When I say “Weekend In Vegas,” what do you think of? Jews? Really? Me, too! (And social justice, of course.) I was on the scene this weekend with fellow AJWS employees and full-time Jewish young adults, Dahlia Rockowitz and Matt Balaban, at TribeFest. The Jewish Federations of North America’s annual convention of Jewish young adults hosted over 1400 participants …
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Originally posted on The Jew and the Carrot. “This just makes common sense, and—I think—it makes Jewish sense.” That is how Timi Gerson of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS), closed the House of Representatives policy briefing organized by the Jewish Working Group for a Just Farm Bill.
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In celebration of AJWS’s “Where Do You Give” Design Competition, and in honor of the successful slew of “Sh** People Say” videos, we present: Sh** Jews Say About Philanthropy… brought to you by members of the AJWS staff: “Yes, dear, it has to be in multiples of 18.” “I shouldn’t talk about it on Shabbos, but…” “Is …
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In modern-day America, Thanksgiving is not usually about thanks. It is about food. Families come for the turkey, the pumpkin pie, the cranberry sauce and the company. If there is a time for reflection, it takes second billing to football, chatting and dessert. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But what if we made …
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Numbers carry meaning. I was reminded of this when thinking about the holiday of Shavuot—which begins tonight—and after listening to a fascinating presentation by superstar activist Rye Barcott. Rye, age 32, ex-marine, activist and entrepreneur, showed up to the AJWS office last week to talk about his organization (and AJWS’s grantee), Carolina for Kibera (CFK). …
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President Obama declared this past week, “Justice has been done.” I work for an organization that throws around the word “justice” every day, and also none too lightly. The juxtaposition left me uneasy. At AJWS, we speak about justice in many different contexts. Sometimes the context is our work, for example, on “food justice,” described …
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I learned a bit about water at my seder. Turns out water is a big deal– for better and for worse. Which, of course, we already know. The Nile plays a huge role in the Passover story —the death of Israelite boys; the rescue of baby Moses; the meetings with Pharaoh by the river. Water-based plagues …
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