Their plight resonates deeply with us all
Knowing how it feels to flee our homes and search for safety means we must help
It hasn’t felt burdensome at all.”
Ms Etkind said she felt the Jewish community should be at the forefront of helping refugees. “My Jewish values played a huge part in inspiring me to get involved.
“It is part of our history. And being involved in the project has given me a sense of anger at the refugee system in this country.”
As Jcore celebrates its 40th birthday this month, it has 30 people on the waiting list to befriend a young asylum seeker.
According to Mr Gembus: “The response from the community has shot up.
“We have people in their 30s and 60s volunteering, but we also have younger people. One of our befrienders is 21.
“Another works for the Home Office and wanted to see what the experience was like for refugees and asylum seekers from the other side.”
He said the asylum seekers — who are aged between 14 and 24 — benefit psychologically and practically from the project.
“It is a frightening and scary thing to be in a country without your family, often with no way of talking to them. To know you have people who are here to support you is so important.” *The names of the refugees in this article have been changed to protect their identities Lianna Etkind sponsor for the most vulnerable refugees.
For the past few months, a group of communities, including the West London Synagogue — working with the National Refugees Welcome Board and Citizens UK — have helped shape a new scheme with the Home Office called Community Sponsorship. Starting this week, community groups will be able to assist directly in the resettlement of refugees who have been selected to come to the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Scheme. Com- munities will be responsible for emotional, practical and some financial support for the refugees. The scheme is similar to one that has welcomed thousands to Canada.
We are interested in this opportunity because we know our story. Generations later, the scars of being forced to flee our homes run deep. As such, the plight of the refugee and the reality of having to leave everything behind and cling to the hope of safety in a new land is something that resonates deeply throughout our community. It is, perhaps, the single most important Jewish ethical imperative — to reach out and support the stranger, for we were strangers and we know how long it takes the wounds to heal. We know the pain of being turned away and the gratitude that is felt to those who have taken a risk to offer sanctuary.
We live in unprecedented times, when communities, alongside governments, must do all they can to offer help to the most vulnerable refugees.
So I hope Jewish communities across the country will seek out ways to be part of the scheme. Experience shows a small amount of kindness and practical support to us has been returned many times over through our contribution to the wider community, and the same opportunity must be offered to present-day refugees. Rabbi Janes works at The West London Synagogue of British Jews and is Executive Director of the Lyons Learning Project