30 April 2018

Lord (Alf) Dubs made an impassioned plea to the British Government to help bring more vulnerable child refugees to safety, as he spoke at the Kingston Liberal Synagogue (KLS) AGM.

The Labour peer urged support for his ‘Dubs Amendment’, which helps unaccompanied refugee children come to live safely in the UK.

Lord Dubs was himself a child refugee, fleeing the Nazis and coming to Britain from Czechoslovakia on the Kindertransport in 1939.

Kingston’s Rabbi Dr René Pfertzel said: “Lord Dubs is a truly inspiring speaker and someone who has done so much to help others.

“Because of Brexit our Government could be closing a vital route for child refugees in Europe to reach Britain and we need to do all we can to prevent that.”

KLS has also been an active supporter of Learn English at Home (LEAH), a programme working with recent refugees in the local area.

Around 50 synagogue members attended the AGM, which was followed by lunch. Other guests included Kate Brown from LEAH and Liberal Judaism’s Rabbi Janet Darley, a tireless campaigner and activist on behalf of refugees.