This year, UJS is partnering with HIAS to mark Refugee Shabbat, which is a moment for congregations, organizations, and individuals around the world to dedicate a Shabbat experience to refugees and asylum seekers. This is part of our wider commitment to campaigning for refugee rights following overwhelming student support for such initiatives in the 2020 Conference.

We have gotten in touch with experts from across the UK to tell us more about why they care about asylum seekers from a Jewish perspective – and the ways in which each and every one of us can get involved! From helping Holocaust survivors to donating used laptops to writing to our MPs – there is place for all of us to show our support.

• Agnes Isaacs from the Association for Jewish Refugees tells us about their work supporting Holocaust refugees and survivors living in Great Britain. To find out more, visit: https://ajr.org.uk/
• Joe Shotton, a student at Leeds University and the leader of Leeds Student Action for Refugees (STAR), tells us more about how we can get involved with STAR on our campus. To find out more, visit: http://www.star-network.org.uk/
• Esther Raffael from René Cassin, the Jewish Voice for Human Rights, discusses their campaign against indefinite detention. To find out more, visit: https://www.renecassin.org/category/asylum-and-detention/
• Moses Seitler from Screen Share explains the importance of digital access for education and how we can contribute. To find out more, visit: https://www.screen-share.co.uk/