When Jews enter a new year each Rosh Hashanah, we feel a sense of renewal—a fresh start. The struggles of the prior year don’t vanish; it’s our energy and attitude towards them that changes. We get the chance to take stock and recommit ourselves to whatever lies ahead. That’s why the story of Bufete para …
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AJWS’s Global Justice Fellowship brings together progressive Jewish clergy from across the country to learn about the global fight for human rights, advocate for change, and bring these messages back to their congregations and communities. Before Rosh Hashanah begins, please watch Rabbis Faith Joy Dantowitz, Sandra Lawson, and Michael Knopf deliver some words of wisdom …
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Last month, we brought you inside a gathering of nearly 1,000 women in Nairobi, feminists, activists, and providers devoting themselves to building societies that don’t control women’s lives. This month, we’ll focus on just one. Sixteen-year-old Nita Bhil lives in a small village in Kutch, a region in the farthest west reaches of India. Her …
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When we decide what to include in Stories of Hope each month, we look for stories about activists and the work AJWS supports around the world that give all of us—our donors, staff, and grantees alike—a boost of optimism. As you know, fighting for human rights in 2026 is not an easy battle to wage. …
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In 2024, schoolteacher Joyseph Sseruwagi fled their hometown in Uganda and crossed into Kenya, fearing they’d be arrested and sentenced to decades in prison. Joyseph’s crime? Their sexual orientation, which is severely criminalized under Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act. Joyseph now lives in Kenya, where they lead an organization supported by AJWS partner Jinsiangu, helping other LGBTQI+ …
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In February, we welcomed Tawanda Mutasah as AJWS’s new President and CEO. A veteran human rights leader, he has spent the past three decades advancing rights-based social change around the world. Tawanda joins AJWS at a challenging time for global human rights, with authoritarianism on the rise and freedoms being curtailed. And so, we sat …
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“Endless war.” The phrase has been kicking around in our collective consciousness for decades, evoking helplessness and hopelessness. Painting a world where peace isn’t even a distant dream — it’s an impossibility. We know it’s easy to succumb to this hopelessness, especially in this moment when countries readily wage war without examining the possibility of …
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The last few months have re-invigorated Americans’ ideas about the heroic work of journalists. Linchpins of democracy, reporters who demand the truth work at considerable risk — personal insults, job loss, and the broad brush of “fake news” lobbed at them from politicians with a lot to lose. But systematic attacks on the press, now …
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This year, the United States has assumed the rotating Presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20), a summit championing economic cooperation among the world’s largest economies. On March 5, the House of Representative’s Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hosted a hearing to explore ways the Trump administration can “elevate human rights issues” during the G20 …
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On the AJWS storytelling team, we like to keep the spotlight on our grantee-partners. Staying true to our model of supporting grassroots leaders who know what needs to change, we share stories of problems and solutions that inspire us and coalesce into movements that make enduring human rights progress. But every once in a while, …
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