List of Scottish Jews

This is a list of Scottish people of some Jewish background, or Jewish people with a Scottish background or connection.

See History of the Jews in Scotland for more information.

Academic figures and scientists

• Ruth Adler, child welfare campaigner and human rights campaigner
• Charlotte Auerbach, geneticist^[1]
• Philip Cohen, FRS FRSE professor of biochemistry, University of Dundee, winner of the Royal Medal and other awards
• David Daiches, writer and literary critic, professor of English, University of Sussex; father of Jenni Calder
• Jack D. Dunitz, chemist
• Alfred Edersheim, Bible scholar
• Charles Frank, maker of scientific instruments
• Ralph Glasser, psychologist, economist, author of The Gorbals Trilogy
• Professor Sir Abraham Goldberg, Regius Professor of the Practice of Medicine, University of Glasgow
• Philip Hobsbaum, academic and literary critic at Glasgow University; an influence on many Scottish writers as diverse as Aonghas MacNeacail and Jeff Torrington
• A C Jacobs, poet
• Hans Kosterlitz, professor of pharmacology, University of Aberdeen
• Lesley Lokko, architect, academic, and novelist
• Stefan Reif, emeritus professor of medieval Hebrew studies, University of Cambridge and director of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit
• John Michael Robson, geneticist, University of Edinburgh
• George Sassoon, electronics engineer, translator and author; son of Siegfried Sassoon, buried on Mull, where he spent much of his childhood
• Leonard Schapiro,^[2] historian
• Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, contemporary Torah scholar and author

Arts, literature and music

• Chaim Bermant, author
• Jenni Calder, literary figure and daughter of David Daiches
• Ivor Cutler, poet, songwriter and humourist
• Hannah Frank, sculptor, studied under Benno Schotz
• Muriel Gray, author, The Tube presenter^[3]
• Howie B, DJ, musician and producer
• Jeremy Isaacs, broadcaster
• David Knopfler, member of Dire Straits
• Mark Knopfler, co-founder (with brother David), lead vocalist, and lead guitarist for the band Dire Straits
• Peter Kravitz, literary critic, editor of the compilation Contemporary Scottish Fiction
• Daniel Lobell, stand-up comedian and podcaster
• Macdonald brothers, grandsons of the Hungarian-born English filmmaker Emeric Pressburger
  • Andrew Macdonald, producer, Trainspotting
  • Kevin Macdonald, director, Touching the Void
• Miriam Margolyes, actor, Harry Potter
• Isi Metzstein, modernist architect
• Saul Metzstein, filmmaker, director of Late Night Shopping
• Rebecca Pidgeon, actor, singer and songwriter (grew up in Edinburgh)^[4]
• B. Marcus Priteca, Seattle architect
• Jack Ronder, author, dramatist, playwright
• Hugo Rifkind, journalist
• Benno Schotz, sculptor
• Shulman brothers (Simon Dupree and the Big Sound; Gentle Giant), rock musicians (born in Glasgow)
  • Derek Shulman, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter
  • Phil Shulman, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter
  • Ray Shulman, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter
• J. David Simons, author
• Edith Simon, artist
• Robin Spark, artist
• Scottie Wilson, artist and designer, born in Glasgow
• Eric Woolfson, musician and composer, founding member of The Alan Parsons Project

Politicians

Malcolm Rifkind

• Myer Galpern, Labour MP
• Harry Primrose, 6th Earl of Rosebery, Secretary of State for Scotland, elder son of Hannah de Rothschild
• Neil Primrose, MP and soldier, younger son of Hannah de Rothschild
• Malcolm Rifkind, Conservative MP
• Manny Shinwell, Labour MP

Athletes

• Noam Dar, professional wrestler
• Gary Jacobs, Scottish, British, Commonwealth, and European (EBU) boxing champion welterweight^[5]

Business and the professions

• Hazel Cosgrove, Lady Cosgrove,^[6] first female Court of Session judge
• Sir Monty Finniston, industrialist, chairman of British Steel Corporation
• Esta Henry, art and antiques dealer in the 20th century
• Sir Isaac Wolfson, businessman and philanthropist
• Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf, barrister and judge

Religious and communal leaders

• Rabbi Salis Daiches, father of David Daiches
• Rabbi Cyril Harris, Chief Rabbi of South Africa^[7]
• Rabbi Shmuel Yitzchak Hillman
• Rabbi Yaakov Benzion Mendelson
• Rabbi Nancy Morris, first female rabbi in Scotland^[8]
• Rabbi Louis Isaac Rabinowitz
• Rabbi Naftoli Shapiro

Show business

Oscar Hammerstein II, right

• Ronni Ancona, actor, comedian and impressionist^[9]
• Arnold Brown, comedian
• Jerry Sadowitz, comedian

People of both Scottish and Jewish heritage

• Simon Cowell, presenter of The X Factor^[10] (Jewish father, Scottish mother)
• David Duchovny, American actor, X-Files^[11][12][13] (Jewish father, Scottish mother)
• Isla Fisher, Australian actress, born to Scottish parents, converted to Judaism upon marriage to Sacha Baron Cohen;^[14][15][16] has described herself as "quite observant"^[17]
• Oscar Hammerstein II, American lyricist, librettist, and theatrical producer (Jewish father, Scottish mother)
• Phil Ochs, American singer-songwriter and activist^[18] (Scottish-Jewish mother, Polish-Jewish father)
• Norman Swan, Australian paediatrician known for his work as a science and medical broadcaster on ABC, born in Glasgow
• Zarif, singer^[19] (Scottish father, Iranian-Jewish mother)
• Muriel Spark (Scottish-Jewish father, English Anglican mother)
• Eugene Levy, actor known for his roles in the American Pie series and Schitt's Creek.

See also

• History of the Jews in Scotland