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Tim Lessick

Statement by American Jewish World Service on The Commission on Unalienable Rights

“As a faith-based organization fully committed to the human rights and dignity of every person, we are deeply concerned that the Commission on Unalienable Rights may be yet another method by which the Trump administration aims to inject dangerous religious beliefs into American foreign policy. This is a way to further undermine the human rights of vulnerable individuals and communities around the world, including women and girls, LGBTQI people, indigenous people and ethnic minorities.

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Leading International Human Rights Group Supports Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality Act of 2018 in Congress

In response to the introduction of the Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality Act of 2018 (GLOBE Act), AJWS Director of Government Affairs Rori Kramer released this statement: “This bill sets the gold standard for America’s return to global leadership on human rights, including the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community.”

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AJWS Statement on the Genocide of the Rohingya

Inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice, American Jewish World Service (AJWS) works to realize human rights in 19 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America, including Burma (Myanmar), where we have been working in close partnership with human rights defenders from ethnic minority communities for over 15 years. As Jews, Americans, and global citizens, we cannot remain silent while acts of brutality continue against the Rohingya people and other ethnic minorities. To respond to the magnitude of this genocide, we call upon the U.S. government to lead in bringing justice to the Rohingya people.

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The Four Principles of Venture Funding

An entrepreneur is a person with an idea, whether that idea launches a tech startup or a social change movement. But if you’re a venture capitalist or a philanthropic funder, how do you know which fledgling enterprises to back? From our perspectives from years in the California tech world (Terry and Jocelyn) and in social change philanthropy (Robert), we see four basic principles that guide successful investing in both situations.

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American Jewish World Service Responds to 2018 Midterm Elections

“We applaud the record numbers of Americans who exercised their rights and went to the polls, and we are gratified that they voted to end one-party rule by President Trump, whose corrosive blend of nationalism and xenophobia has undermined U.S. leadership around the world. Under the banner of ‘America First,’ Trump has inflamed hate and bigotry at home and abroad, abdicated American leadership on human rights worldwide and undermined key international institutions necessary to bolster democracy and achieve justice.

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Statement of Robert Bank, President and CEO of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), on the Tragedy in Pittsburgh

The AJWS family mourns the tragic loss of life at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. This was the deadliest attacks on Jews in American history, rooted in virulent anti-Semitism and unvarnished hatred of immigrants and refugees. We hold the Jewish community of Pittsburgh in our hearts—mourning the dead and sending our hopes for recovery to the wounded and the traumatized. We shall never forget or forgive this crime.

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Statement by Robert Bank, President and CEO of American Jewish World Service on Proposed Anti-Trans Policy

As the leading Jewish global human rights organization that supports and works with 34 organizations in eight countries to advance the full human rights and dignity of trans people worldwide, we express our complete opposition to this heartless policy which would end the legal recognition of transgender Americans by the U.S. government. Moreover, we are gravely concerned that this policy will undermine U.S. government programs that support transgender communities worldwide and will signal to repressive governments around the globe that they are free to violate the human rights of trans people in their own countries.

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Statement of Robert Bank, President and CEO of American Jewish World Service, in response to the United States Department of State’s Documentation of Atrocities in Northern Rakhine State

More than a year after horrific and violent attacks by the Burmese military began on the Rohingya people, American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is gravely disappointed that the U.S. State Department failed to name the international crimes committed against the Rohingya people as the heinous acts that they are—genocide or crimes against humanity.

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American Jewish World Service Urges Action on Guatemala

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales recently announced that he will not renew the mandate of a powerful UN-backed commission set up to combat corruption in the country, the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) – a body that is currently investigating President Morales for alleged illegal campaign financing. In response, American Jewish World Service (AJWS) President and CEO Robert Bank issued the following statement:

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AJWS Responds to New U.S. Sanctions on Burmese Military

“As the leading global Jewish human rights organization, which has been supporting advocates for the human rights of ethnic minorities in Burma since 2002, AJWS welcomes the U.S. Government’s announcement today that it is imposing sanctions and visa restrictions on Burmese military leaders and divisions responsible for horrific violence against the Rohingya people in Burma,” said Robert Bank, President and CEO of AJWS.

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