About South Brooklyn Sanctuary

South Brooklyn Sanctuary is a grassroots nonprofit that trains everyday New Yorkers to support migrants without access to attorneys. Because there is no right to an attorney in immigration proceedings, nearly half of all immigrants in New York are navigating their cases alone, without legal representation. Our volunteers partner with migrants to translate documents, draft applications, and provide essential “Know Your Rights” information. Our goal is not to provide legal aid, but to empower new and long-term Brooklynites to know their rights, strengthen community ties, and defend our sanctuary city. All our programming is supervised by attorneys.

UNITED WE ARE STRONGER.

A Message from Ma’ayan and Ezra

This month, the daily shofar blowing breaks through all the words, bringing us back to ourselves and our deepest values.

In light of this, and in honor of our 13th wedding anniversary, Ezra and I are hosting a fundraiser for South Brooklyn Sanctuary. We are excited to match all contributions made, and have the ambitious goal of raising 10K before Rosh Hashana. It would mean so much, if you would join us in supporting this critical work. I know that every single gift- whether $36 or $3600 will directly save peoples lives.

In 2022, when asylum seekers were bused from the southern border to New York, Ezra and I filled our car with unused coats and clothing and food for these immigrants. At the time, that was what we knew how to do.

And then we watched our dear friend Emily spring into action!

Through her own work with migrants, she realized the dire need for education and support during the complex and tireless legal process they faced. Over the last few years, Emily’s work, and the work of over a hundred active volunteers for South Brooklyn Sanctuary has helped thousands of immigrants represent themselves in court and navigate the asylum process. (Did you know that immigrants don’t have the right to representation/an attorney?)

Everyday SBS is working hard to meet the needs of this incredibly cruel and scary moment for migrants and is raising money to build

Guardianship clinics to help families prepare for separation
Motions clinics to help people attend court from the safety of home during heightened ICE enforcement
Clinics to prepare asylum seekers to represent themselves at trial
Consultations to assess risk at ICE check-ins
Weekly Know Your Rights programing in trusted community spaces
Organizing among Brooklyn groups committed to supporting immigrants community members
A youth clinic focused on immigrant children and teens (planned for 2026)

Over the years in both organizing and in the rabbinate Ezra and I have tried to find the folks doing the most direct impact work, the people with feet on the ground. Emily and South Brooklyn Sanctuary are that.

Please join us (generously!) in supporting this life-changing work.

With gratitude and love,

Shana Tovah,

Ma’ayan and Ezra Seligsohn

Elul fundraiser for South Brooklyn Sanctuary

Show up for our new neighbors! Your support means migrants aren’t facing the legal system alone.