A group of community leaders from South Asian community organisations visited Jewish Care at the Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Campus on Thursday 27th March. They came to show solidarity with the Jewish community following the arson attack on the Hatzola NW ambulances, and also visited the site of the arson attack.
The representatives met with Jewish Care Chief Executive Daniel Carmel-Brown and Rabbi Junik, Jewish Care’s Spiritual and Pastoral Lead as well as Michael Sobell Jewish Community Centre members and Miriam Freedman, member of Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivor’s Centre, who was a hidden child during the Holocaust.
The group included leaders of the Singapore South Asia Chamber Commerce and Industry, Global India Organisation, Gujarati Organisation, National Council of Gujarati Organisations, Rajasthan Foundation, community, Inspiring Indian Women, East London community, Sangat Centre community centre and Harrow temple.
Jewish Care Chief Executive, Daniel Carmel-Brown said, “Welcoming the representatives and community leaders was truly special. Their solidarity with our work at Jewish Care and with the wider Jewish community is deeply appreciated, especially at a time when we are facing rising antisemitism. Unity and compassion matter more than ever and standing together to support one another across communities is a source of strength for us all.”
Mr. Mahendrasinh Jadeja, Chairman – International Business & Trade Affairs South Asian Chamber, said, “It was in light of the recent incident with the Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green that our community leaders gathered together in unity and solidarity against antisemitism. It is our collective responsibility to stand with the Jewish community and reaffirm our shared values of peace, respect, and harmony.
“At this time, we wish to strengthen our inter-community bonds and be reminded that hatred and division have no place in our society. Let us stand united against all forms of discrimination and send a clear message of support, compassion, and coexistence.
“It was truly an honour and a privilege to spend time with the wonderful team at Jewish Care’s community centre. We were deeply touched by the dedication of the staff and volunteers, whose compassion and commitment create such a nurturing and positive environment. Meeting so many members was a memorable experience, especially Rub Cohen the remarkable lady from Calcutta who is over 100 years old—her charm, spirit, and joy for life were truly inspiring and a testament to the exceptional care she receives.”
Mahedra, who lead the visit, is a descendent of Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji, the maharaja of Nawanagar. During the Second World War, following the 1941 Sikorski-Mayski agreement between the Soviet Union and Poland, many women and children – many of whom Catholic and Jewish orphans – were released from the Gulag and Soviet camps. While many nations refused to offer them refuge ‘the Good Maharajah’, as he became known, welcomed the children into his personal estate at Balachadi, India, when giving them shelter in his own private estate. orphans. They knew him as Bapu – father. At the end of the World War II, only those children who wished to return to Poland were required to go back. Eighty-one children were relocated to the United States to build new lives there with the help of Catholic missionaries. 12 Jewish children from the group left for Haifa.*