On the eve of the 2nd world war 10,000 Jewish children were brought to safety in the UK on the Kindertransport. Many of them never saw their families again, and the majority of Jews did not make it out of Europe, perishing at the hands of the Nazis.

And now, some 75+ years later, the world and Britain is again facing a major crisis with millions of refugees fleeing for safety. We cannot sit by as British Jews when Britain has said it will not open its doors to those in need of a safe haven. We are proud that Britain made a contribution towards saving lives of Jews in the 2nd World War. And now it is our turn as proud citizens of this country to ensure Britain can provide safety for those fleeing war in 2015.

We call upon our communal leaders and organisations – the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Leadership Council and others - to speak out – to back a Jewish community response to this unfolding tragedy and to tell our government that we want Britain to open its doors to refugees fleeing war. This is not a migrant crisis, it is a refugee crisis, and it is time for the Jewish community to play it’s part.