We hope you enjoy reading others' immigration journeys.  Please remember to visit our Share Your Story page to share your own with us.  

Anna's Story

There is a new generation of wandering Jews.  We are the child immigrants who came to the U.S. from the Soviet Union during Operation Exodus...

Anna's Story (pdf)(66kb)

Dana's Story

Friedrich Nietzsche once stated "He who has a why to live, can bear almost any how." Through the years of watching my family members go through arduous obstacles, I’ve deduced that despite hardships, it is possible to succeed...

Dana's Story (pdf)(93kb)

Maya's Story

I was born in Ukraine in the 1960s and while growing up I did not know much about my family...

Maya's Story (pdf)(105kb)

HIAS Chicago Scholarship Winners

Enjoy stories submitted by past HIAS Chicago scholarship winners.

Ilya's Story

I am currently a 3rd year medical student at Northwestern University. Twenty-two years ago, my family immigrated to the United States from Russia, and we were assisted during our first year by the generosity of HIAS...

Ilya's Story (pdf)(66kb)

Yuliya's Story

My family decided to immigrate to the United States in 1991 after the collapse of Soviet Union...

Yuliya's Story (pdf)(70kb)

HIAS Chicago Citizenship Class Students

Arkadiy's Story

I lived in Belarus from 1973-2005 and in Ukraine from February 16, 1947 through July 1973...

Arkadiy's Story (pdf)(14kb)