Glasgow’s Jewish school, Calderwood Lodge, kicked off its 50th anniversary celebrations with a black-tie dinner at Newton Mearns Synagogue on Sunday.

More than 100 guests heard speeches from acting head Maureen Langman, student chaplain Rabbi Moshe Rubin and Walter Sneader, who was involved in the school’s founding in the early 1960s.

Mrs Langman said it was “a time to look forward and think of the wonderful future that this school has. It’s also a time to look back. Calderwood hasn’t lasted 50 years by chance. The founding fathers had a strong and clear vision for our school. They wanted academic excellence incorporating Jewish education and this has been consistent throughout”.

Stressing the importance of Calderwood to the community, she added: “One of the wonderful things is that many parents who were at the school as children choose to send their children to Calderwood as well. They want to pass that experience on from generation to generation.

“Lots of things have changed over the years but the strong Jewish ethos of the school has stayed.”
Diners also viewed a Scottish Jewish Archives exhibition depicting Calderwood’s history through photos and newspaper cuttings.

Catering for both Jewish and non-Jewish children, the school has 145 pupils in its primary section and 50 in the nursery.

The dinner was organised by a committee from the PTA, headed by vice-chair Alison Ure.

A school open day will be among other celebratory events.