Miss Tolstoy and her friend. Tatiana Schaufuss. together with other prominent Russian emigres and Americans active in the Russian Famine Relief during the revolution. founded the Tolstoy Foundation. Its purpose was to assist victims of oppression by rehabilitation within the free world. by immigration to countries offering asylum. and by integration and assimilation in communities. though always preserving the values inherent in their ethnic traditions. The foundation. with headquarters in New York City. has offices in 14 countries in Europe. the Middle East. and Latin America. In 1941. after receiving a gift of 74 acres of land in Rockland County. N.Y.. the Tolstoy Foundation Center was founded. Since that time the center has grown to include a chapel. a Russian Orthodox Church. a home for the aged. and a nursing home with a capacity of 96 beds. It was in this atmosphere of tranquility and humanitarianism that Sasha. as she was known to her intimates. lived her last years among the refugees in the simplicity of farm life reminiscent of her early days. The Tolstoy Foundationspecifically founded to aid Russian immigrantschanged its charter after the 1956 Hungarian uprising to help resettle people from around the world. Since then. the foundation has assisted some 3.500 refugees annually. including Czechs. Tibetans. Himalayans. and Armenians. I have come to know many dedicated people in the numerous voluntary agencies engaged in assisting the refugees of the world. Alexandra Tolstoy was indeed one of the most extraordinary who lived her life and gave her strength to the task of helping the displaced and dispossessed to find new hope and life. We mourn her passing and sympathize with her many friends around the world.
Keywords matched
immigrantschanged immigration refugees