Information for Council Members

Information for and expectations of new and existing council members (February 2026)
Background

Sukkat Shalom is the only Liberal Jewish community and one of only two Progressive Jewish communities in Scotland (the other being Glasgow Reform). It’s the only Scottish Jewish community that’s growing and has attracted many members who don’t live in Edinburgh but can participate in online services and events.

Our membership is diverse, including people of all ages, living in many different types of households and coming to Judaism via different routes. This includes LGBTQI+ Jews; our rabbi, Mark Solomon has been at the forefront within Liberal Judaism nationally and within our own community in ensuring that LGBTQI+ Jews can participate fully in the life of the synagogue.

Our growing and changing community is run by a Council. It’s important that our Council is representative of our community: where possible, we welcome new community members to stand for Council.

Benefits to and expectations of Council members

Council members are able to bring their own ideas, to suggest ways we could better serve our members, and to contribute to decisions being made about how the community is run. But there are also expectations of council members: being a council member isn’t a spectator sport. Your active presence, participation and involvement is required! This includes:

  • Understanding the role of Council members
  • Council members are elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) or, exceptionally, can be co-opted by the council between AGMs. The community welcomes interest from you if you are thinking of joining the Council. The items on this list are the formal requirements for serving, but it’s helpful in addition for potential council members, whether standing for election or applying for co-option, to write a brief paragraph about why they want to join the council and what they can bring to it. It is an important requirement that Council members read and agree with our purpose and values and read and agree to the Code of Conduct.
  • Being at Council meetings
  • We believe that in-person meetings generate better discussion and decision making than online meetings, and that they strengthen the relationships between Council members. Council meetings take place every two months and the dates for the meetings will be set for six months at a time. We expect Council members to be committed to coming to meetings.
  • Our constitution provides that Council members can be removed if: they are absent (without permission of the Council) from more than three consecutive meetings of the Council, and two thirds of the Council resolve to remove them from office.
  • Preparing for meetings
  • We expect Council members to prepare by reading any papers beforehand. The agenda and minutes of the previous meeting are circulated in draft form before each meeting for comment, and all supporting papers are also circulated ahead of time.
  • Participating in meetings
  • We expect Council members to contribute to discussion and decision making.
  • Being involved in and taking responsibility for the life of the community
  • We expect Council members to support community activities by taking on one-off and more sustained responsibilities. This might include representing Sukkat Shalom at events organised by the wider Scottish Jewish community.
  • Undertaking required training
  • We expect Council members to read the OSCR (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator) guidance and to undertake Liberal Judaism (LJ) Safeguarding training.
How Sukkat Shalom Council operates and what it does
  • The Council consists of up to 15 members who are elected at the AGM usually in February, but the constitution allows co-option of members between AGMs. Four members are required for meetings to be quorate.
  • We are currently without a Chair. Until one is appointed, the responsibilities of the Chair are shared by sitting Council members. We also make use of long- and short-life subgroups to which responsibility can be delegated.
  • We meet every two months (with a minimum requirement of six meetings a year) in person.
  • We formally approve applications for membership. We approve the accounts and get reports on religious affairs, membership, finance and other items that may be relevant. There are a number of standing items that always appear on the agenda.
  • Any member or associate member of Sukkat Shalom can attend Council meetings. It is our current practice to invite an associate member to attend. Other members (e.g. cheder teachers) are sometimes invited to attend for individual items on the agenda.
  • Under Charity Legislation in Scotland all members of the Council are trustees of the organisation who are responsible for its conduct as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). See Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator https://www.oscr.org.uk/
  • Council members may sometimes be privy to personal information about our members. It is important that this information is not shared with anyone outside the Council and is only used for the purposes of running the community. Requests from any source to obtain information about a community member should always be dealt with be passing the request to the community member themselves.
Important information about our community

Council members are encouraged to review the following formal documents:

If you would like any more information including an opportunity for an informal chat then please approach any council member.