? However the one who sealed the deal was the real product brand. His humble strength penetrated the doubts of their faltering courage; the comfort in Moses who quietly stood by with the hekhsher - the kosher, fit for purpose stamp of authority that a pharaoh and his daughter had embroidered on his breast – an aura of power endowed by upbringing in a palace.

It’s now a couple of months since the white smoke above the United Synagogue offices in Finchley has begun to evaporate and fade and we now look forward with great optimism to Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis taking up the role of Chief Rabbi later this year. Lord Sacks will be a hard act to follow as indeed was Lord Jakobovits before him ….etc…etc.

It is extremely difficult to refrain from making a comparison from one personality to another for the obvious reason that any leader, be they religious, political or managerial, will bring their own style, strengths and personality to the role. Whilst there must of course be a formal job description for all of these roles, there would be a natural tendency for people to play to their ownstrengths and particular areas of interest. Indeed, this is the case throughout society. It applies to managers such as Chief Executives of charities! Trustees, school governors, etc….etc.

It is interesting to measure to what extent management style impacts upon the nature of an organisation. Indeed, can a body as amorphous as a charity have a personality and if so what is that personality like? It is very difficult for me to determine the personality of my own charity as I am clearly far too close to it. Gathering feedback therefore from customers and/or potential customers is very important to us.

With Golders Green reeling from allegations (they are, at this stage, just that) of sexual abuse against one of its foremost Orthodox rabbis, the only thing that surprises me is that anyone is surprised at all.

Going to see your rov for marital problems is, if he is not also a trained counsellor, akin to seeing a therapist for lack of belief in God. And for a married woman to do so – and repeatedly – on her own would be as wise as consulting Norman Bates about your troubled relationship with your late mother. Tzores is certainly not all it is asking for . . .

Extending the famous Merchant of Venice monologue, "Hath not a rabbi a shmekel?" And finding himself in intimate situations with members of the opposite sex (in some cases, with members even of his own), the "Little Fella" has been known to entice all but the most proper and resolute of proprietors into doing all manner of things forbidden.

Fourteen people attended SCoJeC's Purim party in Lochaline, organised by our first volunteer Local Ambassador, Linda Martin.
http://www.scojec.org/news/2013/13ii_purim/purim.html

MEMO 341 A weekly overview of information of interest to minority ethnic communities in Scotland, including parliamentary activity at Holyrood and Westminster, new publications, consultations, forthcoming conferences and news reports.
http://www.scojec.org/memo/2013/memo_341_25_february_2013.pdf

SCoJeC outreach worker Fiona Frank has been in Shetland to accompany photographer Judah Passow on his Creative Scotland funded project to make a photographic record of Jewish life in Scotland.
http://www.scojec.org/news/2013/13i_shetland/shetland.html

Scotland is generally a welcoming place for Jewish people to live, as the findings of our Being Jewish in Scotland project showed, but it is important not to be too complacent, since the answer to a recent question in the Scottish Parliament gives cause for concern about the pattern of religious hatred in Scotland.
http://www.scojec.org/news/2013/13ii_hate_crime.html

As further analysis of the 2011 Census data starts to trickle through, it’s fascinating to watch. Based on the information which we have, we see the gradual movement of the epicentre of our community – whilst on the one hand the Haredi community continues to grow rapidly primarily in North East London and in Manchester, at the same time there is another phenomena at play. This is the gradual drift of the community further north to South Hertfordshire. Whilst this has been a trend which has been in play now for many years, the population movement is now becoming very significant. Similarly the community in certain parts of Manchester continues to expand rapidly.

Such information is enormously valuable to those providing services within the community. One needs to know where demand for services is likely to come from in the future and where it is likely that demand will decline. Yet whilst this information is invaluable to us, one must also recognise the limits of that data. That excellent organisation, JPR, has already done first class work in producing the information which we have thus far and in the fullness of time will be doing further analysis as more and more information becomes available.

Any charitable organisation providing services in the community must be appreciative of the value of this work. Yet numbers of course do not tell the whole story. In the first instance we need to remind ourselves that the question regarding religion in the Census is an optional one. We can therefore assume that not every Jewish person in the country has chosen to answer this optional question – albeit demographers are able to make assumptions on the likely response rate to that question and therefore are able to make further projections.