27 September 2019

Members of Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, including Rabbi Dr Margaret Jacobi, appeared on a BBC Radio 4 programme titled ‘The Syrians and the Kindertransport’ in which new and old refugees in the city met and compared experiences.

Margaret was interviewed during the show about her campaigning work with Citizens UK and other faith leaders for Birmingham to welcome refugees.

You can listen to the broadcast here.

In the programme two Jews who escaped the Nazis as children – 98-year-old Ruth and 88-year-old Lia – met two Muslim refugees in their 30s, Louai and Murad, who had to flee their homes in Syria due to war. Despite being of different generations, faiths and backgrounds, the foursome quickly realised how much they had in common.

Ruth, who is a long-term member of Birmingham Progressive Synagogue (BPS), came to Britain when she was 15 via a private scheme that was a forerunner to what eventually became known as the Kindertransport. Lia was eight when she made the journey from former Czechoslovakia to the UK. Both trained as nurses in Birmingham.

Lia told the Syrians: “In a way, I feel lucky. I lost my family in the Holocaust, but I didn’t see it happen, whereas you actually saw your loved ones being killed.”

In Syria, Louai was a vet, while Murad and his wife were both teachers.

Louai said: “We had a very nice life, but it all changed overnight. My father was injured and our house was burnt down. We struggled for a year, but what finally made us decide to leave was when my brother was killed. He was only 19.”

Louai is now a bus driver in Birmingham, on the bus route Ruth uses to travel to BPS every week.

Campaigner Lord Dubs and the Methodist Church’s Reverend David Butterworth, who has played a vital role in Birmingham’s welcome of refugees, were also featured in the show.

Margaret told the programme: “I met David Butterworth through the work of Citizens UK as part of the campaign for Sanctuary, which was launched through our synagogue on the Jewish festival of Sukkot when we build temporary shelters and remind ourselves of people who don’t have shelter. Ruth and Lia were very much involved in that campaign.”