Rutgers hosts, provides partial financial support, and is fiscal agent for the Asylum Support Clinic which offers no-cost legal consultations with immigration and other attorneys at a pro se (represent oneself) clinic. The Clinic meets for 3 hours once a week for 7 weeks and addresses the critical shortage of legal support for immigrants who seek asylum in New York City and are unable to pay for individual legal representation. Specifically, ASC helps asylum-seekers fill out and submit their asylum application, and once they are eligible, ASC helps those same individuals file for work authorization. To donate in support of the ASC, click here. To volunteer and find out how to get involved, email asylum.s.clinic@gmail.com or go to the ASC website here to learn more.
Rutgers also co-sponsors the Refugee Employment Partnership, which was started by B’nai Jeshurun. Volunteer mentors assist refugees, asylees and asylum seekers to find jobs. Clients are referred by resettlement agencies and other nonprofit organizations.
These efforts are under the umbrella of the church’s New Americans Committee, which began work as the Refugee Task Force in Fall 2015. Responding to the Syrian refugee crisis, Rutgers started by making donations to several nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and overseas. In the winter of 2016, the church began sponsoring a Syrian family resettled by the Church World Service in Jersey City. Since then, we’ve sponsored 3 other families—one from Syria and two from Afghanistan—and a graduate student from Afghanistan. Our efforts have depended on many volunteers and donations from our church, other churches and synagogues, and neighbors in the community. Learn more about our efforts in this New York Times article and this Washington Post video story Learn more about our efforts in this New York Times article and this Washington Post video story.
We’ve also helped the matriarch of one of the families publish a cookbook, The Bread & Salt Between Us, which has won rave reviews. All proceeds help support her family.
Donate
Tax-deductible donations to the church help support our various programs and services to the community. Please use the donation form here, and indicate in the Notes section if you wish your donation to be used for a specific program (for example, support to refugees).