Members of Birmingham Progressive Synagogue (BPS) have produced a collection of readings for Chanukah, centring the refugee story within the Festival of Lights. The collection features eight diverse accounts of refugees who made their home in the UK, one for each night of candle lighting.

The stories featured in the collection include Jews who came to the UK as part of the Kindertransport, such as former BPS member Nelly Hewspear – who worked for the NHS and died last year, aged 100 – and Edgar Neuberg, founder of a successful Birmingham metal spinning business now run by his son, the current Chair of BPS.

The others are stories of today’s refugees. They include a UN doctor whose family fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021, a Syrian pharmacist who set up a cheesemaking company in Yorkshire and a Nigerian woman who became a barrister, after helping fellow detainees with their asylum applications.

The resource was created by BPS’s Synagogue of Sanctuary group, who are coordinating efforts by the congregation to support refugees in the local community. The group has hosted events with refugee speakers and organised a meal and social activity for refugees housed in a nearby hotel, in partnership with the West Midlands chapter of interfaith group Nisa-Nashim.

Rabbi Margaret Jacobi, who is part of the Synagogue of Sanctuary group, said: “Chanukah is a celebration of freedom from persecution. At the time of Judah Maccabee and his family, Jews were forbidden from practising their religion. In our time, many are still persecuted – for their religion, their political views, their sexuality or other reasons.

“These stories are about just eight refugees, three Jewish refugees who fled Nazi oppression, and five who sought refuge in the UK more recently. They remind us that as Jewish people, the refugee experience is our experience and that refugees have diverse stories but share a wish to contribute to the country where they find refuge. As we read their stories and light the lights of Chanukah, may we be inspired to support those who seek safety on our shores.”

The collection is available to access for free here. To find out more, please contact Margaret on rabbi@bpsjudaism.com.

Picture: A refugee event hosted by Birmingham Progressive Synagogue earlier this year.