JEWISH GLASGOW, A FEW MEMORIES
by Sam Sinclair
With the dreadful sectarian bigotry rearing its ugly head again in Glasgow this year in the so-called 'sporting' rivalry between Rangers and Celtic, it may be an opportune moment to remind readers unfamiliar with the city that Glasgow has another religious group that for many years has lived peacefully there. The Jews of Glasgow have often looked on from the sidelines as followers of Rangers and Celtic spout their hatred at each other. It is terrible for Glasgow to suffer this at a time when the city has never been so popular and in comparing it with the old city that I recall from the sixties..it really is inspiring how the place has transformed. How new has replaced old, even as old itself has been refurbished - those tenements we thought were pitch-black and filthy turn out to be sandstone of various shades, ginger, red, brown.
But the bigotry, like the melody, lingers on. The old joke with us Jewish kids was that when confronted with threatening thugs demanding to know our religion, we were safe in answering " I`m J.. J..Jewish !! " Which only led to the inevitable..." Aye, but are you a Catholic Jew or a Proddy Jew..? "
Anyway it is not religious bigotry I wish to write about but a few personal memories about what being Jewish meant in Glasgow in the old days. (However, pleasant as these memories are, I admit I left Glasgow for London to seek fame and fortune in 1968, only returning some nine years ago to enjoy my retirement in the old city. The old cliche that one can take the man out of Glasgow but not Glasgow out of the man is so true.)
My first memories of discovering I was Jewish are of being shepherded to Religious Instruction class in school. A quick acknowledgement that we were somehow different, and an even quicker message to those who already spoke of the Jews with disdain. This antisemitism was mild but it was there, and here lies the problem. A child does not arrive in this world with prejudice, this can only come from the home or friends` homes. As long as this is the case, the problem will never be resolved.
I am not going to bore you with what was and remains wrong with Jewish teachings. Religion is a source of comfort to countless billions throughout the world and therefore cannot be discounted by those of us not that way inclined. We believe or we don`t believe...it really is that simple.
As a child in Glasgow there were youth clubs for Jewish kids which were closed to non Jews, which immediately adds to the divide between us and the majority. Football was always the main interest of most of us, though through the years sporting activities have broadened hugely. Jewish school was unbearable, taking much of our after normal school hours and creating a sense of injustice that we should be forced to attend. Religion should really not be an obligation.
But early memories are brightened by Sundays. As we officially could not even breathe on the Sabbath Saturday without breaking some ridiculous law, Sundays were freedom ! At break of day, there could only be one destination, Cohens the deli in Giffnock. As you approached the shop, the queue outside the door in all weathers indicated the struggle ahead. But as you neared suddenly the smell arrived.
Bagels and sweet and sour bread fresh from the oven, pastries, buns.. all there in this small shop with grasping hands and bodies pushing to get served first. Then there was the pickled herring, the cream cheese, the sweet and sour gherkins, the chopped liver, the gefilte fish, the chopped herring...and this just for breakfast ! If anyone needed proof of the Jewish obsession with food..here it was just off the Fenwick Road.
Then Sunday afternoons were spent playing Jewish League football at the old recreation grounds near the Victoria Infirmary and close to these wonderful old football grounds Hampden and Cathkin (the latter now the shell of the defunct Third Lanark team). The league was low in quality but enthusiasm was total. At that time I was a reporter for the now long lost Jewish Times who organised the league, so my pleasure was increased with not just playing but writing about the games too. Playing football at the Queens Park Recreation grounds was a Sunday ritual, although the gravel pitches are possibly the worst surface to fall on. You feel you've cut your flesh open on spikes of glass. Good spirit though...maybe ten pitches all without nets saw balls coming at you from everywhere, except your team-mates` feet.
I recall doing a bit of reporting for the local Jewish newspaper on these games and in my summing up of a game wrote that the captain had been sent off for abusive language. In marched the player and his mother the next day to complain about this comment. Whether the mother indicated that her life was no longer worth living now that her wonderful boy was accused of swearing and the neighbours would not speak to her again I am uncertain...but probably !
Though we teenagers used to moan about there not being much to do, the Jewish community always had some form of activity for us and that has led to the closeness that we Jews felt and still feel for the so called Jewish way of life. It is THIS that we Jews value above all else, and for myself the true identity of being Jewish. That could be taken as a rejection of the non Jewish style of living, but nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that there is a bond between Jewish people that is unique throughout the world. One tries to define this but really it is genuinely just there - and difficult to describe. It's not about religious pride or being a better spiritual person than in any other man`s religion..it`s just, well...ok, Jewishness !
