Description:Image: Photograph of Zoe Josephs and Ruth Wolf (from Zoe Joseph Papers)
Zoe Josephs (on the left) was an important local historian, whose works have helped not only to show the development of the Birmingham Jewish Community, but also to illustrate how people's everyday lives are the real subject of history. She is featured here with Ruth Wolf, whose actions helped many refugees in Birmingham. The following extract is an account of Jewish refugee hostels situation in Birmingham in around the Second World War, taken from Zoe Joseph's book, 'Survivors':
“until the outbreak of the war, there had been a constant stream of refugees to England, and several hundred Germans, Austrians and Czechs were living in Birmingham. These were augmented during the invasion scare of 1940 by refugees who were precluded from living in coastal areas. Several hostels were established by the refugee organizations and by various individuals to meet the urgent need for accommodation, particularly among young people. Elpis Lodge in Gough Road housed boy trainees in industry, and there was another hostel for boys and girls nearby at 34 Wheeley’s Road. There was a hostel for Czechs in Hagley Road. A house was run by the Friends Committee in Sutton Coldfield and Amelia Mueller opened her home to a group of boys in Handsworth. The Vicarage at St. Mary’s Church, Selly Oak, was loaned as a temporary hostel for girls, and after that closed down, Canon Guy Rogers, Rector of Birmingham, and Mrs. Rogers gave the Old Rectory in Sir Harry’s Road, Edgbaston, to the refugee committee. Besides housing many young people, this was the regional Headquarters of the Refugee Children’s movement, the organisation responsible to the home office for bringing ten thousand young people to England, nine hundred of whom were in Birmingham and the Midland Counties. In 1939, The Birmingham and Coventry Christadelphian Ecclesia offered to provide a home for Jewish Refugee boys to be run on strictly orthodox lines. This was at Elpis Lodge, which was placed under the leadership of Dr and Mrs Albert Finch [...]Dr Abraham Cohen dedicated Elpis Lodge at an opening ceremony on 21st April 1940, an appropriate date as he pointed out, because this was one the Eve of Passover, the Festival of Freedom. He Added, “once again the Christadelphians have come to the rescue of Jewish people.”
Zoe Josephs, 'Survivors', p77.