Northern Region Chaplaincy Board

Northern Region Chaplaincy Board (later known as Northern Region Jewish Chaplaincy and now Jewish Student Chaplaincy Scotland or JSCS) is the longest continuously operating Jewish student chaplaincy service in the United Kingdom. It provides pastoral support, educational programmes and communal activities for Jewish students at universities across Scotland (and originally Northeast England).

The organisation was pioneered in 1969 when students from the Northern Region of the Inter-University Jewish Federation (now Union of Jewish Students or UJS) invited Rabbi Michael Rosin to serve as their first Honorary Jewish Chaplain, covering Scotland and Northeast England.

History and Name Changes

• 1969 — Established as the Northern Region Chaplaincy Board (NRCB) to administer the chaplaincy scheme.
• 1990s — Renamed Northern Region Jewish Chaplaincy (NRJC).
• 2010s onward — Rebranded as Jewish Student Chaplaincy Scotland (JSCS), now focused exclusively on Scottish universities while maintaining close ties with national University Jewish Chaplaincy (UJC).

The charity (OSCR number SC005999) continues to work with university Jewish Societies (JSocs), trustees, and the wider Scottish Jewish community to support students of all backgrounds and affiliations.

Chaplaincy Couples and Officers

The following is the complete chronological list of chaplains and chaplaincy couples, drawn directly from the official JSCS records (with later appointments cross-verified from contemporary reports). Many served as husband-and-wife teams, a hallmark of the service.

• 1969–1978 — Rabbi Michael Rosin (founding Honorary Chaplain; later returned with his wife).
• 1978–1979 — Rabbi Tuvia Hochwald & Sara Hochwald (chaplaincy couple).
• 1979–1980 — David Dimant.
• 1980–1981 — Rabbi Dr Shimon Simpson & Linor Simpson (chaplaincy couple).
• 1981–1983 — Rev. Ze'ev Amit & Yaffa Amit (chaplaincy couple).
• 1984–1985 — Rabbi Ya’akov Rushnyevsky & Rivka Rushnyevsky (chaplaincy couple).
• 1986–1987 — Rabbi Benji Cohen & Yehudith Cohen (chaplaincy couple).
• 1987–1993 — Rabbi Michael Rosin & Ruthie Rosin (chaplaincy couple; return of the founding chaplain).
• 1993–1994 — Richard Jacobs (Chaplaincy Team member).
• 1994–2008 — Rabbi Dovid Cohen & Sora Cohen (longest-serving couple in this period).
• 2008 — Gabby Houri & Tanya Stone (Chaplaincy Team).
• 2009 — Adam Nuhi (Chaplaincy Team).
• September 2009 onward (exact end date unknown) — Rabbi Garry Wayland & Suzanne Wayland (chaplaincy couple; appointed after funding campaign led by Nicola Livingston, then chair of the board; based in Giffnock, Glasgow, with travel to other communities including Newcastle).
• 1990–2020 — Nicola Livingston served as Chair of the Chaplaincy Board / Scottish Jewish Chaplaincy (overlapping with multiple chaplain terms; also former Glasgow JSoc president).
• August 2022–present — Rabbi Eliran Shabo & Ayalah Shabo (current resident chaplaincy couple, based in Edinburgh; cover all Scottish universities including Aberdeen, Dundee, St Andrews, Glasgow and Edinburgh; accompanied by their children).

Additional Context

• The board has always collaborated closely with university JSocs and national bodies such as UJS and University Jewish Chaplaincy.
• Nicola Livingston and Harvey Kaplan serve on the current advisory board/trustees alongside Chair Dr Mia Spiro.
• The service is noted as the only dedicated Jewish student chaplaincy organisation with a specific remit for Scotland and has operated continuously for over 55 years.

Bases and Locations

Historically, the chaplaincy has been travel-based and resident-focused rather than tied to a single fixed office, with chaplains living in or near major Scottish Jewish communities to facilitate regular campus visits and student support. Early chaplains (e.g., Rabbi Michael Rosin in the 1969–1978 and 1987–1993 periods) were often based in or around Glasgow, aligning with the Northern Region's initial coverage of Scotland and Northeast England and the concentration of Jewish students and community infrastructure there.

From the mid-2000s through at least the late 2000s/early 2010s, some chaplaincy activities and board operations referenced addresses in the Giffnock area of Glasgow (a key suburb with a large Jewish population), such as 222 Fenwick Road, Giffnock, Glasgow G46 6UE — used for donations and linked to local Jewish organisations including the Glasgow Jewish Representative Council. This served as an administrative and correspondence base as well as a dedicated chaplaincy office and a flat was made availabe to the Chaplaincy couple in the complex.

Since August 2022, the current resident chaplaincy couple, Rabbi Eliran Shabo and Ayalah Shabo, have been based in Edinburgh, where they reside with their children. From this base, they cover all Scottish universities through regular travel (e.g., to Aberdeen, Dundee, St Andrews, Glasgow, and Edinburgh campuses), hosting events, providing pastoral care, and maintaining an inclusive presence. No specific residential or office address is publicly listed for privacy and security reasons common in chaplaincy roles; contact is via email (e.g., eliran@mychaplaincy.co.uk or ayalah@mychaplaincy.co.uk) or university honorary chaplain channels (e.g., v1eshabo@ed.ac.uk at the University of Edinburgh).

The organisation has no standalone physical headquarters or Hillel-style student centre; operations are mobile and community-integrated, relying on university JSocs, local synagogues (e.g., in Glasgow's Newton Mearns/Giffnock or Edinburgh's community), and board members' homes/offices for events and administration. This model reflects the dispersed nature of Jewish student populations across Scotland and emphasises accessibility over a centralised facility.

See also

• Union of Jewish Students
• University Jewish Chaplaincy
• Glasgow Jewish Students' Society

External links

• Official website – Jewish Student Chaplaincy Scotland
• Full chaplain history page
• Current chaplains (University Jewish Chaplaincy)