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).[1][2]
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.[1]
History and Name Changes
- 1969 — Established as the Northern Region Chaplaincy Board (NRCB) to administer the chaplaincy scheme.[1]
- 1990s — Renamed Northern Region Jewish Chaplaincy (NRJC).[1]
- 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).[1][3]
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.[4]
Chaplaincy Couples and Officers
The following is the complete chronological list of chaplains and chaplaincy couples, drawn directly from the official Jewish Student Chaplaincy Scotland records (updated March 2026) with cross-verification from contemporary reports. Many served as husband-and-wife teams.[1][3]
- 1969–1978 — Rabbi Michael Rosin (founding Honorary Chaplain).[1]
- 1978–1979 — Rabbi Tuvia Hochwald & Sara Hochwald (chaplaincy couple).[1]
- 1979–1980 — David Dimant (Chaplaincy fieldworker).[1]
- 1980–1981 — Rabbi Dr Shimon Simpson & Linor Simpson (chaplaincy couple).[1]
- 1981–1983 — Rev. Ze'ev Amit & Yaffa Amit (chaplaincy couple).[1]
- 1984–1985 — Rabbi Ya’akov Rushnyevsky & Rivka Rushnyevsky (chaplaincy couple).[1]
- 1986–1987 — Rabbi Benji Cohen & Yehudith Cohen (chaplaincy couple).[1]
- 1987–1993 — Rabbi Michael Rosin & Ruthie Rosin (chaplaincy couple; return of the founding chaplain).[1]
- 1993–1994 — Richard Jacobs (Chaplaincy Team member).[1]
- 1994–2008 — Rabbi Dovid Cohen & Sora Cohen (longest-serving couple in this period).[1]
- 2008 — Gabby Houri & Tanya Stone (Chaplaincy Team).[1]
- 2009 — Adam Nuhi (Chaplaincy Team).[1]
- 2009–2012 — Rabbi Garry Wayland & Suzanne Wayland (chaplaincy couple; appointed September 2009; ended 2012).[1][5]
- 2012–2018 — Rabbi Yossi Bodenheim & Sarah Bodenheim (chaplaincy couple; moved from Israel to Glasgow in 2012; served until 2018/early 2019).[1][6][7]
- 2019 — Rabbi Eli Grunewald & Shevi Grunewald (chaplaincy couple).[1][8]
- 2019–2022 — Rabbi Aharon Lemberger & Hodaya Lemberger (chaplaincy couple; returned to Israel in 2022 after four years).[1][9][10]
- August 2022–present — Rabbi Eliran Shabo & Ayalah Shabo (current resident chaplaincy couple, based in Edinburgh with their children; cover all Scottish universities).[1][11]
Additional longstanding board roles (overlapping multiple chaplain terms):
- 1990–2020 — Nicola Livingston served as Chair of the Chaplaincy Board / Scottish Jewish Chaplaincy (also former Glasgow JSoc president).[1]
- Current trustees/advisory board include Dr Mia Spiro (Chair), Nicola Livingston, and Harvey Kaplan.[1]
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.[1]
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 likely served as an administrative or correspondence base rather than a dedicated chaplaincy office.[12]
The Rabbi Garry Wayland & Suzanne Wayland couple (2009–2012) and Rabbi Yossi Bodenheim & Sarah Bodenheim couple (2012–2018) were both based in Giffnock, Glasgow (the Bodenheims moved from Israel in 2012 and lived there with their children).[6]
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). No specific residential or office address is publicly listed for privacy and security reasons common in chaplaincy roles; contact is via email or university honorary chaplain channels.[13][14]
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.[1][4]
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.[1]
- 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.[2]
See also
External links
- Official website – Jewish Student Chaplaincy Scotland
- Full chaplain history page
- Current chaplains (University Jewish Chaplaincy)
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 Jewish Student Chaplaincy Scotland, About us jscs.scot, accessed March 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jewish Student Chaplaincy Scotland, Home page jscs.scot, accessed March 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Jewish Chronicle, Northern region appoints chaplain thejc.com, June 2009.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Jewish Student Chaplaincy Scotland oscr.org.uk, accessed March 2026 (main operating location listed as Glasgow City, but operations cover all Scotland).
- ↑ The Jewish Chronicle, Glasgow society celebrates landmark with gala dinner thejc.com, 22 November 2012.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Jewish Chronicle, Rabbi on the road to success thejc.com, 18 February 2016.
- ↑ The Algemeiner, Scottish Rabbi Says Family Is ‘Distressed’ After Being Assaulted algemeiner.com, 12 December 2016.
- ↑ Scottish Parliament, Time for Reflection: Rabbi Eli Grunewald scottishparliament.tv, 30 April 2019.
- ↑ Ohr Torah Stone, Our Shlichim Share – Rabbi Aharon and Hodaya Lemberger, Scotland ots.org.il, December 2022.
- ↑ Facebook (Aharon Lemberger), post confirming return to Israel after four years in Scotland, September 2022.
- ↑ University Jewish Chaplaincy, Rabbi Eliran & Ayalah Shabo mychaplaincy.co.uk, accessed March 2026.
- ↑ Jewish Student Chaplaincy Scotland, Donate page jscs.scot, accessed March 2026 (cheques payable to JSCS at 222 Fenwick Road, Giffnock G46 6UE).
- ↑ University Jewish Chaplaincy, Rabbi Eliran & Ayalah Shabo mychaplaincy.co.uk, accessed March 2026.
- ↑ University of Edinburgh Chaplaincy, Jewish Chaplain chaplaincy.ed.ac.uk, updated June 2024.