Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society

The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) grew from organisations founded in 1881 to assist Jewish migrants arriving at Ellis Island, USA. During World War Two HIAS provided immigration and refugee services. After the war, HIAS was instrumental in evacuating the displaced persons camps and aiding in the resettlement of some 150,000 people in 330 U.S. communities, as well as Canada, Australia and South America. More recently, since the mid-70s, HIAS has helped more than 300,000 Jewish refugees from the former Soviet Union and its successor states escape persecution and rebuild new lives in the United States. As the migration arm of the organised American Jewish community, HIAS also advocates on behalf of refugees and migrants on the international, national and community level.