Mission

For more than a century, HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, has had an extraordinary impact on millions of Jews. For generation after generation, HIAS has provided essential lifesaving services to world Jewry, through its mission of rescue, reunion and resettlement. As an expression of Jewish tradition and values, HIAS also responds to the migration needs of other people who are threatened and oppressed. Started in New York City by a group of Jewish immigrants who found sanctuary in the United States after fleeing persecution in Europe, HIAS offered food, shelter and other aid to countless new arrivals. Since its founding in 1881, HIAS has assisted more than four and a half million people in their quest for freedom.