[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 59 (Monday, May 15, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE HEBREW IMMIGRANT AID SOCIETY (HIAS) AND THE COUNCIL 
      MIGRATION SERVICE OF PHILADELPHIA ON THEIR 118TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOSEPH M. HOEFFEL

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 15, 2000

  Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, today I congratulate the Hebrew Immigrant 
Aid Society (HIAS) and the Council Migration Service of Philadelphia on 
their 118th (one hundred plus ``chai'') Anniversary. Founded in 1882 by 
Louis Edward Levy, HIAS and Council was the first organization of its 
kind in the United States.
  HIAS and Council is part of a humanitarian effort of help Jews and 
people of other backgrounds who are fleeing from persecution. HIAS and 
Council helps to provide asylum and resettlement to all people who want 
to enter the United States. HIAS and Council works diligently to help 
the refugees adapt to their new environment and gain permanent 
residence in America.
  Because of the extensive work done by HIAS and Council in the 1920's, 
Philadelphia became the second most active community in the country for 
assisting Jewish refugees fleeing from Eastern Europe.
  In 1976, the U.S. Justice Department's Board of Immigration Appeals 
(BIA) recognized HIAS and Council as an agency authorized to practice 
immigration and nationality law on behalf of eligible clients. This 
organization is the only Jewish agency in the Philadelphia area that 
provides law-related refugee and immigration services. The agency 
services clients from over 35 countries worldwide.
  I am proud to represent such an extraordinary organization as the 
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and the Council Migration Service of 
Philadelphia. This anniversary should serve as a long-standing tribute 
to hard work and dedication for all who have made HIAS and Council the 
wonderful organization it is.

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