ajwsstaff

AJWS Staff


American Jewish World Service New Report: “To Stop AIDS, Help Girls”

“Girls at the Center: Lessons from Kenya on Investing in A World Free of AIDS” Profiles Successful AIDS Programs, Advocates for Girl-Centered Foreign Aid Policies (Washington, D.C.; July 11, 2012) – As Washington, D.C. prepares to host the XIX International AIDS Conference this month, American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development and human rights …

Read More
Gagan Sethi

Toward Peace and Coexistence in India

This week’s New York Times article, “Justice and ‘a Ray of Hope’ After 2002 India Riots,” examines the possibility of peace and coexistence a decade after religious violence plagued Gujarat, India. A few weeks ago, Gagan Sethi, the founder of Janvikas, the Dalit Foundation (an AJWS grantee) and the Center for Social Justice, visited AJWS’s New York office and reflected on a …

Read More

Finally! The UN’s First Panel on Women Human Rights Defenders

On Tuesday, June 26th, the United Nations Human Rights Council assembled its first panel on women human rights defenders (WHRDs) as part of its annual consultation on women’s human rights. The panel reviewed the current context for women human rights defenders and presented recommendations to the UN and member states on pursuing gender-specific programs for …

Read More

Dvar Tzedek: Parshat Chukat 5772

As the Israelites wind down their adventures in the desert and prepare to enter the Promised Land as a free generation, they must again confront their faith in God’s ability to protect and provide for them. At the heart of Parshat Chukat is the puzzling episode of Moses and the rock that yields water. Through Moses and …

Read More

Fighting for LGBT Rights in Sri Lanka

During Pride Month, many countries around the world have been celebrating progress, equality and human rights gains for LGBT people. But in Sri Lanka, we are fighting to simply survive. Since 1886, LGBT people in Sri Lanka have suffered tremendous bigotry and oppression. The criminalization of same-sex relationships along with cultural and social stigmas means …

Read More

Dvar Tzedek: Parshat Korach 5772

When it comes to high drama, it’s hard to beat Parshat Korach. When Moses’s first cousin, Korach, challenges the leader’s authority, Moses retorts by suggesting a “spirituality duel” of sorts, charging Korach and his band to return the next morning so each party can present offerings to God. Korach’s offerings are rejected, and God renders …

Read More

W.K. Kellogg Foundation Grants AJWS $300K to Support Haiti Work

New York, NY; June 19, 2012—American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development and human rights organization, has received a $300,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to improve economic security and civic engagement in the Central and Southwest regions of Haiti. The three-year grant, covering June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2015, will provide …

Read More

Giving By Design with Karen Pittelman

Originally published on the blog of Pursue: Action for a Just World. On June 20, Pursuers will join AJWS and Global Circle to see the winning entries from the Where Do You Give? National Design Competition and engage with innovative speakers about giving in the 21st century. As a preview to the event, we asked speaker …

Read More

Jewish Groups Deliver More Than 18,000 Signatures to House Leadership, Administration Calling for a “Just Farm Bill”

Coalition pushes for anti-hunger and sustainable agricultural policies in the United States and abroad WASHINGTON, D.C.; June 14, 2012—Today, seven national Jewish groups delivered a petition with more than 18,000 signatures to House Leadership and the Obama Administration demanding a focus on food justice in the next Farm Bill. The signatures represent a Jewish communal …

Read More

AJWS Leads Delegation to Liberia Focused on Women’s Empowerment

Intergenerational Tour Will Include Visits with Nobel Peace Prize Winners New York, NY; June 13, 2012—American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development and human rights organization, will lead an intergenerational trip to Liberia from June 17-24. The study tour, headed by AJWS president Ruth Messinger, with special guest and distinguished Jewish feminist and author, …

Read More