The 65-year-old has a law degree from Glasgow University and a post graduate diploma in personnel management from Strathclyde University.

In the early 1970s he was a founder member and deputy director of the Scottish Association for the Care and Rehabilitation of Offenders.

He introduced community service orders to Scotland, in Dundee.

As Strathclyde Region Criminal Justice and Social Work assistant head, he introduced community service orders to Glasgow.

He then became Glasgow City Council Criminal Justice and Social Work head.

"I was one of the founders of Victim Support services in Scotland," he said. "It was very important to me that victims received support in their own right.

"You couldn't have rights for offenders without support for the victims. I managed to achieve my goal and I've maintained a keen interest in victim services.

"When I retired, the Scottish Government Justice Department approached me to be a part-time voluntary consultant for them.

"I introduced the first drug courts in the UK, as well as transport for the families of prisoners.

"I then became chairman of the children's' charity NCH Scotland and sat on the national executive. I believe I was the first Jew to be a trustee. I gave that role up after four years to become the SACRO (Safeguarding Communities - Reducing Offending) chairman for three years.

"Throughout my life I've had quite a pioneering career. In my working life from SACRO onwards, I was the first person to hold every role I had. And I've had a very busy and fruitful period since retirement."

Paul, who was awarded the MBE in 1997 for services to criminal justice in Scotland, has always had involvement in communal work.

He was the founder of the current Jewish Chaplaincy model and was an early secretary and then chairman of the Northern Region Chaplaincy Board. He was also chairman of Chaplaincy UK and has remained on the executive of both organisations in an advisory capacity.

He is Langside Synagogue secretary and was Rep Council secretary 40 years ago and a member of the Board of Deputies.

Five years ago, he went on to the Jewish Care Scotland board.

In terms of visibility in the community, though, Paul was always in the background.

He said: "My re-engagement came from the Community Futures Project. I was approached to give it some impetus and direction.

"From that, I was invited onto the Rep Council management board 18 months ago and six months later became vice-president.

"Glasgow is a very vibrant and dynamic community, but there's a need for far greater engagement with the community and communication is one of the keys.

"We live in a technological age and we have to use these modern means to make the community more accessible.

"For example, there are 40 to 50 organisations in Glasgow, most of whom are looking for volunteers - to join the board, contribute ideas, or to work with people.

"We should be able to have all that information available electronically, in the one place. And some of our young people and students have said that it would help them to stay or move to Glasgow if they knew what opportunities for work are available.

"We also need to engage with far more members of the community. If you don't belong to a Jewish organisation, there's no place for people to meet informally.

"We need some form of community centre, with a café where people from across the community can drop in and mix with other Jewish people.

"If you have the right facilities in the correct way this can happen because they are part of the family that's the Jewish community of Glasgow."

Interfaith is another area important to Paul.

He said: "We have a small nucleus of people doing great work, but we can do more. If we brought people involved together to share their ideas and learn from each other that would be good.

"But we are in individual silos at the moment and can't cover all the events we are invited to. This work is all the more important since the Church of Scotland report situation.

"We have to think about having a part-time co-ordinator."

On the Israel front, Paul believes passionately that remaining silent in the face of increased hostility towards Israel is no longer an option.

He made a point of attending the recent Closer to Israel rally in London and flew the flag for the Scottish community.

With so much work to do, is it possible for Paul to have any outside interests?

Paul said: "I've developed a new interest in sport. I've been to the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and Delhi and the Olympics in Melbourne and the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

"Of course, the next Games will be in Glasgow, but after that there's Brazil and then the Australian Gold Coast. It gives me an interest in both sport and travel. And I get to meet many of the Scottish athletes."

For Paul, there has to be an element of giving back.

He said: "Around 99 per cent of athletes are not well paid. I got in touch with our Commonwealth Games Association to chat about sponsoring up-and-coming athletes and I've just come into a 10-year arrangement to help sponsor athletes, anonymously, across different disciplines.

"In a sense, it goes back to my earlier working career - helping them achieve their dreams."