Going back to my youth what do I recall about being `different`? Leaving school early on Fridays for one...this was enough to earn envy (or was it distaste) from the non Jewish kids. But I remember most the fear, yes the famous Jewish guilt that followed us around and still does to a certain extent. Why else would I make my way to the football on Saturday afternoons the long way round to avoid the rabbi on his walk ? Why else would I hide my football scarf and walk at a pace that indicated that I too was on my Sabbath walk instead of rushing for the bus ? No idea ...but believe me it was there. Is this what religion is supposed to be about, the installing of fear in a child`s mind ? Did the mature supporters who still wear the jerseys have this fear or was it just hatred ? We Jews were far from perfect, but we didn`t hate anyone because of their religion.
Another love of mine and most of my friends was gambling. Somehow I started my misspent youth around 11 years old when I used to pick horses for fun out of the Daily Express racing section (nicely perforated for an easy pullout)...who would read Chapman Pincher when Scotia was giving you a Daily Double ? Snooker was an obvious added guilty pleasure. We used to go to Hughes`s in Shawlands which is now long gone. The owners were twin brothers and when asked by one if we were members we nodded convincingly that we joined with his brother last week. There was something dangerous about the snooker clubs and The Imperial in town had the added challenge of the lights going off as you played your shot...shillings were regularly required for table meters. As the lights went back on somehow a ball or two seemed nearer the pocket but it could have been my imagination !
But horses gambling hooked me, yes the old cliche of my first proper bet winning being the worst thing possible occurred and I had a`line` I reckon almost every day after that. 3 cross tanner doubles and a tanner treble was my bet back then. Don`t ever recall three winners though. My interest continues to this day if not the same old fun. Gamblers can now bet AGAINST a horse winning as well as backing it to win. Well 50 years on having done my apprenticeship and I have calculated that it is easier to pick losers than winners !...bookmakers are layers and most of them seem to make it pay don`t they ? There`s your clue, no charge for that nugget of info !
Most of us Jewish gamblers also liked the flavour of the casino and there was a certain charm in the sleaze of a sixties Glasgow club. The Chevalier saw us every Saturday night, and they knew what they were doing... letting us kids in with a broad smile. Another free tip...don`t bet in casinos..the house percentage means that you cannot win on any regular basis. Serious gamblers will not touch them.
There were so many betting shop characters back then. The old guy riding a finish that Piggott would have been proud of in any race. The announcement to all who would listen..." I should have backed that.." as the ticket was discarded. Paradise for us in these days was Mitchell Street in town. The Imperial Snooker Club right next door to the biggest betting shop there ever was... McGlauchlans. You walked in and couldn`t see the results board unless you had binoculars...so you had to rush up to the counter to see your line had gone down once again.
Shawfield Dugs...another venue for us to waste our youth. Clyde played there back then, but I reckon the dogs got a bigger crowd. Handicap races should have led to close finishes but the ones we punted seemed to get beat by their allotted start times three. Happy memories of being a gambler though, it was dangerous..it was mysterious..and most importantly offered the chance (albeit slim) of acquiring riches your job couldn`t offer.
As I left at 18 for London I suppose I didn`t mature enough to feel any real antisemitism or separateness from other folk of a different religion. I believe that ironically Glasgow is too busy with its well known religious divide to worry about us Jews. They ( Glaswegians) are great people in general, why would they waste energy on hatred let alone convey it through their love of football?
Life back then had so little complication, or so it seemed. There was no technology to concern kids. A tranny was not a cross dressing male but a tinny thing we put to our ears at night to listen to Radio Luxembourg which was the ONLY station that played constant pop music. Not for us the mobile phone which now is an essential. No Facebook to tell your friends the importance of your visit to Boots the Chemist. Communication is tremendous yes, and simplicity itself, but it has made life a bit predictable in many ways. Going on holiday now has all its usual hassles without getting on a computer to see someone trying to get hold of you on Skype, it is bad enough on the phone without face to face!
But really Glasgow is a wonderful place and though London was a great experience for me particularly in meeting my wife Susan, I`d guess that my heart really belongs in Glasgow. It lay outside of my conciousness for many years, but now that I have returned I recognise the importance of the city to me and my early years.
Is there another city in the world - this funny, this nasty, this cheerfully obscene - that has this lifelong grip on its residents both former and present ? I rather doubt it to be honest.
contents©2006 Campbell Armstrong
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