A prominent Jewish refugee advocate has vowed that solidarity work with asylum seekers will continue despite growing harassment by far-right activists against Jewish organizations that support refugees.
Rabbi David Mason, chief executive of UK Jewish refugee charity HIAS+JCORE, said groups like his had increasingly faced anti-Semitic abuse and conspiracy theories from far-right activists, particularly online.
“It scares us,” he said, adding that that kind of abuse would not deter them from their work. “It’s a badge of honour, in a way. I’m doing something and I’m determined, as a Jew and as someone who believes in a strong, cohesive Britain.”
Mason said some of the hostility was fueled by conspiracy theories such as the “great replacement,” which falsely claims that Jews are orchestrating migration to undermine Western societies. The gunman who attacked three Jewish congregations in Pittsburgh, US, in 2018 cited similar anti-Semitic conspiracies, targeting Jews he believed were helping refugees through organizations such as the US-based HIAS refugee agency.
Speaking at a Shabbat for Refugees event in London aimed at highlighting Jewish solidarity with asylum seekers, Mason said many synagogues and Jewish community groups across the UK continued to support refugees, although this work was often less visible due to security concerns and rising antisemitism.
The event brought together leading figures from the Jewish community, other religious groups, refugee organizations, politicians and students. Progressive Judaism Co-Chair Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rev. Guli Francis-Dehqani were among those who spoke, while HIAS Executive Director Beth Oppenheim addressed the event via video.
At least 60 synagogues and Jewish student societies plan to celebrate this Shabbat with refugee-focused activities, such as sermons, discussions of Friday night meals and exhibitions, Mason said. Some synagogues organize monthly visits for asylum seekers, as well as initiatives such as choirs, orchestras and LGBT support groups for refugees, he added.
“The values of compassion and social responsibility are really at the heart of Judaism,” Mason said. “My great-grandparents were refugees and they came here. They needed help, support and friendship to be part of this place.”
At HIAS+JCORE, a friendship program called Jump, now in its 20th year, is central to its work with refugee youth. The scheme matches volunteer friends with unaccompanied young people aged 16-25, offering social support alongside social work assistance and access to hardship funding.
Ben, a volunteer mentor who has been involved with Jump for about six years, described it as a moving and rewarding job. “I’m there to be your partner and someone who can be a constant in your life,” he said.
Mason said the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel and the war between Israel and Gaza had made interfaith work difficult, particularly at the national level. However, he said many local relationships between religious communities remain strong.
He criticized what he called “celebrity interfaith” events that consisted of photo ops, adding: “There is nothing like religious groups sitting next to each other and solving problems in society together.”
While Mason welcomed the Labor government’s focus on social cohesion, he expressed concern about recent proposed asylum policies and rhetoric. HIAS+JCORE organized an interfaith letter calling for more compassionate policy and rhetoric from the government following Keir Starmer’s “stranger island” speech.
“They are talking about forcing people to return to their place of origin if they consider the country to be safe,” he said. “But if these are people who have already put down roots, whose children are in school, what happens then? My grandparents came here, my mother went to school here, my grandfather became a doctor. And then what, would they tell you to leave? That’s very worrying.”
Mason said that while there was broad support within the Jewish community for solidarity with refugees, he acknowledged dissenting voices, including the newly formed Reform Jewish Alliance.
“The events of the last two or three years have been a radicalizing force for many people,” Mason said.
But he said he was proud to emphasize Jewish history as one marked by exile and refuge, which he believes should encourage compassion toward those seeking refuge today.
He feared that unless addressed head-on, the growing social divide risked driving communities further apart. “People, cultures and communities do not meet,” he said. “And if they don’t, you end up with generalizations that create fear.”
