Advocacy

When we are confronted with major global problems—world hunger, extreme poverty, disease epidemics, violence—the natural instinct is to ask "what can I do?" When we see a crisis on the news, learn about it in our synagogues or experience it in person through working with communities in the developing world, most of us feel moved to act. The question is—what to do?

At AJWS, part of our answer to that question is to advocate for change right here at home. Our own government has laws and policies that have a tremendous impact on developing countries. And we, as informed constituents, can tell our representatives in government that we support policies that seek social and economic justice, human rights, global health and an end to poverty, violence and hunger worldwide. We can also have a tremendous impact advocating for human-rights driven policies by global institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, where the U.S. plays a key role.

This kind of domestic advocacy is an essential component of AJWS's work. By advocating with our government and increasing awareness of global issues in our own communities, we compliment the work of AJWS's grassroots partners in the field and strengthen our mission to alleviate poverty, hunger and disease in the developing world. Advocacy also offers a way for the Jewish community to enact the Jewish imperative of tikkun olam and the value of global citizenship through taking action to advance a more just and secure future for all people.