Their memory in our hands

We’ve mourned many Holocaust survivors in the last 12 months. As we mark Holocaust Memorial Day, and the government brings forward legislation to build the Westminster memorial, the time has fi nally arrived for future generations to fi ll the silence they leave

by Lee Harpin @lmharpin

One of the first refugees to arrive in the UK after escaping President Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is flourishing in a new career with World Jewish Relief – helping those facing the same turmoil in their lives that she once did.

Sabina Artemieva began a new life in the borough of Camden at the end of March 2022, after escaping the war-torn city of Kyiv with her son.

Ten months later she has thrived in her role as Homes For Ukraine project o cer and caseworker at WJR, the main Jewish oversees aid organisation in the UK.

Speaking at a meeting of Camden Council, Sabina, who is herself Jewish, was loudly applauded as she told of her determination to use her job to give the sort of support she needed when in arriving in the UK to refugees now.

She told Monday’s meeting, which included a cross-party motion stressing Camden’s commitment to be a borough of sanctuary for refugees: “I came to the UK from Ukraine with my son. Now I work for World Jewish Relief. The support we give to Ukrainians now is the support I needed when I just arrived.”

After Putin’s invasion, Sabina left Kyiv on an evacuation bus and headed for the border of Moldova and then on to Romania. A fortnight later she had learned of the British government’s Homes For Ukraine scheme, launched by the former minister for refugees Lord Harrington. tine in just two or three weeks.” a specialist training and

She arrived in London just over one week later, with a Jewish family o ering her a home.

During her speech Sabina also praised WJR’s 90 years of experience of “assisting refugees all over the world”.

So far, 50 refugees now living in the borough have been helped to find jobs, she revealed.

Sabina recalled that as one of the first Ukrainian refugees to arrive in Camden she faced the daunting task of having to work out a lot of things herself with her sponsor, but she added “my own experience with the council was extremely positive”.

She said the organisation had began a partnership with Camden two years ago, and the borough used a specialist training and employment programme to help support the refugees, as they looked for work, and sought housing.

She added: “Today, based on my own experience, and my experience of working with Ukrainian families in the UK, we have developed a well-established scheme to apply for everything needed, which allows us to complete all the necessary administrative rou-