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 …
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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’ …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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Several months ago, my husband was stopped by one of the ubiquitous young people on the streets of Manhattan fundraising for good causes. He was told that for just $22 a month, he could sponsor a needy child in the Global South. Moved by the pitch, he signed up, and soon after, a photo of …
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Rabbis, Rabbinical Students and Educators Draw from Experience in Developing World with AJWS to Lobby Congress on Proposed Foreign Aid Budget Cuts Washington, DC; September 12, 2011—An inter-denominational group of 20 rabbis, rabbinical students and Jewish educators from across the U.S. will meet with their local members of Congress this afternoon about preserving funding for …
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We often say that there are 613 commandments in the Torah. One can certainly list that many, but no one person can do them all: not for lack of will, but because many mitzvot only apply to certain people or in specific situations. For example, some mitzvot are only applicable in the Land of Israel; …
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