Limmud Conference 2016 Refugee Day

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‘The refugee story is a Jewish story’

Over the past year, refugee issues have become a central concern not only for the British public, but for the British Jewish community too. This has been highlighted by the increasing engagement with refugees and asylum seekers by the Jewish community. Every year at Limmud there are a number of sessions that touch upon the issue of refuge and asylum. For Limmud 2016 however, we have teamed up with Limmud and created a day’s worth of sessions to attend.

Organisations involved with the communal taskforce on refugees include René Cassin, the WLS Drop-In, the LJS Drop-In, Mitzvah Day, JCORE, The Jewish Leadership Council, Board of Deputies and World Jewish Relief. They have come together to bring in outside speakers from some of the leading national refugee and asylum charities. On Tuesday, 27th December you will be able to engage with campaigners, artists, poets, academics, asylum seekers and refugees through Jewish text, policy discussion, personal testimony, poetry, song and film. We will be broaching a wide range of themes from how to practically help refugees in this country to what the next ten years might have in stall. Have a look at the schedule on the next page for more information.

We are particularly lucky to have the Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, Maurice Wren as well as speakers from Right to Remain, Refugees at Home, Detention Action and Freed Voices.

Throughout the conference you will pass by the big world map. Get involved and help us create a migration map of the Limmud community. After you have been to any of the sessions during the day head to the world map so we can video and record your thoughts and share those with the rest of conference.

You can get involved with the online conversation by using the hashtags #RefugeeDay and #LimmudConf16

 

LIMMUD IS PANTS

The annual ‘Limmud Tzedakah Project’ also has a refugee focus this year. You can bring socks, vests and bras in small sizes to the Limmud collection point. One of charities receiving the donations will be the local St. Chad’s Sanctuary which helps Asylum Seekers.

  

Limmud 2016 Refugee Day: Tuesday 27th December


12:00-13:00

Political Action Vs Social Action – Are we getting the balance right?

Edie Friedman: JCORE

 

12:00-13:00

Film Session: Refugees, human rights, does anyone care?

Rex Bloomstein and Irene Wise: RexEntertainment

 

12:00-13:00

Practical steps to helping asylum seekers and refugees – how to set up your own project

Nic Schlagman (WLS Drop-In), Sam Cozens (LJS Drop-In) and Sara Nathan (Refugees at Home)

 

13:15-14:15

Would you make it through the UK asylum process?

Lisa Matthews, Michael Collins (Right to Remain) and Sam Grant (René Cassin)

 

13:15-14:15

The Refugee Crisis – Where are we now?

Maurice Wren: Chief Executive of the Refugee Council with Mia Hasenson-Gross (René Cassin)

 

14:30-15:30

The refugee crisis: the next ten years

Panel session with Maurice Wren (Refugee Council), Edie Friedman (JCORE), Mia Hasenson-Gross (René Cassin) and Sam Cozens (LJS Drop-In)

 

15:50-16:20

The Global Refugee Crisis & the UK: a light unto the nation?

Dr Ruvi Ziegler: Lecturer in Law at the University of Reading

 

 

16:40-17:50

The Syrian Refugee Crisis: A Personal Story

Aisha and Nadia, Syrian refugees from Homs with Richard Verber, World Jewish Relief

 

18:10-19:10

Let me tell you about my time in immigration detention…

Sam Grant (René Cassin), Ben Du Preez (Detention Action) and two members of Freed Voices

 

20:10-21:20

Refugees in the Torah, Mishnah and today

Rabbi Benji Stanley (Movement for Reform Judaism) and Sam Grant (René Cassin)

 

21:40-22:50

No Place Like Home: Poetry and Jazz

MC’ed by poet Aviva Dautch with poetry, spoken word and singing

 

*For full descriptions of each session and bios of speakers please refer to the Limmud 2016 Conference Handbook here.