Earlier this week, Faculty classes had the pleasure of hosting a guest by the name of Professor Joe Goldblatt. I can say with all honesty, it was the most entertaining workshop I have ever seen/participated in.

Professor Goldblatt, now a retired professor of Events Management at Queen Margaret University, has led a remarkable life. An author, a performer, a producer, a professor and philanthropist. He has done it all. He has produced spectacular special events for several U.S. Presidents, major events at the U.S. White House and many Hollywood celebrities. However, on this occasion he was visiting Preston Street Primary in the role of a Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC) representative.

So, what is a JOES Box? Well, we quickly learned it isn’t named after Joe himself. The acronym actually stands for – Jewish Objects for Education in Scotland. The box is designed for delivering information on Judaism to schools and communities. The box includes a range of objects that can be used to stimulate interest about Judaism and understanding of the Jewish way of life.

The link below lists the contents of a JOES box and gives brief details about each item. However, once an entertainer, always an entertainer, Professor Goldblatt managed to make the workshop bespoke for our school and provided personal artefacts and stories about the Southside of Edinburgh and particularly our neighbourhood.

We wish to thank Professor Goldblatt for coming to visit us and for delivering an unforgettable workshop on Judaism.

Shalom.

https://www.scojec.org/resources/files/joes_boxes.pdf