For Holocaust Memorial Day 2019, Middlesex University students on BA Film, as part of the 'No Home For Hate' project produced a short film in collaboration with a range of local community organisations (such as the Big Grange Local and the Barnet Multi-Faith Forum) and residents of East Finchley.
The short film tells the story of a community bulb planting day which was part of a Barnet Council initiative to remember every one of the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust. The event brought together people from multiple different faiths to plant a memorial garden dedicated to those who have lost their lives as a result of religious persecution.
The film features Amina Qadi, a young woman from the Somali Bravenese community who has been very active in multi-faith dialogue in the area around East Finchley. In 2013, the Somali Bravenese community centre was burnt down in an act of hate crime. The local Jewish community responded by inviting them to pray at the local synagogue.
In an act of solidarity, Amina dedicates the bulb planting to the 11 people who lost their lives in the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh on 27th October 2018.
Production Coordinators:
Dr. Helen Bendon, Nayomi Roshini, Media Department, Middlesex University.
Production Team: Nikoleta Slezakova, Cloe Peker, Sara Veiga, Bruna Ventura, Patrycja Lisowska, Dariush Asadi, Randy Mankoto
Interviewees: Amina Qadi, Natan Levy, Julia Hines, Esmond Rosen and Leo Smith (Middlesex University 2019)