Jewish refugees' saviour Joan Stiebel dies

Many Jewish refugees and their families owe their admission to Britain to one remarkable woman - Joan Stiebel, who died aged 95 on 25 January 2007.

An obituary in the Jewish Chronicle of 23 March says that Joan Stiebel gave a lifetime of service to the Jewish community, although she was not Jewish.

Her involvement with refugees began before World War ll when she worked for the Central British Fund trying to help Jewish refugees from Germany enter Britain. Later she helped Jews secure admission to Britain from Hungary, Egypt, Poland, Algeria, Aden, Iraq, Lebanon, Iran. Chile and Argentina. She was awarded the MBE in 1978.