In 2006, Aleksey Bikov came to New York City from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Simple things, such as well-maintained sidewalks and wheelchair lifts on buses, left him awe-struck.

“In Uzbekistan, it is not like that,” said Mr. Bikov, 25. “People with disabilities are stuck home. They can’t get out of buildings.”

Poverty and prejudice were major reasons he wanted to leave his native country. He said it was difficult growing up Jewish in a predominantly Muslim nation. It was not until age 14, when Mr. Bikov attended his great-grandmother’s funeral, that he first saw the rituals of Judaism.

“I didn’t grow up Jewish-affiliated,” he said. “My Jewish heritage and tradition was very much repressed. I didn’t know anything about it.”