Looking ahead to the 2012 Farm Bill, new campaign will mobilize American Jewish community to change U.S. food aid policy New York, NY; October 17, 2011—Building on its legacy of advancing global justice, American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development and human rights organization, unveiled its new Reverse Hunger campaign today. The campaign seeks …
Read More
Liberia is in the public spotlight. Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian women’s peace activist and the director of an AJWS grantee organization, along with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, both won the Nobel Peace Prize. We have much to celebrate. But there is still much work to be done. On October 11th, Liberians went to the …
Read More
Elections continue to be an expected trigger of violence on the African continent. They led to serious disputes and deadly crimes in countries such as Kenya and recently in Cote d’Ivoire. Liberia (where AJWS will be hosting a Study Tour in March 2012—join us!), is preparing to hold its second ever presidential and legislative elections …
Read More
Why does Rosh Hashanah precede Yom Kippur? No sooner do we mark the New Year than we begin repenting for our sins. Surely the logical sequence would be the reverse: we should repent and then usher in the New Year with a clean slate. Rosh Hashanah is a day we celebrate the world. We appreciate …
Read More
What could our observances of the Yamim Nora’im, the High Holy Days, possibly have to do with a school in a fishing village on the coast of Ghana? The Jewish New Year celebrates the birthday of the world, harat olam, the beginning of all. This summer, I traveled with American Jewish World Service’s Young Rabbis’ …
Read More
Originally posted on The Global Circle Blog. Whether we like to admit it or not, money is one of the strongest driving forces in our lives. Along with love, of course, money makes the world go ‘round. Here at AJWS, we wouldn’t have much of an impact in the developing world without the generous gifts …
Read More
Last week, we traveled to Ireland for the Dublin Platform, an annual gathering that brings together over 100 human rights defenders from 70+ countries around the world. Often, these human rights defenders experience enormous risks in their work. They’ve put their lives on the line in pursuit of justice and freedom for marginalized people. Organized …
Read More
When I was eighteen, my grandfather enlisted me in a signature-gathering campaign. We advocated for the addition of an amendment to Oregon’s state constitution that would declare health care a fundamental right. Working alongside him, I found myself captivated by his tireless insistence that we each have the responsibility to care for the vulnerable. “We …
Read More
Amidst the uproar over Uganda’s proposed anti-homosexuality bill (whose fate in parliament remains unclear), important signs of progress are being overlooked. This past Thursday, the Uganda AIDS Commission announced the appointment of Flavia Kyomukama to its main decision-making committee. Ms. Kyomukama is a well-known HIV-positive activist and vocal advocate for the human rights of LGBTI …
Read More
Originally posted on The Jew and the Carrot. While headlines about the Farm Bill focus on the role of commodity subsidies in creating the ubiquity of processed foods in the U.S. (and increasingly in the global) food system, on the final day of the 2011 Hazon Food Conference, some of the most passionate and committed …
Read More