East London and Essex Liberal Synagogue (ELELS) hosted an inspiring evening with two speakers whose work supporting refugees is deeply connected to our Jewish values and history.

Anna Pincus and Stephen Klein spoke and answered questions about the work of Gatwick Detainees’ Welfare Group (GDWG) – which seeks to improve the welfare and well‑being of people held in detention by the UK Immigration Service.

Both explained how their original motivation to do this work came from their families’ own Jewish stories of being refugees and finding safety and hope in the UK.

Stephen, a volunteer, shared the real-life experiences of some of the people he has met – who came to the UK to seek better lives and contribute to our country, but found themselves trapped in an endless cycle of detention and isolation.

By personalising their stories, Stephen stripped away much of the dehumanising language used around asylum and immigration – to show the real people who are suffering.

He also spoke about his visits to those being detained, offering friendship and support – and how often he and his fellow volunteers are the only friendly faces someone may see.

Anna is the Director of the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group and Co-Editor of Refugee Tales, a series of books in which poets, novelists and writers communicate the experiences of those who have found themselves indefinitely detained.

She explained that one of the greatest problems faced by people held indefinitely in immigration detention is the lack of access to good-quality legal advice – and how GDWG tries to combat this. She also gave an insight into how recent policy changes are negatively impacting people, specifically the ‘One In, One Out’ scheme.

The evening was hosted by Rabbi Richard Jacobi, who first met Stephen when their children were going through Kabbalat Torah together at Reading Liberal Jewish Community. He spoke of how welcoming the stranger and protecting those in need is a core Jewish value – going back to Torah.

Those in attendance included ELELS member and Jewish human rights lawyer Jodie Spencer, who has written a blog about her experiences in this field. She said: “At ELELS, I can embrace and explore a Judaism that celebrates liberalism, diversity and maintains an open mind. As members of the British Jewish community, we are all descendants of asylum seekers and refugees. I strongly believe that we should be striving to provide the same welcome that I hope was given to my ancestors when they fled Russia and Belarus at the start of the 20th century.”

After the talk and a Q&A, Rabbi Richard presented Anna and Stephen with a number of bags of good-quality second-hand clothes – as well as new items including underwear and socks – that had been donated by the community to help those being supported by the GDWG.

• Anna and Stephen’s talk is one many Progressive congregations would find deeply thought-provoking and motivating. If you’d like to invite them to speak to your community, please contact info@gdwg.org.uk.