This Refugee Week, let’s open our hearts to those seeking a safe haven

If I were to ask JC readers what makes them proudest of our UK Jewish communities, I’m sure we would hear a few common answers. Perhaps some would say our schools and academic institutions – or maybe our cultural achievements, diversity, or resilience.

But for many – like me – it would be the work with tzedakah at its core. This enduring commitment to social justice - our deep sense of responsibility - is surely one of our community’s greatest assets.

That is why this year’s Refugee Week theme – Community as a Superpower – feels especially fitting. And it is a great opportunity to celebrate the many wonderful projects British Jews run alongside displaced people.

This is work I have long admired. Even prior to taking over at HIAS+JCORE, I saw involvement with refugee issues as a critical part of my role as a community Rabbi, and something embedded in my Jewish identity.

Today, it’s a continued source of inspiration to me that so many British Jews are passionate about this work.

Of course, this is driven by our values and teaching: but our history is just as important. In fact, it’s a rare week where I don’t hear a personal story or connection which drives these efforts – the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents who were given sanctuary in the UK.

Then, as now, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for people who reach this country, seeking that chance to rebuild and start afresh in safety. It is painful to see just how damaging our system is for people seeking asylum here today.

But it gives me such strength to see our community empowering refugees, helping them to overcome these barriers, and ensuring that they have a fair chance to integrate and restart.

I heard just how important this impact is at a recent event hosted by the United Synagogue. Titled T hen and Now: The Changing Experiences of Refugees , it included talks from Kemi, a Nigerian refugee, and Peter Summerfield, who fled Berlin in 1939.

Kemi spoke so movingly about her experience with the United Synagogue’s drop-in centre, describing it as a space where, “even though there are people outside that don’t love you, there are still certain people that will show you a smile… As soon as [I} come in, I forget the troubles I have at home, and I know I am coming to this place, and I will receive love from them.”

I was so touched to hear that Kemi is still attending the centre – but now as a volunteer. The seemingly simple acts the centre provides: a hot meal, nutritious food, and toiletries, can make such a difference. As Sharon Daniels, head of chesed and volunteering at the United Synagogue, stressed afterwards, we share many common experiences with refugees today. Together, we understand “how vital the support and friendship of others is in softening the transition to life in the UK”.

It is a theme we also heard at our own refugee conference in April. Anna, the project coordinator at the LJS drop-in for asylum seeker families, told us that, alongside policy challenges, “one of the biggest barriers for people seeking asylum is feeling that they don’t have a community that they belong to”. It was wonderful to hear that many people who were once supported by the centre now help to run it, with Anna sharing that “we are really lucky to have a lot of our guests return as volunteers… they’ve become really core members of our volunteer base and community.”

So, it is clear that our communal drop-in centres – which support several hundred families each month – should be a huge source of celebration.

But, of course, this impact is felt both ways. At HIAS+JCORE, we are really proud of our JUMP befriending project, a programme supporting asylum seeking and refugee young people, but shaped and led by our beneficiaries.

JUMP often leaves a lasting impression on its volunteers. As Josh Stein, who has been involved with the programme for a number of years, shared with me: "Volunteering with JUMP has been a huge part of my life… [it’s] not just introduced me to a good friend (and a great community), but it has also taught me a lot about other cultures, and about the value of simple companionship and support.”

Josh also reflected on how his identity as a British Jew informs this volunteering. “Being part of a Jewish community in South London proved to me the value of societal acceptance and cohesion... I always felt we had a responsibility to open our communities to others facing discrimination similar to the discrimination we have suffered in our history, and being part of JUMP is a way of doing that."

So, let’s make this year’s Refugee Week a celebration of everything we’re already doing. But my challenge to our communities this week is this: let’s use this moment to go even further.

It is clear just how much of a superpower we can be together. With divisive forces rising in UK politics, let’s stay true to our roots and values. Now, more than ever, is the time for us to show today’s refugees that they are welcome and that we stand firmly by their side.

Rabbi David Mason is the executive director of HIAS+JCORE

Refugee Week runs until June 22