Two Holocaust survivors have gone to Downing Street to present a letter to David Cameron asking him to support refugees.
The two men, 89-year-old rabbi Dr Harry Jacobi and Ernest Simon who were members of the Kindertransport, led a group of rabbis to Downing Street on Monday to present the letter signed by over 100 rabbis from across the Jewish community.
The letter asked Mr Cameron to take the story of the Kindertransport as his inspiration in responding to the current refugee crisis, calling it “the light of human kindness that shines into the darkest corners of history”. The rescue effort brought 10,000 Jewish children to the UK between 1938 and 1940, and the rabbis are recommending that Mr Cameron follow this tradition by offering asylum to at least ten thousand refugees in the next six months.
The letter says: “We also remember and speak about the brave and committed citizens of this country who opened their homes to welcome 10,000 children fleeing Hitler. We call this the Kindertransport, and it is again our beacon for hope in the values of Great Britain. A light of human kindness that shines into the darkest corners of history. With such stories to teach us values, we know that now it is our turn to open our gates to refugees who are fleeing from tyranny and evil, often with only the clothes on their backs, and their children in their arms.”
The Rabbis have also offered the government their support in helping with the refugees, offering to help in the effort to find homes and to raise funds for food, clothing and education, stating that they “will support your difficult decision in this time where moral courage is demanded”.
Read the full letter and see the names of the signatories here
