Progressive Jews celebrate successful campaign for council to resettle refugees
Progressive Jewish groups in north London were celebrating this week after Barnet Council agreed to resettle 50 Syrian refugees on the back of the community’s campaign.
Local authority leaders signed Barnet up to the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme after shuls used the Jewish holiday of Succot to press the need for sanctuary for displaced families.
The initiative saw Finchley Progressive Synagogue (FPS) team up with Christian and Muslim groups, including the Somali Bravanese Welfare Union and Vincentians in Partnership, as well as students from Middlesex University.
Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up
“We found local landlords and property owners to commit to allowing their properties to be used to house refugees,” said FPS member Gillian Stern. “We also organised a warm welcome, with GP and school places and everything from English classes to mum and baby meet ups.”
Under the scheme, central government meets the costs of the arrivals, for both accommodation and integration support, as well as health and education costs for 12 months from their arrival. Refugees are given ‘leave to remain’ for five years, with full and immediate access to public funds and benefits.
Rabbi Rebecca Qassim Birk of Finchley Progressive Synagogue explained that the Council can also access funding from the European Union, but acknowledged that costs were only one factor.
“We know it’s not easy for a council to say yes,” she said. “That’s why we needed local people to show their support, find homes and offer a warm welcome. Together we must act now and revive the great British tradition of helping those most in need.”
Rabbi Danny Rich of Liberal Judaism and Rabbi Danny Freelander of the World Union of Progressive Judaism welcomed Council Leader Richard Cornelius’s decision, after hosting a ‘Sanctuary Succot’ on Sunday, organised by Citizens UK, with a reminder that the holiday historically commemorates the 40 years in which the children of Israel wandered the desert, living in temporary shelters.
Look how many people are here to support @CitizensUK in asking our Council to take 50 Syrian Refugees in Barnet. pic.twitter.com/XxSXGgUMgA
— Gillian Stern (@gillybethstern) September 27, 2015
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Senior Reform Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner joined an imam from Leeds in touring the shelters temporarily housing refugees on France’s north coast, in an area which has become known as the ‘Calais Jungle’.
“A key activity of the Jewish festival of Succot is to build temporary shelters, or Sukkahs,” said a Reform spokesman. “It provides Jews with a way to engage with the issue of refugees and the fragility of the shelter afforded to those in the Calais Jungle.”
Standing ovation as Barnet council leader Richard Cornelius agrees Barnet will take 50 Syrian refugees @CitizensUK pic.twitter.com/oIUxp8KoDh
— Deborah Blausten (@DebzyBee) September 28, 2015
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
-
By Brigit Grant
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)