Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society

HIAS, founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, is an international Jewish humanitarian nonprofit organization that provides services to refugees, asylum seekers, displaced people, and immigrants. It was established between 1881 and 1903 to help Eastern European Jewishimmigrants to the United States escape antisemitic persecution and violence. In 1975, the State Department asked HIAS to aid in resettling Vietnam refugees. Since that time, the organization has continued to provide support for refugees of all nationalities, religions, and ethnic origins. Working with host communities, HIAS works with refugees, asylum seekers, and other forcibly displaced and stateless persons. HIAS has offices in the United States and across Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Since its inception, HIAS has helped resettle more than 4.5million people. NameAccording to HIAS, the acronymHIAS was first used as a telegraphic address and eventually became the universally used name of the organization. A 1909 merger with the Hebrew Sheltering Aid Society resulted in the official name Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society, but the organization continued to be generally known as "H.I.