WJR appeal 'makes a difference to 17,557 lives'

The appeal was set up after shocking images were published of Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned while fleeing across the Mediterranean to Greece.

Paul Anticoni, WJR's chief executive, said: "One year ago, a photo of a three-year-old Syrian boy named Alan Kurdi washed up on a beach, shocked the world into action. Thanks to the British Jewish community's outstanding generosity, over the past year, we've made a difference to 17,557 lives."

The report also outlines how the charity created a programme to help refugees integrate, following former Prime Minister David Cameron's announcement that the UK will resettle and house 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020.

The programme draws on a similar project helping vulnerable Jews in the former Soviet Union. As part of the project, WJR plans to help 1,000 of the 20,000 Syrian refugees find employment and integrate into life in the UK.