East London and Essex Liberal Synagogue (ELELS) hosted an inspiring evening with two speakers who told how their work supporting refugees is deeply connected to Jewish values and history.
Anna Pincus and Stephen Klein spoke and answered questions about the work of Gatwick Detainees’ Welfare Group (GDWG), which seeks to improve the welfare and well-being of people held in detention by the UK Immigration Service.
Both explained how their original motivation to do this work came from their families’ own Jewish stories of being refugees and finding safety and hope in the UK.
Stephen, a volunteer, shared the real-life experiences of some of the people he has met – who came to the UK to seek better lives and contribute to our country, but found themselves trapped in an endless cycle of detention and isolation. By personalising their stories, Stephen aimed to strip away much of the “dehumanising language” used around asylum and immigration.
Anna is the Director of the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group and Co-Editor of Refugee Tales, a series of books in which poets, novelists and writers communicate the experiences of those who have found themselves indefinitely detained. She explained that one of the greatest problems faced is the lack of access to good quality legal advice, and how GDWG tries to combat this.
The evening was hosted by Rabbi Richard Jacobi, who first met Stephen when their children were in cheder together. He spoke of how welcoming the stranger and protecting those in need is a core Jewish value, going back to Torah.
Those in attendance included ELELS member and Jewish human rights lawyer Jodie Spencer. She said: “As members of the British Jewish community, we are all descendants of asylum seekers and refugees. I strongly believe that we should be striving to provide the same welcome that I hope was given to my ancestors when they fled Russia and Belarus at the start of the 20th century.”
After the talk and a Q&A, Rabbi Richard presented Anna and Stephen with a number of bags of good quality second-hand clothes – as well as new items including underwear and socks – that had been donated by the community to help those being supported by the GDWG.
• If you’d like to invite Anna and Stephen to speak to your community, please contact info@gdwg.org.uk
