Board Members and Staff
EXECUTIVE MEMBERS
President: Professor Henry Lovat
Henry Lovat is Professor of International Law and Politics at the University of Glasgow.
He has been a Rep Council Board member for several years and sits on the Jewish Council of Scotland. He is co-lead organiser of the University of Glasgow Holocaust Memorial Lecture series, and a former chair of Calderwood Lodge Parent Council
Vice-President: Barry Berlow-Jackson
Barry has been keenly involved in the community since university where he was chair of the J-Soc (Jewish Student Society) and was also treasurer of Northern Region UJS. He worked for SCoJeC as a Public Affairs officer and then for Victim Support Scotland before returning to university as a mature student, since when he has practiced as a solicitor.
He is a smallholder, living on a farm with his wife and children (and a number of animals) . He is the previous Rep Council Treasurer and a member of Calderwood Lodge Parent Council, which he chaired from 2018 to 2020. He is also a Community Councillor, and is acting chair of his local Community Council.
Hon Secretary: Dr Susan Siegel
Dr Susan Siegel has a Doctorate in Business Management. Prior to retirement, she was a Senior Operations and Project Manager for multi-national banking and manufacturing corporations. She has been a member of the Oversight Committee of the NHS Scotland Screening Panel as well as an adjudicator for the Scottish Infected Blood Scheme.
She is currently the Chairman of Garnethill Hebrew Congregation and the Garnethill Synagogue Preservation Trust and is Vice-Chair of the Jewish Council of Scotland. Having a special interest in Interfaith work and diversity, she is on the Board of Interfaith Scotland and the Vice-Chair of Interfaith International.
Treasurer: Daniel Clapham
This is Daniel’s second period of office as Hon Treasurer. He was previously a Vice-President from 2010 to 2016 and has also served as Honorary Secretary. One of his highlights came in 2014, when he chaired the Representative Council’s Centenary Celebrations Committee
He was one of the original eight community members who instigated the organisation that is now called the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities and served as its Treasurer for five years. He is now the Jewish Council of Scotland Co-Treasurer.
Away from the Jewish Community, he was a volunteer Board Member of the Arklet Housing Association until its Transfer of Engagement to a much larger Housing Association.
Immediate Past President: Timothy Lovat
Timothy has spent most of his career as a property entrepreneur but is perhaps best-known for his charitable and voluntary work. Among the many causes he supports are Norwood London where he is a patron and a member of the Chairman’s Circle Board. He is also a patron of Jewish Blind and Disabled, a trustee of Cosgrove Care, a trustee of Netherlee & Clarkston Charitable Trust, and a Member of the capital appeals committee for the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice. Previously he was Chair of Calderwood Lodge Parent Council, President of The Property Managers Association Scotland, Vice-Chair of Manchester Metropolitan University Jewish Society, the recipient of ‘Golden Eagle Award’ Cleveland Marriott, and the Master of Lodge Montefiore number 753.
He is married to Claire and they have two children.
Timothy is the Jewish Council of Scotland Chairman. Before his election as Rep Council President, Paul Edlin was a member of the Board of Deputies of British Jews since 1992. He held senior office as a vice-president from 2006-20012. He previously served on their Executive committee, a position he still holds and divisional Boards. As vice-president he was in charge of community affairs for one term and international affairs for his second term of office. He is the current BOD Regional Council Chairman.
From 1996 to 2011 Paul was one of two British directors of the Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) elected by the BOD. During his time in holding that office he did much to change their working practices. He is a retired dentist and an active member of Garnethill Synagogue.
BOARD MEMBERS
Micheline Brannan
A Hutchie girl and Oxford graduate, Micheline has lived most of her life in Edinburgh. After 30 years as a civil servant she retrained as a nurse and worked for a further four years in the NHS. Leaving the NHS owing to arthritis, she started a third career as Scotland Regional Fundraiser for UJIA.
