Teenage cartoonist lends hand to community’s refugee campaign

A teenage Jewish cartoonist has lent his pen to the community’s campaign urging the Government to do more to help refugee children.

Zoom Rockman, 17, from north London, became an ambassador for the Jewish Council for Racial Equality (J-CORE) campaign, called ‘Let the Children In,’ by designing a special T-shirt.

Rockman, who was The Beano’s youngest-ever cartoonist, and whose work has appeared in Private Eye, reflected this week on the age of many young people hoping to rejoin their family members in the UK.

“I can’t imagine how terrible it must be to have lost your parents and not be allowed to join surviving family members living over here,” he said.

“I did some research when I was designing the campaign T-shirt and the pictures I saw of the conditions they’re living in were very upsetting and made me want to help.”

JCORE director Edie Friedman said: “We are absolutely delighted to have Zoom as our ambassador for these vulnerable young people. He’s the same age as many of them, and is keenly aware of the injustice they suffer. And thanks to his considerable talents we can highlight the issues in ways that will reach young audiences here.”

On Sunday, Rockman took part in JCORE’s Day of Action at Jewish culture centre JW3, helping to get signatures for a petition to the Home Secretary, which he will present to the Home Office next month.