Glasgow Maccabi
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Jewish youth and sports club in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, and home of the Scottish Jewish Youth Alliance (OSCR SC019965)
| Glasgow Maccabi
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Unincorporated association (registered charity) |
| Founded | 13 June 1967 |
| Registration ID | SC019965 (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator) |
| Status | Active |
| Headquarters | May Terrace, Giffnock, Glasgow, G46 6LD[1] |
| Area served | East Renfrewshire and Scotland |
| Services | Sports and recreation facilities, youth work, summer scheme, the Scottish Jewish Youth Alliance |
| Registration | Scotland (OSCR) |
Glasgow Maccabi runs the Maccabi sports and youth centre at May Terrace, Giffnock, on land leased from the Glasgow Jewish Community Trust for a peppercorn rent.[2] Since January 2024 it has hosted the Scottish Jewish Youth Alliance (SJYA), a project "supported by UJIA" that took over youth work from the United Jewish Israel Appeal in Scotland and aims at "promoting Jewish identity and the centrality of Israel".[3] In 2025 its income was £243,170. This included £71,019 of restricted "security income" and £59,244 of restricted grants; rent from users of the building brought in £54,217.[2]
Glasgow Maccabi is a Scottish charity based in Glasgow (SC019965). Registered charity from 13 June 1967. (Also called Maccabi GB Scotland)[1] It is the contemporary iteration of a much longer existing grouping previously known as the Glasgow Maccabi Association (in 1951) and Glasgow Bar Kochba.[4] Maccabi is an avowedly Zionist organisation. The Maccabi World Union is affiliated with the World Zionist Organisation.[5] The Glasgow branch sent members to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians in 1948 via membership in the Haganah Zionist terror gang.
Register details
- Founded: Registered charity 13 June 1967[1]
- Income and expenditure: Income £243,170; expenditure £263,796 (year ending 31 December 2025)[1]
Participation in the Nakba
In 1949 the Glasgow branch stated: “it was a source of great jubilation amongst the ranks of Maccabi at the establishment of the State of Israel. Maccabi throughout the world had played its part in reinforcing the ranks of the Haganah during its time of need and Glasgow Maccabi feel proud that out of their ranks, eight men and two women are now proudly bearing the insignia of the Haganah. It was essential that Jewish youth who are contemplating emigrating to Israel should go out there no only equipped spiritually, but physically also. That is why it is so essential to have a strong and virile Maccabi branch in Glasgow.”[6]
Glasgow Maccabi is based at the Maccabi Centre, May Terrace, Giffnock, Glasgow G46 6LD.
History
- THE Roman poet Juvenal's assertion "mens sana in corpore sano", the phrase "a healthy mind in a healthy body" would not have been far from the thoughts of the founders of Maccabi, the worldwide Jewish organisation which endeavours to improve the health and wellbeing of the community's youth through sport and social activities. Its beginnings in Glasgow were modest. There were sports organisations in the Glasgow Jewish community from the beginning of the 20th century, such as the Glasgow Zionist Cycling and Athletic Club, Oxford Star football team, the Jewish Athletic Club, and the Jewish Tennis Club. In the 1920s keep-fit enthusiasts in the Jewish community set up a very basic gymnasium in an empty tailoring factory, originally as the Bar Kochba club, before moving to the basement of the Talmud Torah religious school in Turriff Street on the outskirts of Gorbals, and eventually becoming part of the Maccabi movement.
- Looking back to those early days, the project Gathering the Voices, which interviewed refugees from the Holocaust in Scotland, spoke to George Taylor, formerly Georg Naratzki, who arrived in Glasgow via the Kindertransport, who recalled: "I joined the Maccabi. I was in the Maccabi in Germany in Konigsberg because I enjoyed my sports in the schools, so I went to Turriff Street. I've still got the original badge and photographs. It was just a wooden hut. But I had a great time. I used to go there about two or three times a week and we had a gym team and we used to give displays.
