Sturgeon joins Burns supper
NICOLA STURGEON turned down a “hot date” with Ewan McGregor to sample some kosher haggis at a Glasgow synagogue on Sunday.
Scotland’s First Minister told the Burns Night audience at Giffnock Synagogue that she was missing out on an evening with the Hollywood star at the premiere of T2 Trainspotting.
Ms Sturgeon gave the traditional toast to the Immortal Memory of Rob- ert Burns. Warren Karpf, vice-chairman of the shul and an organiser of the evening, said her address was “sensational. She spoke for 20 minutes to over 240 Jewish people and you could hear a pin drop.
“She opened her speech by saying that she was delighted to be here, even though she had to give up on a hot date with Ewan McGregor.”
Ms Sturgeon went on to say how well the Jewish community had “integrated but not assimilated” in Scotland.
The shul’s rabbi and assistant rabbi, Moshe Rubin and Yossi Bodenheim, came dressed for the occasion in kilts. Even Rabbi Bodenheim’s two-week old son was kitted out in traditional attire.
Ms Sturgeon said afterwards: “Giffnock Synagogue, both a place of worship and a centre for adult education, is valued by people of all faiths in Giffnock. The work of its congregation is an example of the wider contribution the Jewish community makes in developing community cohesion.”