History

Originally founded as the Association for the Protection of Jewish Immigrants, the agency has provided rescue, protection, legal and technical assistance to thousands of immigrants, refugees, students, visitors, visiting scholars, temporary workers and others on behalf of Philadelphia's organized Jewish community. Under an agreement with the Jewish Archives of Philadelphia, housed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, HIAS has stored its early files, dating from the late 19th Century. Many of the leaders of the Philadelphia area Jewish community have descendants who were brought to the United States by HIAS. In the 1920's Philadelphia was the second most active community, behind New York, in organizing services to Jewish refugees streaming in from Eastern Europe. Many arrived in boats, which docked in South Philadelphia, at the Washington Avenue Terminal.

The organization's current name reflects its affiliation during the 1920's with HIAS, Inc. the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and its merger in 1952 with the Service to the Foreign Born program of the National Council of Jewish Women. While HIAS and Council still maintains relationships through shared volunteer leadership and refugee resettlement contracts, with HIAS, Inc. (New York), HIAS and Council Migration Service of Philadelphia is a fully independent, 501 ( c ) (3) legal aid and social service organization, funded primarily by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, private contributions, charitable foundations and nominal client fees.

In 1976 HIAS and Council was recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) of the U.S. Department of Justice as an agency authorized to practice immigration and nationality law on behalf of eligible clients, pursuant to 8 CFR Sec. 292.2 (a). Non-attorney staff members of the agency's professional staff are individually accredited by the BIA to practice immigration and nationality law before the USCIS and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).

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