From lochs to legendary castles, haggis to historical firsts, Scotland’s undeniable Gaelic charm is seducing tourists in record numbers.
Visitors tend to be eager for all things Highlands, in particular a desire to purchase garments in that most definitive of Scottish patterns: tartan.Each Scottish clan has its own tartan, a tradition popularized in the Jacobite era in which the novel and currently popular TV show Outlander takes place. Today, many communities compose their own unique tartans that represent a blending of heritages.
Scottish Jews, whose presence in the country was first recorded in the late 17th century, have designed two plaids, one deemed “official.” In 2008, Scottish editor Paul Harris and dentist Clive Schmulian teamed up to create the “Shalom Tartan,” but it wasn’t until later that they chose to register it with the Scottish Tartan Authority. By then, Mendel Jacobs—a Glaswegian Orthodox rabbi—had much the same idea. He’d long noted the increasing popularity of individual tartans for diverse communities of people, including religious and ethnic groups, and organizations like sporting clubs.
Harvey Kaplan, director of the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre, disputes the existence of a single “official” Jewish tartan. He estimates there are about 7,000 Jews in Scotland, lower than Jacobs’ estimate of 10,000. “Other than in Glasgow or Edinburgh, the Jewish population is spread thinly around the country,” says Kaplan. “It’s likely that most Scots never knowingly encounter Jews and many may never have met Jews.”
Jacobs chose to build and register a design, later dubbed the “Kosher Tartan,” with the Scottish Tartan Authority. He says, “This was an idea that people could both wear with…
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