HIAS' Newly Launched Web Site Wins Davey Award

Posted on Wed, Nov 11, 2009 at 15:53 pm

(New York, NY) – HIAS, the international migration agency of the American Jewish community and the oldest refugee agency in the United States, has won an award for excellence in design for its recently launched Web site: www.hias.org. Announced by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, the 2009 Davey Awards singled out HIAS’ Web site as among the finest creative work from the best small firms, agencies and companies worldwide.

One of the unique features of the site is

HIAS Launches Its New Web Site with a Virtual Scavenger Hunt

Posted on Tue, Nov 03, 2009 at 17:10 pm

(New York, NY) – HIAS, the international migration agency of the American Jewish community, launched a new Web site last week (www.hias.org) by using the gold standard of online Web site launch strategies – a virtual scavenger hunt. Run as a series of questions about HIAS on the agency’s Twitter site, @HIASimmigration, the hunt encouraged players to search for the answers on the new Web site. The end result was that all those who played became familiar with

HIAS Receives $1 Million Gift from Sergey Brin, Co-founder of Google and Former HIAS-assisted Refugee

Posted on Sun, Oct 25, 2009 at 13:17 pm

(New York, NY) – When Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, was seventeen, his family returned to the Soviet Union for a two-week visit. Glasnost had taken hold of the crumbling empire, making Russia a different country than the one the family had fled in 1979 when Sergey was six. Even so, on the second day of the trip, Sergey “got it” and took his father aside, thanking him “for taking us all out of Russia.”

Now, Brin has thanked, HIAS

HIAS Lauds Passage of Religious Worker Visa Program Extension: Measure will allow Jewish community to hire and retain critical foreign religious workers

Posted on Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 14:04 pm

(Washington, D.C) – HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, applauds the passage of a bill yesterday extending the Religious Worker Visa Program (RWVP), portions of which were scheduled to expire at the end of this month. The RWVP is extended through September 30, 2012.

“This is an important step in ensuring that the Jewish community can keep the dedicated and experienced teachers and other foreign religious workers that we rely on,” says Gideon Aronoff, president and CEO of HIAS. “HIAS

Congressman Jerrold Nadler Receives HIAS Tribute Award for Peace and Freedom

Posted on Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 17:32 pm

(New York, NY) – HIAS, the international migration agency of the American Jewish community, presented Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) with its Tribute Award at a ceremony in Washington, DC on September 15. The award honors an individual “who has made a substantial contribution to the furtherance of peace, freedom, and security,” and recognizes Nadler’s efforts on behalf of immigrants and refugees.

Congressman Nadler has been working to ensure that comprehensive immigration reform includes family reunification, and is the

Faith Leaders Stand Against Hate in the Immigration Debate

Posted on Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 14:55 pm

(Washington, DC) – HIAS, the international migration agency of the American Jewish community, joined faith leaders from diverse American denominations and Members of Congress today to pray for an end to hateful rhetoric and the politics of fear that scapegoat immigrant workers, separate immigrant families, and divide our communities.

The prayer vigil on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol was planned in response to the annual lobby day of The Federation for American

HIAS’ Poster Contest Winners on Display at the U.S. Capitol

Posted on Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 11:55 am

(New York, NY) – HIAS leaders gathered today at the Russell Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol complex to view winning posters from HIAS’ 2008 Poster Contest for Immigrant Youth. Since 1995, HIAS, the international migration agency of the American Jewish community, has sponsored an annual immigrant art poster contest; this year, for the first time, the winning posters are on display in the Russell Rotunda.

The exhibit, which began on September 15, will continue for one week, and includes 11 winning

HIAS Office in Kyiv, Ukraine Defaced with Nazi Symbols

Posted on Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 11:06 am

(Kyiv, Ukraine) – The main entrance door to the HIAS offices in Kyiv, Ukraine was defaced with Nazi symbols late Sunday afternoon. According to the HIAS duty guard, who responded to a disturbance outside the door, the group of vandals consisted of three young males, aged 17-18, with closely cropped hair wearing athletic clothing.

The perpetrators used a stencil to spray-paint a Nazi eagle on the door sign with the HIAS Kyiv’s hours of operations. They also laid

Russian American Émigrés Gather with Politicians to Celebrate Passage of Bill

Posted on Wed, Sep 09, 2009 at 13:51 pm

(Brooklyn, NY) – Hundreds of Russian-American émigrés yesterday joined Governor David Paterson, elected officials, New York Russian-speaking community leaders, representatives of various national and city non–profit organizations, and the press corps in a ceremonial signing of Russian Language Voter’s Bill at the Shorefront Y in Brooklyn, NY. The bill requires that, starting next year, all election materials be translated into Russian; currently materials are available in Spanish, Chinese, and Korean.

HIAS’ program, Civic and Voter Education Initiative (CVEI), an

HIAS Mourns Passing of Senator Edward Kennedy, Champion of Refugee and Immigrant Rights

Posted on Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 16:19 pm

(New York, NY) – HIAS, the international migration agency of the American Jewish community, today joins our fellow Americans in mourning the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy.

Throughout his lifetime of public service, Senator Kennedy fought to protect refugees fleeing persecution and to welcome newcomers from around the world to join in America’s future. His leadership on the 1965 immigration legislation ended our nationality-based quota system – in part a long-due response to the tragic consequences of the immigration quota acts