HIAS history

HIAS celebrates its 75th anniversary (citing its beginning as the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigration Aid Society in 1884; see note above).

But soon after, restrictions limited the number of immigrants allowed into America to no more than 2 percent of the total of each nationality residing in the United States in 1890, severely restricting the entry of Jews from Eastern Europe.

Officially incorporated in 1893, the Boston MRA was an association that celebrated their Meretz identity and heritage, as well as a humanitarian association dedicated to assist all Meretzers in need, whether in Boston or in Israel.

Louisa May Alcott Club Records, I-210 The Louisa May Alcott Club was established in November of 1895 at 9 Rochester Street in Boston, Massachusetts.

HIAS established a bureau on Ellis Island in 1904 providing translation services, guiding immigrants through medical screenings, arguing before the Boards of Special Inquiry to prevent deportations, and obtaining bonds to guarantee employable status.

West End House (Boston, Mass.) Records, I-285 The West End House is a Boys and Girls Club that was established in 1906 by a group of thirty-five boys who were the children of Eastern European Jewish immigrants.

Originally called Hachnosas Orchim, the organization seems also to have gone by the name Hebrew Sheltering Home, adopting the name “Hebrew Sheltering House Association” in 1907. (Sometimes referred to as “Hebrew Sheltering House Association and Home for the Aged”).

Born in Liepaja, Latvia on April 2, 1908, he began playing violin at the age of ten.

On March 31, 1909 the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society merges with the Hebrew Sheltering House Association, calling itself the "Hebrew Sheltering and Immigration Aid Society," though its acronym remains "HIAS."

Circa 1910, HIAS opens kosher kitchen on Ellis Island.

Hebrew Free Loan Society of Boston Records, I-115 The Hebrew Free Loan Society was organized in 1912 to assist those in need of temporary financial relief.

Sylvia emigrated from Russia in 1913 with her family to escape the pogroms.

The Boston HIAS operated autonomously from the national office in New York, even after their merger in 1916.

Though precious few refugees were rescued during World War II, due to the restrictive National Origins Act of 1924, HIAS provided immigration and refugee services to those who were.

He worked as a European war correspondent until the outbreak of World War II. After immigrating to Dorchester circa 1941, Levine wrote freelance newspaper columns about the war, including several that were published in St John’s, Newfoundland’s The Telegram.

In 1948, Israel is established as the Jewish homeland.

Brand and his second wife, Gertrude, immigrated to the United States and moved to Boston in 1949, where Brand became a well-known radio and television performer.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the 1951 Refugee Convention became the basis for United States asylum law, giving HIAS the basis for all future work to assist refugees no matter where they were.

August 24, 1954, HIAS merges with the United Service for New Americans (USNA) and the Migration Department of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to form the United HIAS Service (UHS).

1956 - HIAS assisted Jews fleeing the Soviet invasion of Hungary and evacuated the Jewish community of Egypt after their expulsion during the Sinai Campaign.

January 1, 1959, Cuban rebels oust Fulgencio Batista; Jews begin emigrating, mainly to the USA.

The current incarnation of CJP was formed in 1960, when two separate federated philanthropies – the Combined Jewish Appeal and Associated Jewish Philanthropies – merged to create a single organization dedicated to serving the needs of Boston’s Jewish community.

Known simply as "March 1968," the government crackdown scapegoated Polish Jews and was officially "anti-Zionist" but de facto anti-Semitic.

1975 - Following the fall of Saigon, the State Department requested HIAS’ assistance with the resettlement of Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians.

Student Coalition for Soviet Jewry at Brandeis University Records, I-493 The Student Coalition for Soviet Jewry (SCSJ) was founded in 1977 in response to the arrest of Anatoly B. Shcharansky.

HIAS continued to assist refugees from Southeast Asia through 1979.

By the summer of 1982, HIAS Pennsylvania and Jewish Children and Family Services had resettled over 2,000 Southeast Asian refugees.

In 1989, the Lautenberg amendment codified this policy, permitting Jews and Evangelical Christians from the former Soviet Union and Iran to enter as refugees.

January 1, 1994, HIAS takes over the function of the Refugee Resettlement department of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, including the management and administration of federal grants.

The Litigation Project became especially important when the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 made it much easier for United States officials to keep out or deport would-be immigrants.

He helped organize the Boston branch of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), and was active there for over 40 years, aiding over 2000 immigrants in receiving citizenship.

Leonard Glickman is appointed Executive Vice President of HIAS. His title becomes President and CEO in 2001.

After the 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, CBS correspondent Bianna Golodryga shared her own family's story of being resettled by HIAS in the United States.