Teacher and campaigner honoured for work with refugees and asylum seekers

Among the enrichment activities Deborah arranges for students are visits to the Royal Opera House, where they attend workshops in ballet, costume design and singing; trips to London Zoo, where students can spend “valuable downtime with the animals” and visits to Barnet Grange Care Home.

Deborah said that the relationship between the teenagers and the residents was mutually beneficial. “Elderly residents and teens spend time chatting and laughing, sharing music, photos and personal stories that bridge generations and cultures in the most beautiful way. One lady insists they call her ‘Grandma’.”

Deborah was the third recipient of the Lord Dubs award, which was established two years ago. Previous winners were Dr Edie Friedman, who founded JCORE and is now honorary president of HIAS+JCORE, and the late Dr Richard Stone, who played a significant role in combating racism in Britain.

The evening saw the launch of an additional award, the Dubs Legacy Award for Emerging Leaders for people under 30, which went to Abdullahi Yussuf.

Driven by his own experience of being in bureaucratic limbo in the UK’s asylum system, Abdullahi is a passionate campaigner for his peers, volunteering with several organisations to empower displaced people, supporting them with legal casework and enabling access to justice.

Formerly a guest at Liberal Jewish Synagogue’s drop-in centre for asylum seeker families, where he has since been a speaker, Abdullahi said the award was dedicated to the refugees and asylum seekers he worked with - “to their courage, their resilience and their unwavering hope. I also share this recognition with the incredible organisations I work with, who fight every day to make justice and dignity for those marginalised.”
Abdullahi, who has won a scholarship to study law and hopes to become barrister, paid tribute to Lord Dubs, thanking him for his

“lifelong commitment to standing up for refugees and asylum seekers. This award reminds us all that fighting the good fight is not only necessary, but deeply human.”

Lord Alfred Dubs (Photo: Gaby Wine)[Missing Credit]

Lord Dubs, who arrived in the UK in 1939, aged six, from Prague, and is the former director of the Refugee Council, said: “It is a privilege to help recognise this year’s award winners. Abdullahi and Deborah have undertaken truly exemplary work. I applaud all that they have achieved, and hope it brings them a deep sense of pride.

“At a time when things are particularly tough for many people seeking refuge and asylum, the exemplary work by both Deborah and Abdullahi has helped build a better, more welcoming society for us all.”

Guests also heard from Baroness Julia Neuberger, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, who talked about her work supporting refugees and asylum seekers.

HIAS+JCORE executive director Rabbi David Mason, in his opening speech, said: “Let me be clear – as a Jew, as a Rabbi, as the executive director of HIAS+JCORE, we see this island as one of neighbours – never of strangers”, in a reference to the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s speech at the launch of the Immigration white paper, where he said that Britain risked becoming “an island of strangers”. Starmer later said he regretted his choice of words.

Young people from HIAS+JCORE’s JUMP befriending programme joined Eliza Ward, the project’s manager, on stage for a panel discussion. The conversation explored the young people’s personal experiences and how JUMP had enabled them to rebuild their lives.

HIAS+JCORE is the leading UK Jewish voice on refuge and asylum. According to the charity, its vision is “for a UK where refugees find safety, community, and can flourish in a society free from racism and xenophobia”.