- "Ellis was the instructor. He had been an instructor in the army and when he came out he took the class. He was a very fit powerful guy, but he went to the dancing in the Plaza and just died. Unbelievable, he was so fit." But with the building deteriorating, and the community moving southwards, Maccabi needed new premises, and the Community Trust, now with the empty Tudor Cinema on its hands, offered it to Maccabi as a temporary home.
- But the Trust went further than that. As mentioned earlier, with the Giffnock shul seeking new premises away from the now cramped May Terrace, the Trust's elegant plan was to buy the May Terrace synagogue for £30,000 - its value as an empty building in need of repair was less than half that - to give the synagogue's funds a significant start for the money required to build elsewhere. It no doubt gave the Trust members quite a start when the community's newspaper, the Jewish Echo, reacted badly to the suggestion, putting the ominous heading "Takeover bid for synagogue" on its story, and using journalistic licence to claim that there were "gasps of surprise" when the suggestion was put to synagogue members. It was the first of a small number of antagonistic stories in the Echo about the Trust's motives over the years. What was not widely known was the Trust rose above such petty hostilities and quietly helped fund the Echo when its finances were in dire straits.
- Gasps of surprise or not, the shul members thought it was an excellent offer, and quickly accepted it. The Trust's suggestion was the catalyst that helped the shul move to new premises. There was no suggestion that the shul had to vacate its building before a new synagogue was built, so Maccabi was told it could use the now vacant Tudor in the meantime. There were soon mutterings though that the raucous behaviour of Maccabi youngsters was already leading to a deterioration of the Tudor building. One Trustee blamed it on a "lack of adult supervision". Those complaining never saw it as their role to provide such supervision. The bills for maintaining the building were beginning to mount. The Trust prudently spent £135 to paint the outside of the eyecatching edifice so that passers-by would no longer be commenting unfavourably on its appearance.
- Although Britain was now in what the media colloquially called "The Swinging Sixties" some parents wished it would swing far less in Giffnock. One mother wrote to the Jewish Echo expressing her I "surprise and disappointment" that Maccabi was running afternoon dances at The Tudor to which 13-year-old girls were invited. As she testily wrote: "In an age where we are surrounded by the vulgarities of sex on television and in the cinema, it surely behoves a youth organisation like Maccabi to lead boys and girls into more wholesome recreation."
- The Community Trust then provided temporary accommodation, costing £3500, beside May Terrace for Maccabi which allowed it to sell the burdensome Tudor while taking over the former synagogue's site. The Trust would own the building but give it to Maccabi rent free provided they kept it "clean and tidy" as the Trust's minutes put it. Ambitious plans were produced for the redevelopment of the now empty shul at May Terrace for youth activities, estimated at £150,000, which would include a gymnasium, meeting rooms, cafeteria, football pitches, tennis courts, a running track, and even a cricket square. The Community Trust generously offered £50,000 towards the cost.
- The original scheme was in fact scaled back as Maccabi leaders agreed they had been over ambitious, but nevertheless the move to May Terrace was a success with Maccabi membership increasing from 220 to 350. The premises were in use every night, including by the Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade, Girl Guides and Brownies. Trust members were also satisfied that Friends of Maccabi, which had also been set up, was successfully fundraising and the Trust was not the only source of financial support.
- Little stands still, and Maccabi returned with a five-year plan to further develop May Terrace with a new building, better car parking, a new gymnasium and a house, costing in total §360,000, and seeking major backing from the Trust. By 1990 the Trust had given £140,000 to Maccabi but there was general satisfaction that it was money well spent, although debates continued on the cost of redeveloping the site, as well as managing the complexities of other organisations moving there. Since then, of course there has been the arrival of Jewish Care and other welfare organisations as well as new sports halls for Maccabi which has benefitted from the rental income from the clubs and organisations using its premises. There is no doubt that the success of Maccabi in Giffnock helped persuade the organisers of the European Maccabi Games that Scotland would be a suitable location for the event held every four years, and in 1999 the games were successfully held in Stirling.
