Community plans long-term aid for Grenfell
THE JEWISH community in London is considering plans to help victims of the Grenfell Tower fire over the coming weeks and months.
At least 79 people are known to have died in the blaze that broke out early last Wednesday. Many are missing, with others still in hospital. Meanwhile countless people have lost loved ones, their homes and all their belongings.
Staff and members at Holland Park Synagogue, located only a few streets away from the tower block in west London, have been co-ordinating relief efforts with the Jewish community and other communal groups in the neighbourhood for the longer term.
“We plan to be here for the journey,” said honorary treasurer Laurence Julius.
The shul acted as a central drop-off point for donations of food and clothing on Sunday and is now partnering with other groups to consider plans for initiatives such as hosting families or staging a fundraising concert.
Mr Julius said seeing the aftermath of the tragedy had left members “dazed and shell-shocked”.
One congregant, Danine Irwin, said: “When I walked through the streets around Grenfell it felt very numbing. It’s normally such a vibrant area.
“At a time like this, it’s about coming together and doing everything you can do to help — no matter what creed, colour or faith you might be.”
Among the victims were many immigrants. Mrs Irwin said: “Many of us at the shul hail from places like Turkey, Spain, Thessaloniki or elsewhere.
“This is why the tragedy is something that is so upsetting for us. Not so long ago it was our families coming over to London and living in high-rise blocks.”
Ruth Finkel, a member at Holland Park since childhood, lives in a flat “three minutes walk” from Grenfell.
“As soon as I heard about it, I emptied my fridge and took stuff down to the Latymer Christian Centre,” she said.
Mrs Finkel later went to the North West London Jewish Day School in Willesden where she works as a teaching assistant.
“I was absolutely shaking. I felt maybe I shouldn’t have gone to work and should have stayed to help,” she said.
But as the news broke and she shared her story, the school was inspired to start an impromptu toy collection.
Rabbi Moshe Freedman of Bayswater’s New West End Synagogue said: “My involvement has been to establish what the needs are on the ground, working closely with Holland Park which has been spearheading the Jewish response.
“There’s an enormous feeling of empathy and love and the desire to give. For me it’s about how we move forward in the coming weeks and months.” The rabbi will meet other faith leaders to formulate a joint long-term response.
The United Synagogue has issued an appeal to its members for volunteers with specialist skills, such as therapists, child psychologists and solicitors.
Synagogues and other community groups further afield also pitched in. Borehamwood and Elstree United Synagogue collected thousands of items of toiletries, toys, clothes and food following a speedy Facebook campaign. The synagogue’s Rabbi Kanterovitz said: “There are some moments in one’s rabbinate when it all comes together. The response to this unspeakable tragedy was such a moment.”
Rabbi Shneur Wineberg, who set up Chabad in Notting Hill several months ago, has spent much of the week at the site, bringing along his “mitzvah tank”, — a mobile outreach centre.
THE CHIEF Rabbi said he felt humbled when he met Syrian refugees who are being helped by a Jewish aid project this week.
Rabbi Mirvis and his wife Valerie made the trip to the World Jewish Relief (WJR) operation in Yorkshire to mark the start of Refugee Week on Monday.
The couple spent the day meeting refugees who were brought to safety by the British government and are now receiving one-to-one support from WJR as they embark on their new lives.
Rabbi Mirvis said: “It is humbling to listen to the remarkable positivity of people who have endured such enormous upheaval, and yet refuse to allow this to define their future”.
He also praised British Jews for supporting the scheme. “I am tremendously proud of the generosity of our community, which is helping the refugees to meet their needs so impressively.
“The response of World Jewish Relief to the refugee crisis, a major challenge of our time, has been exemplary.”
Rabbi Mirvis participated in a roundtable discussion with the refugees, discussing the war in Syria and their impressions of the UK.
WJR aims to assist 1,000 newly arrived Syrian refugees to become “job ready” as part of long-term integration. To date, 51 refugees have taken part in the scheme. Of those, 11 have found jobs in fields such as civil engineering, dentistry and retail.