One of Senator Kennedy’s contributions highlighted in the past few days was his role in saving the life of the “littlest refusenik.” He personally traveled to the Soviet Union for a Kremlin meeting so that infant Jessica Katz, who couldn’t receive life-saving treatment in the Soviet Union, could leave the country for medical reasons. Without Senator Kennedy’s intervention, there was almost no chance they ever would have been granted a visa.

After they left the USSR, the Katz family traveled to Vienna where they were helped by an organization called HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), which processed their refugee applications and helped prepare them for life in the U.S.

Many refugees leave their countries with nothing and, without such high-profile intervention, are not able to so simply travel overseas with their visas in hand. Getting permission to leave a country is the first step – they still have weeks or months of traveling and "refugee processing" before they reach their new home. HIAS, like other aid organizations, is an important part of this journey because of the aid they provide (both money for food and   housing and expertise in dealing with the bureaucracy and extensive paperwork).

Senator Kennedy knew better than most that collaboration is an important part of any solution. So it is important that we remember those who deal with the details – the many organizations and people who work every day to save the lives of refugees around the world.