Assistants help a woman in a wheelchair disembark from a train carrying Ukrainian refugees at the Lviv train station in Ukraine in February 2023. (Paula Bronstein for HIAS)

HIAS Europe

European HQ of the global Jewish humanitarian organisation

Assistants help a woman in a wheelchair disembark from a train carrying Ukrainian refugees at the Lviv train station in Ukraine in February 2023. (Paula Bronstein for HIAS)

Director

Ilan Cohn

Office Location

Brussels

Founded

2019

Staff Size

16

Contact

HIAS Europe

+32 27 03 11 37

Crisis Alert

Having worked in Ukraine for more than 20 years, HIAS is actively supporting people displaced by the war. HIAS Europe is now assisting displaced people in Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, and Romania, as well as via community integration plans throughout Europe.

Crisis Alert

Having worked in Ukraine for more than 20 years, HIAS is actively supporting people displaced by the war. HIAS Europe is now assisting displaced people in Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, and Romania, as well as via community integration plans throughout Europe.

HIAS Europe manages humanitarian programming worldwide and supports European Jewish communities, organisations, and activists in their efforts to welcome and integrate refugees. HIAS Europe adds a Jewish voice to European discussions on forced migration and related humanitarian issues.

Through technical and financial support, HIAS Europe empowers European Jewish communities to support refugees overseas and welcome refugees in their own communities. These programmes promote inclusion and social cohesion, often through interfaith collaboration and community sponsorship schemes.

HIAS Europe advocates for the EU to pursue policies that promote welcome, safety, and opportunity for people fleeing violence and persecution around the globe.

What We Do

We provide legal services and support, including free legal representation for asylum seekers so that everyone around the world, including displaced people, can have equal access to their legal rights.

We work to protect the right of women, girls, and LGBTQ communities to access their full potential and live free from violence by supporting survivors, mitigating risks, and transforming beliefs that perpetuate GBV.

HIAS’ community-based mental health programs promote the well-being of individuals, families, and communities affected by crisis and conflict so they can heal and rebuild their lives.

Our economic inclusion programs ensure that refugees have economic opportunities to earn sustainable income and start their lives anew.

We provide legal services and support, including free legal representation for asylum seekers so that everyone around the world, including displaced people, can have equal access to their legal rights.

Who We Are

HIAS Europe Board

Ruth Ringer • Bill Echikson • Donatella Soria • Jonathan Faull • Yohan Benizri

Staff

Ilan Cohn – Director

Programmes
Celia Gomez – Programme Manager
Liora Jaffe – Programme Manager for Community Engagement
Meiron Avidan – Integration Coordinator
Pascale Charhon – European Project Manager
Joana Marta – Programme Associate
Dina Lou Hadar – Community Engagement Fellow
Andrea Leali – Program and Operations Associate

Public Affairs
Giacomo Dozzo – EU Partnerships and Institutional Development Director
Iwona Wardach – EU Partnerships and Institutional Development Officer
Katharine Woolrych – Advocacy Specialist
Ilaria Molinari – Communications Officer

Admin and Finance
Youstina Abou Diab – Budget and Fiscal Compliance Manager
Elinor Minett – Operations Specialist

Safety and Security
Christian Pibitz – Director, Safety & Security, Africa & Eurasia

Information Technology
Lidwine Ngalim Leinyuy –  Regional IT Officer, Africa & Eurasia

Where We Work

HIAS Europe implements programming in 8 countries

Publications

Oct 6, 2023

Welcome Circles in Europe for People Fleeing Ukraine

Oct 6, 2023

Thumbnail image for the report In response to mass displacement from Ukraine, HIAS Europe launched the Welcome Circles program in May 2022 to enable the community-based reception and integration of people displaced from Ukraine in 12 countries across Europe. This fact sheet evaluates the program’s successes, challenges, and opportunities for growth based on feedback from Welcome Circles beneficiaries, volunteers, and coordinators.

Thumbnail image for the report

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