Our next meeting will be taking place at the Chatham Memorial Synagogue 336  High Street Rochester MEI IDJ at 7.30pm on Thursday 14th January. Our main speaker will be David Herling vice chair of Chatham Memorial Synagogue. David’s views on the current situation will no doubt be enlightening,  challenging and worthy of a wide audience and carry the weight of his personal experience.

In the light of Medway deciding not to accept Syrian refugees,  but acknowledging it is helping Kent County Council with 139 minors who are refugees,  we will be exploring ways in which we can practically help with this situation.
Stephen Goldsbrough Medway coordinator gave a press release saying “We welcome Medway Council’s work with refugee children,  however the problems and realities of refugees are not going to go away or leave the political agenda. Our central aim as Medway City of Sanctuary remains to welcome refugees. War, violence and persecution in the Middle East and other parts of the world continue to displace people in their millions and some will find their way to Britain, they need our compassion not our rejection.  So we hope our Council may respond positively to the Government’s request for help, and change its mind especially in relation to Syrian refugees and join with the goodwill that is present in our local communities to meet these needs.”

We have also been welcomed to participate in Medway Holocaust Memorial Day on the 27th January at Mid Kent College at 5pm and will be joining with the Huguenot Museum and the Rochester Literary Festival in June to celebrate Refugee Week.

It remains to wish you all a Happy New Year for 2016 on behalf of our steering group and we truly hope to see as many of you as possible on Thursday 14th.  The Synagogue is situated about 200 yards on the right after you exit left from the old Rochester Station with public parking nearby.

Stephen Goldsbrough (Medway City of Sanctuary coordinator)