When God tells Moses in Parshat Shlach, “Send for yourself men to spy out the land of Canaan,” it sounds like the start of an exciting adventure. But what seems exhilarating soon becomes chilling—then downright devastating. Of the 12 men who are sent to scout the land, 10 return with a negative report: The people are …
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Originally posted on the Global Circle blog. We know there just aren’t enough gallery openings in NYC these days, which is why we’re hosting one just for you. Earlier this year AJWS launched the Where Do you Give? National Design Competition, challenging artists to create new vehicles for giving tzedakah that reflect our increasingly interconnected, global …
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On June 2nd, I went to the Mae La refugee camp, the largest refugee camp in Thailand that houses 50,000 refugees, to greet Aung San Suu Kyi (“Mother Suu” or “The Lady”), the democracy icon of Burma. People of multiple Burmese nationalities, wearing hijab, beautiful long Karen traditional dress, Kachin costumes, and other ethnic dresses, …
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Last week, former President Charles Taylor of Liberia was sentenced by an international tribunal to 50 years in prison for his role in instigating murder, mutilation, rape, sexual slavery and the use of child soldiers in Sierra Leone. This ruling against a former head of state is a major win for international justice since the …
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The following remarks were originally posted on the website of the U.S. Department of State and shared on May 30th with the Cream City Foundation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a child of a Holocaust survivor, anti-Semitism is something very personal to me. I am the daughter of a man who was literally marked by a …
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Torah—with its rich narratives and poetry, glimpses of the Divine and profound wisdom—is a text we turn to for inspiration, intellectual stimulation and meaning. Yet there are moments in the Bible when culturally located prejudices come to the fore and the reader is left struggling with the tension between timeless writing and context-bound oppression. One …
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Judaism’s core lies in community. On Shavuot, the “time of the giving of our law,” we gather together to receive the Torah, making a covenant with God, in the name of the Jewish People. We are given the Torah and 613 commandments to build our community, our relationship with God and our relationships with one …
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The ballroom at the Excel tower in Rangoon, Burma was filled with people. Youth wearing colorful outfits mingled with older men and women in traditional Burmese dress. Everyone was looking around, eager and excited. They had all come to take part in Burma’s very first celebration of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO), which happened …
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Yesterday, May 17th, was International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). Hundreds of events took place in 95 countries around the world, including countries in Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, AJWS grantee Rainbow Community Kampuchea (RoCK) focused its IDAHO action on bringing together activists from surrounding countries to develop a regional advocacy strategy. AJWS grantees in Cambodia, …
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Boldly painted on the sides and rears of many TATA trucks and tractors are the words “INDIA IS GREAT.” Alongside an open lotus flower, symbolizing purity, these words hold true on a number of levels. First, India is great in terms of the country’s size and diversity of natural resources. India is the world’s largest …
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