Author: AJWS Staff - Page 21 - American Jewish World Service

Home AJWS Staff

AJWS Staff

February 3, 2015

Mexico Should Continue Investigation Into Disappearance, Possible Murder of 43 Student Activists

New York, NY – American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading international Jewish human rights organization and a funder of 26 human rights organizations in Mexico, today issued a strong demand for Mexican authorities to resume their investigation into the disappearance and possible murder of 43 student activists, who went missing in Iguala, Guerrero State, in September 2014 on their way to a protest against government violence.

February 2, 2015 by AJWS Staff

A Global Justice Fellow’s Pre-Travel Reflection

This week, my AJWS Los Angeles Global Justice Fellowship cohort and I are preparing to depart for India to meet with local human rights activists working to overcome poverty and injustice in their own communities. I have been reminded these past few days (especially in the countdown to our departure from LAX) that I am experiencing a …

January 28, 2015 by AJWS Staff

Photo essay: Haiti’s earthquake victims wonder where the reconstruction money went

Originally published in PBS Newshour. On Jan. 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake reduced the impoverished island country of Haiti to rubble, leaving 220,000 dead, another 300,000 injured, and more than a million homeless. Many of those who survived also lost limbs to falling walls and debris from buildings that weren’t constructed to withstand seismic waves. According to …

January 14, 2015 by AJWS Staff

It’s been five years since Haiti’s earthquake. And the ‘redevelopment’ hasn’t been about helping Haitians.

Originally published in The Washington Post. Five years ago this month, a terrible earthquake struck my country. I was in the capital city, Port-au-Prince, when suddenly the earth shook and buildings around me and across the city collapsed—taking with them hundreds of thousands of lives and the hopes of my nation. The world stood with …

December 26, 2014 by AJWS Staff

Human Rights in 2014: Our End-of-Year Top 10

As 2014 comes to an end, we’re reflecting on a year with both progress and setbacks for human rights around the globe. Read our round-up of our top 10 human rights events in 2014. 1. Ebola devastates West Africa As undoubtedly the largest public health crisis in 2014, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has …

November 25, 2014

We Must Pursue Justice for Michael Brown and People of Color

NEW YORK, NY — “As we work as Jewish global citizens every day to combat human rights abuses around the world, we cannot be blind to the moral and structural failings of our own society.

November 19, 2014 by AJWS Staff

A Message from Cynthia Nixon

I’m Cynthia Nixon. As an actor, I’ve played the roles of many different women—from Juliet to Miranda Hobbes to Eleanor Roosevelt. I love bringing the stories and struggles of women to life, on the stage and on the screen. It’s a tremendous pleasure and privilege. Yet, there are millions of women all over the globe whose stories are never told on the world stage. These women suffer many forms of discrimination. They are victimized by sexual violence. And when they raise their voices in protest, too often they …

October 22, 2014

American Jewish World Service Is Supporting Grassroots Public Health Efforts to Combat Ebola in Liberia

(New York, Oct. 22) — American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is funding grassroots groups in Liberia that are responding to the Ebola outbreak through public health campaigns that rely on trusted non-medical community leaders to spread the word about preventing infection.

October 13, 2014 by AJWS Staff

Dvar Tzedek: Parashat Bereshit 5775

On the subway the other day, my four-year-old daughter piped up with the observation, “There are more white people than brown people on the train today.” I was immediately discomfited, looking around to see if anyone had heard and then probing to see if her comment had any valence beyond the simple truth that there …