25 September 2018

Finchley Progressive Synagogue (FPS) has won a pledge from Barnet Council to take more refugees from war-torn countries.

At a ‘Sanctuary Sukkot’ event held in the synagogue, Council leader Richard Cornelius agreed that the borough will take three refugees each year over the next 10 years, and called on the Government to fund the resettlements.

The decision means that Barnet has become the first Conservative-led borough to say that it will take more child refugees if the government provides the necessary funding.

Richard Cornelius was joined in making the pledge by local MP Mike Freer and Barry Rawlings, the leader of the Labour opposition group on Barnet Council.

The Finchley action forms part of a national campaign spearheaded by the refugee charity Safe Passage. Marking 80 years since the Kindertransport rescue operations that brought 10,000 children to safety from Nazi Europe – the ‘Our Turn’ campaign calls on the Government to honour this legacy by funding the resettlement of 10,000 child refugees over the next 10 years.

FPS has long worked as part of Barnet Citizens – along with Middlesex University students and refugee support groups – previously winning a commitment from the council to welcome 50 Syrian families, who are now all living in Barnet. Many of those resettled families were at the Sukkot event.

Speaking at the event, Finchley’s Rabbi Rebecca Birk (pictured) said: “By engaging positively with Barnet Council, we have already secured the resettlement of 50 Syrian families that now call our borough home. Many visit the synagogue each week and have become true members of our community.

“Finchley Progressive members strongly believe that we can and must do more to help refugees, as a borough and as a country. I am delighted that Barnet continues to be a leading humanitarian voice on this issue and I hope we can encourage other councils to do the same.”

Richard Cornelius replied: “Rabbi, you persuaded me to take some Syrian refugees in Barnet. I think it has been very successful and your community played an important part in this. I’m sure you’re going to play an important part in this new proposal too.

“In this year, the anniversary of the Kindertransport, Barnet can hardly fail to fulfil its part of this ambitious plan.”

Liberal Judaism senior rabbi, Rabbi Danny Rich, and vice president Rabbi Harry Jacobi were also at the event. Harry spoke movingly of his own arrival in Britain as a child refugee fleeing the Nazis.

Reflecting on the event, Danny said: “This amazing success in Barnet is to the credit of locals and the hard work of Rebecca Reebca Birk, Finchley Progressive Synagogue and their partners in Barnet Citizens.

“I am also proud of the early pioneering leadership of the Syrian refugee campaign by Liberal Judaism and Citizens UK – long before it was popular.”

Sanctuary Sukkot events to raise awareness of the plight of refugees from Syria and other war-torn countries will also be taking place at Liberal communities in Birmingham, Kingston and South London.
 
Click here to view the Jewish Chronicle article