OPINION: A Jewish success story – WJR leads UK refugee jobs support
World Jewish Relief wins new government deal to help 4,000 Ukrainians and Hongkongers rebuild lives
If you are familiar with World Jewish Relief, you will know that 87 years ago, we played a pivotal role in the Kindertransport, the 1938 rescue operation that saved approximately 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from the Nazi regime. You might also be aware of our work during the 1940s and 50s, supporting tens of thousands of Jewish refugees, many of whose records are preserved in our archives.
But did you know that today, guided by our Jewish values, World Jewish Relief is one of the largest providers of employment support for refugees in the United Kingdom?
As the Jewish community’s humanitarian agency, we hope this is something British Jews can take pride in. It is our history of supporting Jewish refugees, and enabling people to help themselves, that continues to guide and inspire our work in assisting many displaced people from outside our community—whether from Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, or other parts of the world. Our industry-leading STEP (Specialist Training and Employment Programme) initiatives have helped thousands of individuals fleeing conflict and persecution, and who have the right to live and work in the UK, to build new lives here.
Extending this impactful work remains a top priority for us. In recognition of our expertise in this area, I am delighted to announce that this week, World Jewish Relief secured a major agreement from the UK Government to expand this vital support across England. Through this partnership, we will assist a further 4,000 people with English language and employment support, including 2,000 Ukrainians and 2,000 individuals from Hong Kong—our first engagement with this client group. Awarded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, this contract follows a previous major collaboration, during which we aided 13,500 Ukrainian refugees with English-language training and employment support.
Witnessing the success of the previous programme was profoundly inspiring. I saw so many brave, remarkable individuals graduate—people like Alex Lidagovsky, a Ukrainian sculptor whose studio was destroyed during the conflict. After completing our programme, Alex secured high-profile commissions and was accepted into the prestigious Royal British Society of Artists. Another participant, Dr Larisa Zhdankina, secured a position as a visiting academic at the University of Glasgow’s School of Law, specialising in international human rights and maintaining the rule of law during war. These stories only scratch the surface of the programme’s impact, and I look forward to seeing the progress we can make with this new cohort.
In times of division and conflict, we remain committed to our single-minded mission to support vulnerable people. It’s in our history. It’s in our DNA. And none of this work would be possible without decades of support and action by Britain’s Jewish community. As your humanitarian agency, we continue leading the sector in empowering thousands of displaced individuals with the skills to not just survive, but to thrive—connecting, contributing, and building new lives within our great country.
This is something we can all be proud of.
- Paul Anticoni is the Chief Executive of World Jewish Relief
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