Rabbi Mendel Jacobs (pictured) - the
only Scottish-born Rabbi living in Scotland - initiated the historic
process for getting a kosher tartan
300 years to have their own tartan, but for the 6,400 Jewish people living in Scotland there has finally been a victory.
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A
rabbi initiated the process of the officially registered plaid, meaning
Scottish Jews can now dance their jigs in officially registered attire.
The
tartan, featuring distinctive tones of navy and burgundy, is a kosher
non wool-linen mix which abides by shatnez - the Jewish law prohibiting
the mixture of wool and linen in garments.
Religious experts and tartan authorities worked together to come up with a design that represent both Jewish values and Scottish history.
The tartan is registered with the Scottish National Register of Tartan in the name of the Jewish Community of Scotland.
Photo: forward.com
The lives of Scottish Jews
The colors, weave, and number of threads have all been picked for their importance in Judaism.
The
tartan design features blue and white, the colours of both the Israeli
and Scottish flags, with the central gold line representing the gold
from the Ark in the Biblical Tabernacle.
The silver is to represent the silver that adorns the Scroll of the Law, while the red depicts the traditional Kiddush wine.
There are seven lines in the central motif and three in the flag representations - both numbers of great significance in Judaism
Rabbi Mendel Jacobs - the only Scottish-born Rabbi living in Scotland - chose the kosher tartan.
The
tartan invention began in 2008 when a Glaswegian dentist, Dr Clive
Schmulian, sat next to Paul Harris, editor of the Jewish Telegraph, at a
charity dinner in Glasgow.
The tartan design features blue and
white, the colours of both the Israeli and Scottish flags, with the
central gold line representing the gold from the Ark in the Biblical
Tabernacle
Clive
was wearing a Flower of Scotland tartan kilt and was being subjected to
questioning by Mr Harris about whether there has ever been a Jewish
kilt or Jewish tartans.
'There aren't any,' he told the Jerusalem Post. 'So we commissioned Slanj, a leading kilt outlet in Scotland to come up with three designs.
'We
put them to an online poll on the Jewish Telegraph's website, 10,000
people voted, one was chosen and the winning design was announced.
'Our
aim is for the tartan to be worn by Scottish Jews, ex-pat Scottish Jews,
members of Jewish organizations, individuals of any religion with links
to the Jewish and Israeli communities, so we also expect interest from
expatriates and Jewish people in Scotland.'
The first Jewish person recorded as living in Edinburgh is 1691.
Most
Scottish Jews arrived in the 1890s, when Scottish shipping companies
were active in transporting Jewish passengers from Eastern Europe to
America.
The official Jewish Tartan is an authentic Scottish made tartan
created by Heritage Experts and Rabbis.
Thousands
of passengers were routed through Glasgow and when they arrived, many
Jewish immigrants decided to cut their journeys short, settling in
Scotland instead of New York.
Passengers
who were unable to meet the rigorous health standards demanded on Ellis
Island also sometimes decided to stay in Scotland, and build their new
lives there.
Scotland's Jewish community rose to the challenge of providing for the influx of Eastern European Jews.
In 1908, at the peak of Jewish immigration, only 75 received state-funded statutory poor relief in all of Scotland.
All
other new arrivals had their needs - from housing to health, from
education to food - provided by Scotland's many Jewish charities.
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