OPINION: Pesach is a time to draw hope – this year we need it more than ever
At a time of celebrating the resilience of the Jewish community, our government must ensure refugees have an equal chance to thrive
It’s a funny time to be celebrating our own freedom. As we approach Pesach, each day in the news seems to bring more stories of repression, of people denied liberation. And around the world, we know that 122 million people – the highest ever in history – will be spending the festival displaced from their homes.
When writing this article, I became curious: when was the last year that global displacement didn’t reach a new record level? Not 2023 – or, in fact, any year this decade. You’ve instead got to go all the way back to 2010. That’s a startling reflection of the world we find ourselves in, but also a call to act.
But hope must prevail. Two years on since we launched HIAS+JCORE, I’m more determined than ever that we build a Britain where refugees, too, can be free – a society where displaced people have that fair chance for a better future.
This work isn’t easy. Since I began leading the organisation, we’ve fought back against the Rwanda plan, stood with the vulnerable young refugees we work with through last summer’s appalling riots, and challenged the dangers of rising right-wing populism.
And 2025 has brought new challenges; most notably a US administration that’s turned its back on the world’s most vulnerable. Here in the UK, we saw initial positive steps from the Labour government, before some recent worrying steps in the wrong direction. Legislation criminalising refugees and cuts to international aid aren’t what voters asked for. We’d hoped for better.
Yet Pesach’s core message must drive us forward. This is a festival of resilience after all. When we recall how we were strangers in a strange land, let’s also commit to ensuring that others are welcomed. So as governments close their doors and journeys to safety are made harder, we must stand true to our Jewish values of compassion and show solidarity. The need has never been greater.
Of course it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the statistics, and the sheer size of the job at hand. But for me, it’s crucial that we can remember the human behind the numbers. All too often, our asylum system here in the UK fails to do so, and can’t seem to recognise the humanity of those within it.
This is something we see every day with those we support here at HIAS+JCORE. The young people on our JUMP befriending project are incredible, their resilience and dignity so inspiring. We should be proud to welcome them as new Brits.
Yet the UK’s policies present them with so many barriers. We know that they want nothing more than to integrate, rebuild, and restart their lives here in London. But how are they supposed to do so when they are banned from working while their cases are reviewed, forced to survive on meagre Home Office support, and made to live in often shameful quality accommodation?
All we are calling for is fairness. I believe this is a goal that our government shares – but we need far more action to make it a reality.
So where to start? One urgent step is reversing the deeply unjust refugee citizenship ban. This policy makes it nearly impossible for people seeking asylum through irregular routes – and there is no safe or legal way to do so otherwise – to ever become British citizens. While our own community faced many challenges here as refugees, gaining citizenship has been a key part of our positive story within British society.
Ahead of this year’s Pesach, I urge the Government to ensure refugees have that chance to thrive, and for our community to join us in this mission. If we can do so together, we’ll give today’s refugees the opportunity we would wish for ourselves.
Next year, may all who seek freedom find it.
- Rabbi David Mason, Executive Director, HIAS+JCORE
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
