Washington Heights has seen innumerable changes since 1917, but one thing has remained constant: The YM&YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood (the Y) has been there to serve the needs of an ever-evolving community. During wave after wave of immigration to the United States, Washington Heights and Inwood became hotspots for populations fleeing as refugees from wars, escaping oppressive regimes, and simply hoping for a better life for their families. In the Y’s earliest years of operation, the major focus was on the resettlement of refugees from WWI and WWII – in fact, the neighborhood became home to the most German refugees in the country in the 1930’s. Later, from 1978 onward, the Y worked to aid Jewish refugees from Russia with similar urgency.
Free
No Data