- Meanwhile in Giffnock, Maccabi continues to help not just the Jewish community but Giffnock as a whole, with the function suite available for hire for dances and parties, as well as classes in ballroom dancing, judo, krav maga, zumba, yoga and table tennis taking place - all possible with the continued help of the Community Trust.[7]
Connections to the Cousinhood of Scottish Zionism
The Sellyn family and Maccabi
- Several family members were active in Glasgow Maccabi, the Zionist sporting body. Jonathan Sellyn won “Man of the Match” in the British victory at the 1976 European Maccabi Nations Cup, while a young Georgina Sellyn won both silver and gold medals in tennis at the 2007 Maccabiah Games in Rome. Lawrence and Felicia Sellyn officiated at Glasgow Maccabi’s 2015 prizegiving ceremony.[8]
The Sragowitz/Sragow/Strang family connections
- In 1937 Israel Sragowitz, son of Morris Sragowitz (b. 1890) and Jenny Sragowitz (nee Backon), won two tennis matches at the Maccabi inter-city games in Glasgow against Newcastle. As it happens Morris was also a half brother of Max, to whom we come next.
- In 1938 Max Sragowitz was Treasurer of the Langside Synagogue (a Zionist Shul), a nine minute walk from his home in Queen Mary Avenue.
- In 1939 Sargent T. Strang was part of a team that won the “sack race”! in the Glasgow Jewish Lads’ Brigade - a Zionist radicalisation venture. This is Teddy Sragowitz, an early adopter of the name Strang, and the son of Alexandern Sragowitz and grandson of Samuel Sragowitz.
- In 1948 Joseph Strang (born 1911 as Judah Sragowitz, grandson of Samuel), was Hon. Treasurer of the Glasgow Maccabi Association until well into the 1950s, according to the Zionist Year Book and other sources.
- At the 1950 Glasgow Maccabi AGM, Joseph Strang (formerly Sragowitz) was appointed Delegate to the Hebrew Board of Education, and Delegate to the Glasgow Jewish Representative Council.[9]
People
- 2025 - Sue Faber
Timeline
- 1989 - Maccabi Youth Centre Chairman E. Simpson, Hon Sec. Mrs D. Minster, Tel 041 638 7655.[10]
- 1983 - Maccabi Youth Centre Chairman A. Fasin, Hon Sec. Mrs S. Simpson, Tel 041 638 7655.[11]
- 1952/3 - Chairman H. Shapiro, Vice-Chairman M. Egelnick, Hon. Treasurer J. Strang, Hon. Secretary Miss B. Edelman, 32 Ballater Street, Glasgow C5.[12]
- 1951/2 - Glasgow Maccabi Association, 16 Turriff Street, Glasgow C5. Secretary Miss B. Edelman, 32 Ballater Street, Glasgow C5.[13] At the time also located at the same address was the Glasgow Jewish Representative Council.
- 1950 - The Glasgow Maccabi Association elected the following at its annual meeting recently: Messrs J. Woolfson Hon-President : L. G. Diamond, B. Green, S. Lipsey, and B. Schotz Hon. Vice-Presidents: the Rev, I. K. Cosgrove, Hon. Chaplain; Messrs. H Shapiro, Chairman: L. Haniford Vice-Chairman : J. Strang, Treasurer; Miss B. Edelman, Secretary : Miss Z. Baron, Publicity Director: Messrs N Berman, Sports Director:' M. Newman, Cultural Director; H Dykes, Hon. Solicitor: and B. D. Cowen, Hon. Trustee.[14]
- 1949 - “it was a source of great jubilation amongst the ranks of Maccabi at the establishment of the State of Israel. Maccabi throughout the world had played its part in reinforcing the ranks of the Haganah during its time of need and Glasgow Maccabi feel proud that out of their ranks, eight men and two women are now proudly bearing the insignia of the Haganah. It was essential that Jewish youth who are contemplating emigrating to Israel should go out there no only equipped spiritually, but physically also. That is why it is so essential to have a strong and virile Maccabi branch in Glasgow.”[15]
- 1948 - J. Strang treasurer.
