Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (Boston) papers, 1870-1977 (bulk 1938-1954)

The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) was founded in New York City in the 1880s by the Russian Jewish community of New York in response to the influx of Russian Jewish immigrants fleeing the pograms in the Pale of Settlement in Russia and Eastern Europe. In 1889, a shelter which was used to house many of the immigrants adopted the name â€Hebrew Sheltering House Association.†This organization merged with HIAS in 1909 and by 1914, had branches operating in Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The Boston office of HIAS was chartered in 1904 under the leadership of Harris Poorvu, Hyman Pill, Abraham Alpert, Meyer Bloomfield, Max Wyzanski and Samuel L. Bailen. Harris and operated autonomously from the national office in New York, even after their merger in 1916. HIAS ensured that Jewish immigrants had access to holiday and religious services and kosher food; provided shelter and social services; and assisted immigrants with finding employment and schools, often on short notice. ; This collection contains the individual case files of immigrants who received assistance from the Boston office of HIAS, ship manifests, tracer correspondence, scrapbooks, passenger lists and photographs. Some later individual case files remain restricted (those dated after 1960) and researchers will require permission from the archivist of AJHS New England Archives in order to view them. ; A note about the list of individual case files: when available, various spellings of first names and surnames have been included in the box list. These are often in parentheses () following what HIAS used as the main spelling of names. Maiden names for women are in parentheses () following their first name, or in many cases, variant spellings of their first names. Where individual letters mark the only difference, these are identified with parentheses within the name itself (ex: Wolf(e)). Finally, some folders have names listed but do not have any contents. These folders are noted on the box list. We have made every attempt to list names correctly, but if you believe we have made an error, please email reference@ajhsboston.org with the box and folder numbers, followed by the name as it’s listed, and the correction you suggest. ; Microfilm available in New York ; Published citations should take the following form: Identification of item, date (if known); Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Boston, Massachusetts, Records ; I-96; box number; folder number; American Jewish Historical Society, Boston, MA and New York, NY. ; The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) was founded in New York City in the 1880s by the Russian Jewish community of New York in response to the influx of Russian Jewish immigrants fleeing the pograms in the Pale of Settlement in Russia and Eastern Europe. In 1889, a shelter which was used to house many of the immigrants adopted the name â€Hebrew Sheltering House Association.†This organization merged with HIAS in 1909 and by 1914, had branches operating in Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. ; The Boston office of HIAS was chartered in 1904 under the leadership of Harris Poorvu, Hyman Pill, Abraham Alpert, Meyer Bloomfield, Max Wyzanski and Samuel L. Bailen. HIAS operated autonomously from the national office in New York, even after their merger in 1916. Between 1914 and 1916, the Boston HIAS was affiliated with the Federated Jewish Charities (now Combined Jewish Philanthropies). In 1948, HIAS became a member of the Combined Jewish Appeal, another organization that created the current Combined Jewish Philanthropies. Poorvu served as president for twenty years before becoming treasurer. Abraham Alpert was the educational director of HIAS until his death in 1939. Alpert’s daughter, Helen, became the long-standing executive director of the Boston HIAS office in 1940. ; HIAS ensured that Jewish immigrants had access to holiday and religious services and kosher food; provided shelter and social services; and assisted immigrants with finding employment and schools, often on short notice. After World War I, HIAS worked with individuals to locate displaced families, replace legal documents, and develop an educational program to help immigrants become naturalized citizens. During World War II, immigration was at the forefront of the HIAS mission as Jews attempted to leave Europe for the United States or Palestine. HIAS arranged for sponsors and worked continuously to help the many Jews who wrote to them for help, but immigration quotas made it extremely difficult to help, even when HIAS procured affadavits of sponsorship from relatives. ; Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the Boston HIAS office assisted non-Jewish immigrants from Europe, China, and the Middle East. The Boston HIAS office dissolved in the late 1970s, but the national office in New York remains an active force today. ; Finding Aid available in Reading Room and on Internet. ; far0315