(Con):...I also
pay tribute to the moral courage of those families who sent their
most precious possessions—their children—to the UK in the hope
and faith that they would find a better future. We heard Hilda’s
story from my noble friend . I cannot begin to imagine
the agony suffered by those parents who faced the cruellest of
choices and made the greatest of sacrifices, never knowing when
or if their families would be reunited. Most were not. What I do
know is that those refugees, like many who came before and after
them, grew up to be exemplary citizens. The Jewish community is
the best of British; it has enriched this country and provided
positive role-models for all immigrants, including the British
Indian community, who look to the Jewish community for
inspiration.
Like my Jewish friends, a large number of East African Indians
were welcomed to this country when they were no longer welcome in
their own home because they were cast as “different”. Like the
Jews in 1930s Europe, British Indians in 1970s East Africa were
singled out as scapegoats for society’s ills, and, as in the
Jewish experience, many of my own people who were refused safe
passage to other countries faced a terrible fate. However, the
Jews were victims of the darkest chapter in humanity’s history:
the Holocaust. We learned from the Jewish community in the UK
that no matter how great the obstacles, how challenging the
circumstances or how painful the past, the future is yours, and
yours alone, to shape. The three greatest lessons that I learned
from that community in my early days in the UK were these: be
grateful for the opportunities you have been given; do not bear
grudges or grievances; and never, ever take your freedom for
granted.
Those precepts are important because they forge a path to
integration. We should recognise that Jewish people did not
integrate after they succeeded; they were successful precisely
because they integrated. They did not see themselves as Jews who
happened to live in Britain but as British Jews whose first
loyalty was to the country that granted them protection. With
loyalty comes responsibility. Jewish people embraced British
values and worked hard because they knew that no amount of
charity and sympathy would substitute the rewards of
self-reliance—and by that I do not mean individual riches but the
rewards to be had from benefiting the whole of society.
The number of Kindertransport children who went on to have
distinguished careers is staggering. My noble friend mentioned the refugee
who came as a Kindertransport child and became an orthopaedic
surgeon, in many ways saving his life. These refugees became not
only scientists but pioneers of science; not only lawyers but
campaigners for justice; and not only teachers but education
leaders. If this is the contribution of 10,000 lives, imagine
what the world lost from the 6 million souls who perished in the
Holocaust. It brings to mind a passage from a Jewish prayer
recited on Yom Kippur, which includes the words,
“our hearts grow cold as we think of the splendour that might
have been”.
To this day, the former refugees maintain a deep sense of
gratitude and determination to give back to the country that gave
them a chance at a new life, and I know that many British Indians
cast themselves in the same light. Yes, we are proud of our
heritage and bonded to our customs and traditions, but first and
foremost we are British. We are lucky to be British and we want
to do the best for our country...
To read the whole debate, CLICK
HERE
