In the wake of the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, many in the Jewish community have invoked the language of tikkun olam in their response to this tragedy. These Hebrew words are typically translated as “repair the world,” or “mend the world,” — or as those who knew one of the victims that day put it when describing …
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You need only look at today’s deeply personal and widespread debates about sexual harassment and gender discrimination to understand that our society is at a crucial inflection point. In light of painful and courageous #MeToo revelations, people in all sectors are calling, unequivocally, for change.
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As Jewish women continue to share personal accounts of sexual harassment by sociologist Steven M. Cohen and philanthropist Michael Steinhardt, I am struck by how some leaders in the Jewish community resist examining the links between the personal behavior of Cohen and Steinhardt and their shared investment in Jewish continuity, defined by marriage and child-bearing. …
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At the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS), a group of 18 philanthropic organizations signed a joint statement that calls for urgently increasing investments in conserving forests and lands to support their role in the fight against climate change. The organizations underscore the importance of conserving the world’s forests and lands for the benefit of people …
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Between 1989 and 2003, Liberia was somewhat synonymous with war. Stoking the existing tension among ethnic groups, military factions with power-hungry leaders unleashed an era of bitter internal conflict, coups d’état and uprisings during this period. Around 250,000 people died, and many more fled the country. When it was over, Liberia’s economic and political system …
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The smooth ride to a new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) may have just hit the bumpy roads of rural Mexico. On Tuesday, leaders of Mexico’s farm movement strongly condemned the new agreement announced between the United States and Mexico, calling on the new president they supported in recent elections to get involved and …
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A robust anti-corruption agency, seen as a model for Latin America, was created 12 years ago in Guatemala with strong U.S. support, and notched up an enviable record. The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala has prosecuted and jailed a former president, vice president and hundreds of corrupt police officials, politicians and businessmen.
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Nine of the world’s leading philanthropic foundations announced their intent to commit at least $459 million through 2022 to the protection, restoration and expansion of forests and lands worldwide and the recognition of indigenous peoples’ and traditional communities’ collective land rights and resource management. These are powerful and under-appreciated climate solutions and must be urgent …
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Winston Churchill famously claimed that of all human qualities, courage was the most esteemed, because it guaranteed all others. He was right. Courage—moral courage—is the companion of great leadership. No politician could ever be viewed as exceptional unless he or she had it in spades. And historically there would have been no social progress if …
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This week, as the world marks one year since the beginning of the Rohingya exodus – one of the most critical refugee crises of our times – images of helpless refugee women are likely to abound. Too often, in an effort to raise funds or move the public into action, we paint refugee women as powerless, …
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