Jewish leaders and MPs unite to launch record UK Refugee Shabbat

More than 50 MPs, peers, rabbis and communal figures gathered in central London last week to launch the UK’s largest ever Refugee Shabbat, with a record number of organisations taking part.

The event, hosted by HIAS+JCORE on Thursday 12 March, marked the start of Refugee Shabbat 2026, a global initiative bringing Jewish communities together in solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers.

Founded by HIAS in 2018 and coordinated in the UK by HIAS+JCORE for the past five years, the programme has grown rapidly. This year, 66 organisations across England and Scotland are participating – more than double the number involved in 2025.

Opening the event, the Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, emphasised the historical Jewish connection to the issue of displacement.

“When it comes to the plight of refugees, we readily empathise with them because we, as Jewish people, have known what it is like to be a refugee,” he said. “We have the imperative indeed to reach out and to do whatever we can for the sake of refugees.”

Progressive Judaism co-chief executive Rabbi Charley Baginsky said the responsibility of Jewish communities extended beyond their own security to the wider society they help shape.

“Jewish responsibility does not stop at our own community’s security. It also extends to the kind of society we help shape,” she said. “One where the rule of law protects the vulnerable. One where refugees are not reduced to political symbols. One where faith communities work together to build something better.”

Speakers also addressed the current political climate surrounding migration and asylum.

The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, said she was “inspired” by the concept of Refugee Shabbat, adding that “the combination of recent government policies, together with the unhelpful rhetoric of the far-right”, posed significant challenges.

She said this made supporting refugees “together in solidarity and partnership” more important than ever.

The evening also highlighted practical projects supporting refugees, including HIAS+JCORE’s JUMP befriending programme, which pairs volunteers with young refugees and asylum seekers arriving in the UK alone.

Ben, a volunteer befriender, described how the relationship provides stability and trust for the young person he supports.

The programme helps participants build confidence, overcome barriers and integrate into life in the UK.

Student engagement was also highlighted by Samantha Lewkowicz, Social Action and Holocaust Education Sabbatical Officer at the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), who spoke about the Student Refugee Ambassador Programme run jointly with HIAS+JCORE.

She said “passionate and engaged students” were helping lead action on refugee support across Jewish campuses.

Rachel Blake MP, whose constituency hosted the event, closed the evening by reflecting on the importance of welcoming refugees to the capital.

“Understanding the powerful role that… welcoming refugees has made to London, but also that friendship can make to both public policy making and to individual lives is something I will be taking away from this evening,” she said.

A series of Refugee Shabbat activities are now taking place across the UK, including a film screening and panel discussion at the Lexi Cinema and webinars exploring the UK’s asylum system and refugee homelessness.

Speaking after the launch, HIAS+JCORE Community Engagement Director Yael Peleg said the scale of participation reflected growing momentum across the Jewish community.

“It is truly remarkable to have this many communities taking part in Refugee Shabbat this year,” she said. “There is so much inspiring work being done across the Jewish community to welcome refugees, and Refugee Shabbat 2026 is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate it.”

HIAS+JCORE executive director Rabbi David Mason said the initiative sends an important message at a time of rising anti-migrant rhetoric.

“There is no doubt that we’re living in a difficult period,” he said. “The rise of the populist and far-right and anti-migrant sentiment is incredibly worrying. But this Refugee Shabbat is a message of hope and a loud statement from the Jewish community that we are with refugees. Together, our values of compassion and solidarity are so much stronger than hate and division.”

Across the country, communities are already putting those values into practice.

At Menorah Synagogue in Cheshire, a well-attended Refugee Shabbat weekend brought together congregants and interfaith partners for a special service and panel discussion chaired by Rabbi Kath Vardi.

“It was amazing to see how our community supported the events, and it was important to hear the first-hand stories of immigration in our community and how people are holding onto those central Jewish values of care and welcome,” she said.

Menorah’s outreach co-ordinator, Eve Davidson, who organised the event, added: “We had an interesting, profound and thoughtful discussion. Our community has a long relationship with organisations supporting asylum seekers.”

The panel featured representatives from local faith and refugee organisations, underlining the growing role of interfaith collaboration in supporting asylum seekers at a grassroots level – a key theme echoed throughout Refugee Shabbat 2026.