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Shul saves Muslim family from Sudan 17 August 2023
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30 Av 5783
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Issue No.1328
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@JewishNewsUK
Refugee rescues his wife and child from war-torn state with help of West London Synagogue by Lee Harpin lee@jewishnews.co.uk @lmharpin
A Sudanese-born Muslim man who fled the war-torn state for a new life in Britain has risked his life for a second time to bring his wife and baby daughter to this country with the help of West London Synagogue Salih Adam, 35, who received UK citizenship this year, was due to arrive at Heathrow this morning after completing a dangerous journey back to his homeland to rescue his wife Moram, 35, and 10-month-old Warif from the on-going civil war, which has seen more than one million people flee the country. The family’s arrival in the UK comes as a result of the remarkable work done on their behalf by members of Britain’s oldest progressive shul, alongside others at a local mosque and nearby church. Nic Schlagman, head of social action and interfaith at WLS, who has become friends with Salih since he was directed to the shul’s homeless shelter by a local charity in 2014, praised his “absolute bravery and determination” to be reu-
Salih Adam (left) with King Charles
nited with his family. He also reflected on the historical fact that help, often from strangers, had saved countless Jewish families from being wiped out during the Holocaust. “Family members living in Germany at the time figured they could get my grandmother, who was five-years-old, out of a small town in Poland and onto a train to London to ensure her safety,” said Shlagman. “She was taken in and brought up by strangers in London who paid to do this themselves. “I grew up in a household where we knew that the kindness of strangers was literally the only reason we were alive, when people around us wanted to kill us. “Helping Salih and his family was not done out of self-interest but a sense that people in the world simply need our help. I feel a tremendous sense of pride that we have been able to complete a circle.” Alongside other shul members, a group of volunteers had worked tirelessly to organise Salih’s risky route to his family, and their eventual journey back to the UK. The family reunion was also made possible with the assistance of Rabbi Sybil Sheridan, renowned for her work in providing assistance to the Jews of Ethiopia, who provided a fixer for Salih as he risked his life on the border with Sudan to get passports to his wife and infant child. Schlagman praised the Home Office, and staff at Labour leader Keir Starmer’s constituency office, near where Salih lives, for their critical help. Schlagman also confirmed the Saudi Continued on page 4
A NOSE FOR CONTROVERSY Hollywood actor Bradley Cooper is facing criticism for the use of a prosthetic nose in his portrayal of Jewish conductor Leonard Bernstein (pictured, inset). The backlash comes as Netflix released a teaser for Maestro, with Cooper playing the conductor opposite Carey Mulligan as actress and activist Felicia Montealegre Bernstein, who became his wife and with whom he had three children. Critics have accused Cooper of reinforcing antisemitic caricatures by adopting the fake nose.