AJWS Staff, Author at American Jewish World Service

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AJWS Staff

January 12, 2021

American Jewish World Service Calls for President Trump and All Complicit Elected Officials to Resign or Be Removed from Office in Wake of Violent Insurrection

Leading global Jewish human rights organization, which supports advocates for democratic rights worldwide, demands that all elected officials who supported the violent insurrection of January 6 be removed from office and that all participants be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. “As an organization dedicated to supporting activists fighting for democratic rights in …Read More

January 7, 2021 by AJWS Staff

Global Human Rights Defenders Share Their Hopes for Biden’s Presidency

In the four painful years of the Trump presidency, the advocates AJWS supports around the world have mourned the United States’ greatly diminished role as a force of justice and progress on the global stage. But since Joe Biden was declared President-elect, they have grown cautiously optimistic that we could soon see a U.S. government …Read More

November 19, 2020 by AJWS Staff

Gratitude and Action for a Just World: a Thanksgiving Guide

Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude. We are grateful for all the good that we have experienced this year, from food to family to moments of joy. We are also grateful for the strength that has enabled us to confront profound challenges in our lives, our country and around the globe.

November 10, 2020 by AJWS Staff

Against Legal Challenges, Grantees in Kenya Are Expanding LGBTQI+ Acceptance

Living as an LGTBQI+ person in Kenya has always meant living under threat — often from your own community and certainly from the laws of the country, which makes same-sex relationships illegal. But AJWS grantees, led by truly inspiring activists, are creating change city by city. Esther “Essy” Adhiambo is one powerful activist at the …Read More

October 19, 2020 by AJWS Staff

Hope and resilience through action

At AJWS, we have been asking our supporters, grantees and staff why they are still hopeful amid a devastating global pandemic, and as threats to justice and democracy proliferate around the world. The resounding answer has been that we remain hopeful because, despite the challenges, the AJWS community continues to fight for the rights and …Read More

October 14, 2020 by AJWS Staff

Internet Connection Sparks Hope for the Persecuted Rohingya People

After a full year almost completely cut off from the internet or cell phone reception, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people living in the world’s largest refugee camps finally went back online this August, thanks to the vigorous advocacy of AJWS grantees and others in the international community. The Rohingya people had been barred from …Read More

August 19, 2020 by AJWS Staff

Mobilize, Organize, Sanitize: How a Young Woman in India Kept Her Community Safe from COVID-19

On March 25th, India suddenly announced a strict, severe national lockdown—the largest in the world, affecting nearly 1.4 billion people. People were left scrambling to protect themselves and their families—often with little information about the frightening new disease. Countless questions bubbled to the surface: How would people prevent the virus’s spread without proper health and …Read More

July 27, 2020 by AJWS Staff

Stories of Resilience and Hope

As we adjust to our ever-changing world, it is the stories of strength that keep us going. There is so much uncertainty, tumult, isolation and illness around us, and so we hope you will find solace and inspiration in hearing about AJWS’s brave grantees in the developing world who are fighting day and night to …Read More

June 4, 2020 by AJWS Staff

AJWS in Action: Updates from Our Partners, June 4

Across the developing world, AJWS grantee-partners continue to meet the most desperate needs of their communities: food, protective equipment, life-saving information and more. But simultaneously, they are collaborating with each other, protesting government corruption and marching forward to build a better world. Below, read two such stories from grantee-partners in Guatemala. AJWS will continue to …Read More

June 3, 2020 by AJWS Staff

Joint Statement and Recommendations By the Child, Early & Forced Marriage & Unions and Sexuality Working Group, and Partners

The global pandemic COVID-19 lays bare and exacerbates existing inequalities. For adolescent girls and young women in many places, this means that the harmful impacts of patriarchy and gender inequality are magnified and intensified. The coronavirus pandemic and associated lockdowns heighten the perpetration of gender-based violence; elevate risks of child, early and forced marriage and …Read More