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Alf Dubs discusses his new memoir with Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg at JW3
The Labour peer has devoted his life to public service, championing refugees and helping to shape Northern Ireland’s historic peace process
Lord Alf Dubs is admired by colleagues across the political spectrum for his integrity, compassion and unwavering commitment to human rights. As a child he fled Nazi persecution and this has been the lynchpin for a life in politics fighting for those forced to leave their homes.
Next month he will be at JW3 in conversation with Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg to talk about his life and newly released memoir, The Boy with the Knapsack: An Extraordinary Life, from the Kindertransport to the House of Lords.
Born in Prague in 1932, Alf was just six when the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia. His father escaped to Britain but his mother was initially refused permission to leave. She placed her young son on a Kindertransport train bound for the UK.
Alf has recalled the haunting image of his mother waving him goodbye on the station platform, surrounded by German soldiers. After a journey lasting several days, he arrived at Liverpool Street station in London, where his father was waiting. His mother eventually managed to escape and join them in Britain.
The experience would profoundly influence his future. Having been given the chance to build a new life, he came to believe that society had a responsibility to extend similar opportunities to others escaping persecution.
After studying at the London School of Economics, Alf pursued a career in public service and politics. He became Labour MP for Battersea South, later Battersea, in 1979, serving until 1987. During his parliamentary career, he also held responsibilities as a shadow Home Office minister.
Following his departure from the Commons, Alf, 93, became director of the Refugee Council, a role he held for seven years. His work placed him at the forefront of debates about asylum, displacement and the treatment of vulnerable people. In 1994, he was appointed a Labour life peer, taking his place in the House of Lords.
In 1997 Alf became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland., a role he held for two years. Serving during the crucial period surrounding the Good Friday Agreement, he was part of the government working towards a settlement after decades of conflict.
Alf’s commitment to refugees has remained a defining feature of his public life. In 2016, he sponsored an amendment to immigration legislation that became known as the Dubs Amendment, designed to enable unaccompanied refugee children in Europe to find safety in Britain.
Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg will chat to him about all this and more on 9 November, which happens to be the anniversary of Kristallnacht. To book tickets visit jw3.org.uk
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