George Weidenfeld thanks Quakers
George Weidenfeld recently acknowledged his debt to British Quakers and the Plymouth Brethren
Former publisher George Weidenfeld recently acknowledged his debt to British Quakers when describing his support for the rescue of Syrian Christians.
George Weidenfeld is among the funders of Operation Safe Havens, organised by the Barnabas Fund, which works on behalf of persecuted Christians. The first stage in the project saw forty-seven families evacuated to Warsaw. A further 200 families will follow in the coming months.
Quakers and members of the Plymouth Brethren helped the then nineteen-year-old George Weidenfeld flee his native Vienna and settle in Britain following Austria’s 1938 annexation by Nazi Germany.
He told the Times: ‘It was Quakers and other Christian denominations who brought those children to England. It was a very high-minded operation and we Jews should also be thankful and do something for the endangered Christians.’
The Polish government has provided visas for the 157 individuals evacuated to date. Temporary accommodation is being given to the families through Polish church networks and the Esther Foundation, a Warsaw-based charity. Other sponsoring countries are being sought to provide a welcome to Christians escaping Islamic State-controlled Syria and Iraq.
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