For the past 25 years, Linda Kasmir has been a dedicated social worker for the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), the national charity supporting Holocaust survivors in Great Britain since 1941.
In addition to providing extensive social and welfare services, the AJR is the UK’s largest dedicated funder of Holocaust education.
Linda has been instrumental to AJR’s efforts, providing support to hundreds of survivors, said heads of the organisation. “Linda Kasmir’s work truly represents the heart of what AJR’s social services provide. For 25 years, she has supported some of the most vulnerable members of our community with compassion, professionalism and deep respect for their experiences,” AJR chief executive Michel Newman OBE told the JC. “Linda’s dedication has made a profound difference to the lives of countless Holocaust survivors and refugees across the UK.”
What have 25 years at AJR taught you?
A tremendous amount of respect for how survivors and refugees have made new lives for themselves. How they’ve managed, and prospered, and the huge contribution that the refugees have made to this country in all fields – science and art, among others. This contribution is completely disproportionate to their numbers. A lot of them are very strong. They’ve had to be strong to carry on and put their past behind them and make a new life.
What led you to AJR?
It was completely by chance. I used to live in Bournemouth. I moved to London 26 years ago and I wanted to find a part-time job. I happened to know someone who worked at AJR and they mentioned AJR was looking for somebody. So, it was just by chance. I’ve worked in the social work department this whole time – visiting our members, helping them find funding where possible if they’ve needed it, or helping them with other issues they’ve been unable to deal with successfully by themselves.
Is there a specific experience from the last 25 years that you value most?
I don’t know if there’s one thing in particular. Perhaps being able to help people. Through the charity, we’ve been able to make a difference to people’s lives in their old age. It’s very, very rewarding when you’re able to facilitate something that perhaps changes somebody’s circumstances.
I think it’s just when one person can make a big difference, helping people, helping them apply for a pension they didn’t have, just changing their lives. That’s all. We, as a team, work very hard to help our clients in whatever way we can. We work with second-generation clients and support them as well. I think there’s been a lot more interest among them in finding out more about their backgrounds. We have a volunteer department that phones people or visits them regularly. Volunteers are trained to talk to people with dementia. We’ve got groups people can attend. There’s a monthly journal that goes out to our members. Our people can also meet for lunch or breakfast; they all come in and just chat to each other. It is wonderful.
How has technology affected AJR’s services?
I think AJR has gained a higher profile in the community than it had 25 years ago. There seems to be a lot more coverage about it. To be honest, when I got a job here, I had never heard of AJR. With social media, more people have reached out. Technology has made a big difference in recent years. It’s a way of bringing people together. There’s also online computer support for people – a terrific, wide range of things.
Where do you see AJR in the future?
Obviously, our membership of the first generation is decreasing. A lot of our members are in their nineties. Some are over 100. On the other hand, people are finding us who didn’t know about us before. AJR will be more education-based, I suppose, when we don’t have the members to help anymore. I can’t speak for the organisation, but I imagine it’s going to go more and more towards Holocaust education.
Did you anticipate how much of an impact you would have?
No. When I first worked for AJR, it was a small organisation. It was maybe about a dozen people. Now 50 people work for AJR. We have social workers who work remotely all over the country. We have people in Scotland, Birmingham, Manchester, We’re everywhere. When I first worked here, I think one person went to Scotland once a year.
It’s been a privilege to work for AJR all these years, and to have met some remarkable people. I would like to carry on as long as I can.
If you or a loved one came to the UK as a victim of Nazi persecution, support may be available now: ajr.org.uk. Or click here
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