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AJWS Statement: "Rios Montt conviction is milestone but much work remains"
Statement by Ruth Messinger, President of American Jewish World Service, on the conviction of former General José Efraín Ríos Montt in Guatemala. More »
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Statement on agribusiness industry attacks on proposed food aid reforms
In response to agribusiness industry attacks on proposed food aid reforms, Ruth Messinger, President of American Jewish World Service, issued a statement. More »
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AJWS Mourns the Passing of Common Cause President and Former Congressman Bob Edgar
In response to the passing of Common Cause President and former Congressman Bob Edgar, Ruth Messinger, President of American Jewish World Service, issued a statement commemorating his life. More »
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Statement on President’s Food Aid Reform Proposal on Occasion of Congressional Budget Hearings
In light of today’s Congressional hearings, Ruth Messinger issued a statement reaffirming support of the significant and historic reforms to the U.S. government’s global food aid program in President Obama’s 2014 budget. More »
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AJWS and JCPA Urge President Obama on Sudan
Ruth Messinger, President of American Jewish World Service, and Rabbi Steve Gutow, President of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, sent a letter to President Obama calling on the US government to renew our commitment to Sudan. More »
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Reframing the Sh’ma to Repair the World
JDOV, an online and in-person speaker series dedicated to discussing Jewish dreams, observations or visions, released a videotaped talk by Ruth Messinger linking the Shema prayer’s lesson of listening to global activism. More »
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Investing in Haiti's Future Means Listening Humbly to People on the Ground
Read Ruth Messinger’s piece on Haiti in the Huffington Post. More »
This week’s Dvar Tzedek was originally published in 2009.
Parashat Naso provides the script for one of the more penetrating segments of the Hebrew liturgy—the birkat kohanim, or priestly blessing. Over the millennia, this benediction has remained a seminal means of invoking the Divine in both the Jewish and Christian traditions. In our parshah, God dictates the blessing to Moses, who is to teach it to Aaron and his sons—the kohanim, or priests:
May God bless you and guard you.
May... Read more »









