News & Views

Watch it Now: HIAS PA’s 4th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Advocacy and Action

On Monday, January 16th, 2023, at HIAS PA’s Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Advocacy and Action, a panel from Philadelphia-area immigrant-serving organizations discussed what our welcoming community is doing in response to the buses of migrants being sent from Texas to Philadelphia.

Participating Organizations

• Casa de Venezuela
• City of Philadelphia’s Office of Immigrant Affairs
• HIAS Pennsylvania
• La Puerta Abierta
• Nationalities Service Center
• New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia
• Pennsylvania Immigration & Citizenship Coalition (PICC)
• Pennsylvania Immigrant Family Unity Project (PAIFUP)

Donate & Volunteer

• Philadelphia Welcoming Amazon Wish List
• Philadelphia Welcoming Fund
• Philadelphia Welcoming Walmart Wish List
• Philadelphia Welcoming Legal Volunteer Form

Advocacy Materials

• Contact the White House
• Contact Your US Representative
• Contact Your US Senator
• How you can help people seeking asylum arriving in Philadelphia
• Migrant Bus Advocacy Scripts

We’d like to thank Comcast for their support, including their support of the City of Philadelphia’s Welcoming Fund.

Watch it Now: Ask Me Anything – Political Discourse, the Media, and Immigration: Fact or Fiction

The 2022 Pennsylvania Senatorial debate highlighted the ramped-up inflammatory anti-immigration rhetoric that gets weaponized during every election cycle.

Watch our virtual discussion with Charles D. Ellison of WURD and Nick Gourevitch from Global Strategy Group as we cut through the noise and discuss political polling, how polls and media reports inform campaign strategy, and, ultimately, their effect on public perceptions about immigration.

Watch it Now: Voyage of the Doomed: Commemorating the SS St. Louis

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our June 2022 advocacy event commemorating the SS St. Louis!

We were honored to have grandchildren and other descendants of SS St. Louis passengers in attendance. A special thank you to Dr. Paul Finkelman of Gratz College for sharing his expertise about the events leading up to the “Voyage of the Doomed”.

This program was generously supported by Dveera Segal & Bradley Bridge.

Want to learn more from Dr. Finkelman?

Register here for his upcoming four-part online continuing education course through Gratz College, “Jews and Slavery: A Long and Complicated History”. CLE credits are available.

Watch it Now: Immigration Advocacy from a Faith-Based Perspective: A Virtual Panel Discussion Regarding the Religious Value of Welcoming the Stranger

VIDEO: Ukraine, Afghanistan, Haiti: Our World in Crisis

3/24 Update: Read our updated statement regarding President Biden’s recent announcement about Ukrainian refugees.

Hear from our Executive Director, Cathryn Miller-Wilson, who has provided a briefing about the global impact of the three worldwide displacement crises in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Haiti. Hear also about what HIAS PA is doing and not doing, why, and learn how you can help.

Watch It Now: Ask Me Anything: Immigrants in Detention

HIAS Pennsylvania’s Executive Director, Cathryn Miller-Wilson, discusses immigrants in detention with HIAS PA’s Independence Foundation Public Interest Law Fellow, Matt Egler DiFerdinando.

Giving Tuesday 2021: Afghan Refugee Update

HIAS Pennsylvania’s 2021 Thankful Together

On Sunday, November 21st, we came together as a community to celebrate our refugee neighbors at our annual Thanksgiving event.

Post date: 11/22/2021

Watch It Now: Ask Me Anything: Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Status

Commemorating the events of September 11th, 2001, watch our Ask Me Anything from September 2nd, 2021.

We heard from HIAS PA’s Director of Social Services, Lucy Rabbaa, and HIAS PA’s Office Manager and former SIV, Mohammad Sadiq Sadeed, about the Afghan refugees coming to the US on Special Immigrant Visa status, the repercussions of the War in Afghanistan, and what the past month has been like for families like Sadiq’s.