‘THEY’VE MADE ME SO WELCOME’
SHEILA Guerenstein came to Edinburgh to take a two-year postgraduate course in occupational therapy at Queen Margaret University after a life split between Buenos Aires and Toronto. But so enamoured has she quickly become of the city and its Jewish community that she and her fiancé, Seth Sobel, are considering making it their home.
In particular, she is grateful to Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation for making her feel welcome, so much so that when Mr Sobel visited her in Scotland, EHC’s Rabbi David Rose took them out for a whisky, offering advice on issues such as home-hunting.
“Both of us are used to big communities but we feel so connected here,” says Ms Guerenstein, 25. “It’s a beautiful thing to have responsibility.
“One of the lovely things about the shul is that adults and students feel part of the same family. There’s no separation.”
And although kosher options in the city are less plentiful than she is accustomed to, “there are a lot of vegan restaurants, which people like myself are comfortable with.”
Among those she has become friendly with through EHC is Samuel Danzig, son of the shul chairman. Mr Danzig, a jazz musician and public sector admin worker, has studied and worked in London but now hopes to use knowledge acquired on yeshivah to benefit the congregation.
“Last Shabbat, the cheder kids were next to me in shul and I helped them to follow the service. Israelis are taking lead roles in the cheder because they want their children to have a Jewish education.
“There is an informal network among young people,” he adds about his own generation. “Not everyone is shomer Shabbat but they all value Judaism.”
He sees a positive future for EHC, noting: “There are still plenty of people who want to come to an Orthodox shul. It has a welcoming reputation.”