By all rights she should have been a nobody. But instead, Sonia Pierre, the Dominican born daughter of Haitian migrants was, at the time of her premature death this week at the age 48, an internationally respected, award winning advocate for the civil and social rights of Haitian Dominicans and a leading grassroots responder to …
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Originally posted on Pursue: Action for a Just World. The U.S. Farm Bill is a piece of legislation that is reauthorized every five to seven years. It covers many food-related government programs like SNAP in addition to international food aid programs. With the failure of the Super Committee to sneak the Farm Bill in under the rug, we have an …
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Hillary Clinton’s visit to Burma—the first from a United States Secretary of State in 50 years—comes to a close today. The trip is a response to what President Obama has referred to as “flickers of hope” in the country and is a significant event in U.S.-Burma relations. How much has actually changed in this repressive …
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Originally posted on the Global Circle blog. In a recent Wall Street Journal article about best (and worst!) tips for organizations soliciting money, philanthropy experts recommended many of the practices that we live by every day at AJWS. The article recommends that charities start working with donors at a younger age. This is the heart …
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1. The recent floods in Thailand have been the worst the country has experienced in seven decades. The floods have claimed over 600 lives since July when the water began traveling from the north of the country, submerging agricultural and industrial areas before drowning Bangkok in October. Damages have been estimated to reach 300 billion …
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Following on the heels of the Akeidah, the near-sacrifice of Isaac, Parshat Chayei Sarah (“Sarah’s Life”), opens by immediately announcing her death. Although a connection to the previous narrative is not explicit, many commentators link Sarah’s sudden passing to the Akeidah, imagining that the emotional shock of hearing the news literally kills her. Rashi expands …
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Originally posted on the Global Circle blog. This Sunday, November 6th, 10 runners from the inaugural AJWS Marathon team will embark on a journey that will test not only their physical but mental strength as well: The ING NYC Marathon. For the past five months, these ten runners have endured countless miles, consumed countless packets …
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Educational Program Encourages Discussion and Action to End Food Crisis New York, NY; October 31, 2011—American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development and human rights organization, has enlisted over 100 synagogues, 20 college groups and dozens of homes across the U.S. to participate in its 2nd annual Global Hunger Shabbat on November 4-5. A …
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Originally posted on Jewcy.com What’s not to love about Shabbat? It happens every week, there’s not a super-sad story attached and it often involves food. Some say you just need candles, wine and bread and you’ve got Shabbat. Heschel’s book The Sabbath, is the only Jewish book I continually reference. It’s the way that Heschel describes Shabbat, the …
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Originally posted on Pursue: Action for a Just World This Food Day, we have a chance to ask the big question about hunger: why does it still exist? Does it occur: Because there is not enough food for everyone? Because of climate change? Because of insufficient infrastructure? The simple answer is that none of these is …
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