- 1947 - Bar Kochba (Glasgow) 16 Turriff Street, Glasgow C.5 Miss S. Goldberg.[16]
- 1939 - J. Strang - Coach.[17]
Finances
Annual returns and accounts
| Year ending | Income (£) | Expenditure (£) | Annual return received |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2021 | 94,783 | 115,452 | 29 March 2023 |
| 31 December 2022 | 172,844 | 172,446 | 26 March 2024 |
| 31 December 2023 | 180,049 | 195,102 | 20 February 2025 |
| 31 December 2024 | 229,275 | 224,215 | 30 September 2025 |
| 31 December 2025 | 243,170 | 263,796 | 29 September 2026 |
| Item | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Security income (restricted) | 71,019 | 58,972 |
| Grants (restricted) | 59,244 | 39,735 |
| Rents received | 54,217 | 80,920 |
| Activity income | 39,035 | 31,109 |
| Summer scheme income | 5,936 | 8,053 |
| Bridge income | 5,242 | 5,468 |
| Donations | 5,046 | 2,315 |
| Other (fundraising, interest, membership) | 3,431 | 2,703 |
| Total income | 243,170 | 229,275 |
| Security costs (restricted) | 80,045 | 53,721 |
| Wages and pensions | 59,462 | 60,379 |
| Light and heat | 28,717 | 34,978 |
| Repairs and renewals | 23,399 | 24,572 |
| Other projects (restricted) | 14,650 | 7,318 |
| Legal and professional fees | 12,660 | 744 |
| Other costs | 44,863 | 42,503 |
| Total expenditure | 263,796 | 224,215 |
The accounts do not say who provided the security income or the grants.[2] The charity had a deficit of £20,626 in 2025, and its funds fell to £153,794 (2024: £174,420). It employed an average of seven staff (2024: nine), and no one earned more than £60,000. The accounts describe it as "an unincorporated charity" governed by "a deed of trust", and say it has "conducted charitable activities in the United Kingdom since the 1900s".[2] The independent examiner is John O'Hara CA, O'Haras Chartered Accountants, Radleigh House, 1 Golf Road, Clarkston, Glasgow G76 7HU. In 2025 the firm was paid £1,800 for the examination and £4,860 for accountancy.[2]
The charity says it "entered into a long lease of 125 years in the early 1960s" and pays a peppercorn rent to the Glasgow Jewish Community Trust.[2] The Trust's own accounts value its land at the Maccabi site at £50,000 (May 2024 valuation).[18]
Grants received from other charities
| Donor | Recipient as named | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow Jewish Community Trust | Glasgow Maccabi (annual grant) | 5,000 | – | – |
| Glasgow Jewish Community Trust | Glasgow Maccabi (special grant) | – | 2,700 | – |
| Glasgow Jewish Community Trust | "SJYA/UJIA" (2023-24), "SJYA" (2025), restricted | 26,648 | 32,200 | 31,800 |
| Queens Park Charitable Trust | Glasgow Maccabi (2023); "Glasgow Maccabi Youth and Sports Centre" (2025) | 500 | – | 1,000 |
Sources: GJCT 2024 and 2025 accounts;[19][18] QPCT 2024 and 2025 accounts.[20][21] Jewish Care Scotland also offered £175 one-off grants to low-income families for the 2025 Maccabi Summer Scheme, paid "directly to Maccabi".[22]
Trustees, 2025-2026
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Errol Hornstein | |
| Brian Fox | Signed the 2025 accounts. Also a director (honorary treasurer) of Jewish Care Scotland, treasurer of Giffnock Newton Mearns Synagogue, honorary treasurer of Eastwood Jewish Community Centres, and independent examiner of the Netherlee and Clarkston Charitable Trust[23][24] |
| Neville Barmack | |
| Michael Bishop | |
| Gerard Minster | |
| Adam Barnett | |
| Raphael Selby | "RS Selby" in the accounts |
| S Vallance | Resigned 31 December 2025 |
The accounts give no roles; "Day to day operations are managed by the chairman", who is not named.[2]
Israel and Zionist links