For the last 44 years, Micheline has served the Jewish community in Scotland in many, varied roles. The highlight was her four years Scottish Council of Jewish Communities Chair from 2016 to 2020 when she met the First Minister several times and committed to bringing SCoJeC into a closer working relationship with the Representative Council. Micheline has served on the Council since 2019 and has just retired as Hon Secretary. She is dedicated to the smooth working and good governance of GJRC. Micheline moved to Glasgow in 2017 to look after her mother Halina, who sadly passed away in March 2021. She is a member of Giffnock Shul and also retains membership of Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation.
Gary Cohen
Paul Edlin
Paul served as Rep Council President from 2019 – 2022. He has been a member of the Board of Deputies of British Jews since 1992. He held senior office as a Vice-President from 2006-20012. He previously served on their Executive committee, a position he still holds and divisional Boards. As Vice-President he was in charge of community affairs for one term and international affairs for his second term of office. He is the current BOD Regional Council Chairman.
From 1996 to 2011 Paul was one of two British directors of the Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) elected by the BOD. During his time in holding that office he did much to change their working practices. He is a retired dentist and an active member of Garnethill Synagogue.
In 2022, Paul was elected as an East Renfrewshire councillor for Newton Mearns South and Eaglesham.
Laura Freeman-Ford
Laura is the current Chair of the Calderwood Lodge Parent Council.
Johnny Judah
Johnny is representing Glasgow Reform Synagogue
Claire Singerman
Sammy Stein
Sammy Stein has been a member of the Rep Council for three years. He is an active member of the community and has been the chairperson of Glasgow Friends of Israel since 2016.
During the Covid-19 crisis, Sammy and his wife Vicci were involved with Pulling Together, a group of volunteers that assisted members of the community with shopping and befriending. They have also recently spearheaded a major appeal for items to support Afghan Refugees coming to Scotland.
Sammy was born in Israel and came to Glasgow in 1957. In 1969 he returned to Israel and served for five years in the IDF before coming back to Glasgow. He has two daughters and two grandchildren in Glasgow.
Evy Yedd
Evy Yedd held the position of GJRC administrator for several years, retiring in June, 2024. She was Rep Council Co-President from 2016 – 2019. Her father Arthur Lawson is also a Past President. She has professional qualifications in secretarial studies and Childcare and Playwork. She worked in Calderwood Lodge Primary School as Administrator, Pupil Support Assistant and school first aider from 2004 – 2019.
Evy enjoys being a Guide leader. She gained a leadership qualification from Girl Guiding UK as Guide and Brownie Leader and continues to lead 5th Giffnock Guides. She was elected Chief Guide for East Renfrewshire from 2010 – 2015. She was a leader at the Crosshouse Hospital Guide and Scout Group and worked as a volunteer for Girl Guiding Scotland Archives. Evy recently qualified as a trainer for Girl Guiding UK to support leaders throughout UK.
STAFF
Jewish Council of Scotland/GJRC Administrator: Stacey Devlin
Stacey joined the Rep Council in June, 2024 as Administrator. She is now the Administrator for the Jewish Council of Scotland.
Communications Manager: Sharon Mail
Sharon Mail has a BA in Business Studies from Strathclyde University. She worked in the financial sector for 19 years before becoming the Jewish Telegraph Scotland Correspondent in 2006, and continues to write for the newspaper. She has been a project worker for both the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities and the Rep Council, for whom she was responsible for the set up and population of the current website.
She was an Association of Jewish Refugees My Story project Regional Coordinator from May 2019 until July, 2020 when the project was cancelled due to COVID. She returned to the Rep Council in March, 2021.
Sharon was a member of the Glasgow Jewish Choral Society for 37 years. Her main interest is writing and she is a former Scottish Association of Writers Council member and current Strathkelvin Writers’ Group President. She is the author of “An Unbreakable Bond – The Targu Mures Holocaust Survivors and Their Scottish Saviours (2024) and “We Could Possibly Comment – Ian Richardson Remembered” (2009).