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How the Jewish community is helping refugees integrate in Britain

'I see Jewish people helping... It makes me want to give something back to the country'

June 22, 2018 12:09
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ByRosa Doherty, rosa doherty

2 min read

The Jewish community responded to the refugee crisis in large numbers after the publication of the shocking image of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed up on a Turkish beach in 2015.

Rabbi Rebecca Birk, of Finchley Progressive Synagogue, led a successful campaign to convince her local council in Barnet, North-West London, to resettle at least 50 Syrian refugees.

Today, all 50 Syrians are being supported by her community, which hosts a weekly coffee morning, English classes and sessions designed to integrate them into British society.

Samer Alhassar, a 25-year-old Muslim, is one of them. “I have been here for two years and I live in a flat with my father,” he said.