Vashon faith and activist groups unite for Refugee Shabbat

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 3, 2026

The Vashon Havurah and Indivisible Vashon’s Immigrant/Refugee Rights Group are holding a “Refugee Shabbat” next week to spotlight the importance of refugee communities and the profound harms they’re facing under the Trump administration’s harsh deportation policies, according to organizers.

Merna Ann Hecht, one of the organizers, said the event will blend “beautiful elements of a Jewish Friday night Shabbat service” with a focus on the mounting struggles refugee communities are facing in the United States.

“There is a rapid and dangerous decline in every aspect of safety, welcome and legality for immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers,” she said. “This gathering is a chance for us to reflect more deeply about what’s happening in our country.”

The Shabbat will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 13, at the Havurah, located at 15401 Westside Highway S.W.

The guest speaker will be Tshishiku Henry, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a leader in refugee rights in the region. Henry founded and now leads Wide World for Refugee, a nonprofit that supports immigrants and refugees seeking a better life. He is also the Washington state delegate to the Refugee Congress, an advocacy organization that supports asylum-seekers and other vulnerable migrants in the U.S.

Hecht, a member of the Wide World for Refugee board, said she expects Henry will “inspire the audience to learn details about the Trump administration’s policies that are in direct and radical opposition to … humanitarian laws, principles and responsibilities for welcoming refugees to the U.S.”

The event marks the Havurah’s second year of holding a Refugee Shabbat on Vashon and the eighth annual event sponsored by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), an organization founded in 1902 on the Lower East Side of New York City to support Jewish refugees and now an international leader in the refugee rights movement.

Suzanne Greenberg, president of the Vashon Havurah, said an event focused on the rights and needs of refugees is a natural one for Jewish organizations. “As Jewish people, we know what it means to be refugees,” she said. “It’s steeped in our culture to support the stranger, to tikkun olam, to seek to repair the world.”

The situation facing refugees across the country is “horrendous,” she said. “It follows our values to stand up and support refugees in general.”

The event is co-sponsored by Indivisible Vashon’s Immigrant/Refugee Rights Group, a committee working to support the island’s refugee and immigrant community. Jenna Riggs, who facilitates the group, called the event an important way to discuss what’s currently unfolding in the country, where trusted paths to residency have all but disappeared.

“We value an America where all people can thrive, contribute and live without fear,” she said. “Highlighting that is a really great part of this Shabbat service.”

Leslie Brown is a former editor of The Beachcomber.