- Scottish Jewish Youth Alliance: the SJYA is "a project of Glasgow Maccabi, and supported by UJIA launched in January 2024". It "has taken over the remit of youth education and engagement from UJIA" for young people from nursery to S6 across Scotland, "whilst promoting Jewish identity and the centrality of Israel". Its programmes include "Access to Youth Movement Experiences". It is run by its director, Shayna Conn.[3] A September 2024 job advertisement described it as "a project of Glasgow Maccabi and supported by UJIA".[25]
- Funding through the Community Trust: the Glasgow Jewish Community Trust gave restricted grants labelled "SJYA/UJIA" of £26,648 (2023) and £32,200 (2024), and "SJYA" £31,800 (2025).[19][18]
- Jewish Care Scotland: Shayna Conn became a director of Jewish Care Scotland on 16 September 2025.[26] Trustee Brian Fox is also a Jewish Care Scotland director.[26]
See also
- Glasgow Maccabi Association
- Maccabi GB
- Jewish Care Scotland
- Glasgow Jewish Community Trust
- Scottish Jewish Youth Alliance
- 3rd Giffnock (Maccabi) Brownies SC031307. Registered charity from 01 January 1992. Ceased date: 02 June 2012.
- Scottish Jewish Youth Association
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Glasgow Maccabi (SC019965) Scottish Charity Register, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Glasgow Maccabi, Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025, via Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Glasgow Jewish Representative Council, Scottish Jewish Youth Alliance jewishglasgow.org, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Bar Kochba TheGlasgowStory, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Maccabi World Union, Home Maccabi World Union, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Jewish Echo 25 February 1949.
- ↑ Ken Smith, More then a helping hand: The history of the Glasgow Jewish Community Trust, Glasgow: Scottish Jewish Archives Centre. 2024. 68-72
- ↑ The Cousinhood of Scottish Zionism: Families, Fortunes and the Israel Lobby MintPress News, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Neighbours: Inside the tight-knit Caledonian Cousinhood of Scottish Zionism Press TV, 19 July 2025, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Jewish Year Book, 1989, p. 137.
- ↑ Jewish Year Book, 1983, p. 125.
- ↑ Zionist Year book, 1952-1953, p. 95.
- ↑ Zionist Year book, 1951-1952, p. 95.
- ↑ Jewish Chronicle 10 March 1950, p. 17.
- ↑ Jewish Echo 25 February 1949.
- ↑ The Jewish Year book, 1947, p.95.
- ↑ JE, 10 February 1939.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Glasgow Jewish Community Trust, Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025, notes 5 and 9, via Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Glasgow Jewish Community Trust, Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 (redacted copy), note 5, via Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Queens Park Charitable Trust, Trustee's Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 November 2024 (redacted copy), via Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Queens Park Charitable Trust, Unaudited Trustee's Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 November 2025, note 7, via Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Jewish Care Scotland, Jewish Care Scotland and Scottish Jewish Youth Alliance team up to support Maccabi's Summer Scheme 25 jcarescot.org.uk, 31 March 2025.
- ↑ Jewish Care Scotland, Audited Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024, filed at Companies House 2 October 2025, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Netherlee and Clarkston Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2026, via Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Shayna Conn, JOIN OUR TEAM! The Scottish Jewish Youth Alliance (SJYA)... LinkedIn, 5 September 2024.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Companies House, JEWISH CARE SCOTLAND (SC179994) – officers, accessed 21 October 2026.