>>> 1904, THEY SET UP AN OFFICE ON ELLIS ISLAND TO HELP
IMMIGRANTS TRYING TO MAKE THEIR
WAY TO THE UNITED STATES, LIKE
THIS LITTLE 18-MONTH-OLD GIRL
SITTING IN A RED CROSS BASKET.
SHE ARRIVED IN NEW YORK FROM
EUROPE WITH HER FAMILY.
HERE SHE IS WAITING FOR HER
PARENTS TO BE CLEARED THROUGH
CUSTOMS.
CUSTOMS. OR THIS LITTLE BOY WEARING A
FEATHER HEADDRESS, MAKING HIS
WAY OFF THE USS GENERAL M.R.
BLATCHFORD.
BLATCHFORD. HE ARRIVED AT ELLIS ISLAND IN
1951, BECAUSE GOING THROUGH
ELLIS ISLAND WASN’T ALWAYS EASY,
IT TOOK SOME TIME, THEY BUILT
THIS HUT FOR THE JEWISH HARVEST
FESTIVAL.
FESTIVAL. THE IDEA IS IF PEOPLE WERE
JEWISH, WERE COMING THROUGH
ELLIS ISLAND, THEY COULDN’T MAKE
IT TO THEIR DESTINATION IN TIME
THAT.
THAT. >> COULD STILL CELEBRATE THAT
HOLIDAY WITH THEIR FAMILIES
WHILE THEY WERE STILL IN
PROCESS.
PROCESS. YOU CAN SEE THAT SAME GROUP AT
WORK IN WARSAW IN POLAND, PEOPLE
TRYING TO FLEE EASTERN EUROPE.
THEY HELPED THIS 77-YEAR-OLD
WIDOW MAKE HER WAY FROM UKRAINE
TO CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA TO BE
REUNITED WITH HER SON.
YOU SEE THAT BADGE ON HER LAPEL.
CAN WE ZOOM IN ON THAT?
SEE THAT?
SEE THAT? IF YOU RECOGNIZE THAT, THAT’S
ACTUALLY THE SAME BADGE THAT WE
SAW ON THE BABY.
SEE THAT?
SEE THAT? SEE THE SAME BADGE ON THE BABY?
AND ACTUALLY, LOOK AT THE MAN
WHO IS HOLDING THE LITTLE BOY
WITH THE HEADDRESS.
THEY’RE ALL WEARING THE SAME
BADGE.
BADGE. HIAS.
HIAS. IT STANDS FOR THE HUMAN BEING
BREW IMMIGRANT AID SOCIETY.
THEY’RE THE OLDEST REFUGEE
SOCIETY IN THE WORLD.
THEY WERE FIRST ESTABLISHED IN
1881.
1881. THINK ABOUT THAT.
TO HELP JEWISH REFUGEES MAKE
THEIR WAY OUT OF WAR ZONES AND
PERSECUTION AND AWAY FROM
POGROMS TO HELP THEM TO SAFETY.
HIAS IS ONE OF NINE AGENCIES
THAT HAS A CONTRACT WITH THE
STATE DEPARTMENT TO HELP
REFUGEES RESETTLE INSIDE THE
U.S.
U.S. THE GROUP SAYS, QUOTE, WE USED
TO WELCOME REFUGEES BECAUSE THEY
WERE JEWISH.
WERE JEWISH. TODAY HIAS WELCOMES REFUGEES
BECAUSE WE ARE JEWISH.
HIAS HAS BEEN DOING THIS WORK
FOR OVER 130 YEARS ALL DAY OVER
THE WORLD, BUT IT’S BECAUSE OF
WHAT HAPPENED NOW IN ONE
AMERICAN CITY THIS WEEKEND THAT
WE’RE TALKING AGAIN ABOUT THIS
PARTICULAR AGENCY, BECAUSE WHEN
THAT GUNMAN BURST INTO THE TREE
OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE IN PITTSBURGH
ON SATURDAY, PART OF THE RECORD
HE LEFT BEHIND ONLINE IS THAT HE
REPEATEDLY IN RAGE NAMED THAT
CHARITY, THAT SPECIFIC JEWISH
REFUGEE AGENCY THAT HAS BROUGHT
SO MANY PEOPLE FROM SO MANY
DIFFERENT TRADITIONS OUT OF
DANGER AND INTO NEW LIVES.
JOINING US NOW IS MARK HATFIELD.
HE IS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF HIAS,
THE HEBREW IMMIGRANT AID
SOCIETY.
SOCIETY. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU’RE TIME
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN A VERY,
VERY DIFFICULT TIME.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU, RACHEL.
.
. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT HOW PEOPLE HAVE RESPONDED
AND THE KIND OF RESPONSE THAT
HIAS HAS EXPERIENCED SINCE THE
NAME OF YOUR GROUP AND THE
MISSION OF YOUR GROUP AND
APPARENT RAGE THAT THIS INSPIRED
IN THE GUNMAN WAS IDENTIFIED AS
PART OF THIS TRAGEDY?
>> I MEAN, THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN
ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.
ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. WE HAVE PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS WHO
ARE CONTRIBUTING TO HIAS.
WE’VE BEEN GETTING MANY, MANY
CALLS AND LETTERS AND E-MAILS
FROM ORDINARY PEOPLE, FROM
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HELPED BY
HIAS, FROM PEOPLE WHOSE
GRANDPARENTS WERE BROUGHT HERE
BY HIAS, FROM CONGRESS,
SENATORS, EVEN THE SECRETARY
GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
CALLED ME.
CALLED ME. >> WE’RE LOOKING AS WE’RE
TALKING TO YOU AT SOME IMAGES OF
VIGILS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING
NOT JUST IN PITTSBURGH, BUT
AROUND THE COUNTRY.
THIS IS OBVIOUSLY THE WORST
ATTACK THAT’S EVER HAPPENED TO
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN THE
UNITED STATES ON AMERICAN SOIL.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE THE
RIGHT MEASURE OF HOW WE RESPOND
TO THIS AS A COUNTRY?
>> I MEAN, I HOPE THIS IS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO REEXAMINE HOW WE
SPEAK ABOUT THE OTHER, THAT WE
REEXAMINE WHAT WE’RE DOING IN
TERMS OF FIGHTING HATE SPEECH.
THERE IS JUST TOO MUCH SPACE
RIGHT NOW FOR HATE, AND THAT’S
WHAT HAPPENED HERE.
WHEN YOU HAVE HATE SPEECH,
HATEFUL SPEECH ALMOST ALWAYS
LEADS TO HATEFUL ACTS, AND
THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED
HERE.
HERE. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK
WITH THE PIPE BOMBS.
WE REALLY NEED TO REEXAMINE OUR
NATIONAL DISCOURSE, AND WE NEED
TO DO IT ON AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL.
WELL NEED TO DO IT FAMILY BY
FAMILY, INSTITUTION BY
INSTITUTION.
INSTITUTION. AND CERTAINLY WE NEED OUR
ELECTED LEADERS TO SET AN
EXAMPLE FOR US, A POSITIVE
EXAMPLE.
EXAMPLE. >> I MENTIONED THAT YOURS IS A
VERY LONG-STANDING ORGANIZATION,
THE OLDEST REFUGEE ORGANIZATION
IN THE WORLD THAT IS
CONTINUOUSLY OPERATION.
CONTINUOUSLY OPERATION. IT’S A BIG ORGANIZATION.
IT DOES A LOT OF GOOD WORK
AROUND THE COUNTRY WITH PEOPLE
FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
THIS CONTRACT WITH THE STATE
DEPARTMENT TO HELP RESETTLE
REFUGEES.
REFUGEES. I WONDER, SINCE THE NAME HIAS
AND THE GUNMAN FIXATING ON HIAS
AGAIN SURFACED IN RELATION TO
THIS TRAGEDY, I WONDERED IF YOU
HAD BEEN REACHED OUT TO, IF YOU
HEARD FROM THE WHITE HOUSE OR
THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE
OR ANYBODY ELSE AT HIGH LEVELS
OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, EITHER
JUST TO CHECK IN OR TO TOUCH
BASE ABOUT MOVING FORWARD.
>> NOPE.
>> NOPE. WE WERE VERY CLEARLY IDENTIFIED
AS BEING A MOTIVATION FOR THIS
MURDERER.
MURDERER. BUT WE’VE GOTTEN A LOT OF PHONE
CALLS, A LOT OF SUPPORT.
WE’VE HEARD NOTHING FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE.
WHITE HOUSE. WE’VE HEARD NOTHING FROM THE
SECRETARY OF STATE, AND WE
PARTNER WITH THE STATE
DEPARTMENT TO WELCOME REFUGEES.
WE’RE ONE OF NINE AGENCIES THAT
WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE
DEPARTMENT OF STATE TO RESETTLE
REFUGEES IN THIS COUNTRY, AND WE
DO IT HERE IN PITTSBURGH IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE JEWISH
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES OF
PITTSBURGH, WHICH IS A TERRIFIC
PARTNER.
PARTNER. BUT NO, WE HAVEN’T HEARD
ANYTHING FROM THEM.
>> MARK HATFIELD, PRESIDENT AND
CEO OF THE HEBREW IMMIGRANT AID
SOCIETY.
SOCIETY. THANKS FOR BEING WITH US