It was nearly 100 degrees on a February afternoon in the heart of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and we were walking down a busy street with actor Mandy Patinkin. In khakis and a bandana and without his trademark beard, Mandy was nearly unrecognizable as his Homeland character, Saul Berenson. He blended seamlessly with his fellow travelers, …
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The Anti-Defamation League and 27 other Jewish social justice organizations penned a forceful open letter imploring political candidates to put an end to the racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia they say has emerged in this year’s campaign. Although the letter released Thursday does not mention a candidate by name, it comes during a week in which Donald Trump …
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NEW YORK— Nobel Laureate, Holocaust survivor and author, Elie Wiesel, died today at age 87. Wiesel was a tireless advocate for the memory of the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, as well as for the human rights of persecuted people worldwide. Doggedly committed to applying the central moral lesson of the Holocaust to …
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It will be a new era for the American Jewish World Service when Robert Bank, a gay man, takes over at the global Jewish organization starting July 1. Bank, 56, succeeds Ruth Messinger as president and CEO of the progressive organization and he plans to continue Messinger’s legacy as well as make his own imprint …
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Bank to succeed Ruth Messinger; after a remarkable 18-year presidency, Messinger to take on new role for AJWS as its first-ever Global Ambassador NEW YORK—Effective July 1, Robert Bank, the current Executive Vice President of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), will officially assume the role of President at AJWS, the leading Jewish international human rights …
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One of the giants of faith-based relief and development, Ruth Messinger, is retiring at the end of June. As the President of American Jewish World Service, it is hard to overstate Ruth’s contribution to the fight for lives of dignity and prosperity around the world. Her powerful voice will be sorely missed. Her witness and …
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In the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, Americans from many religious traditions responded with strong condemnations of the violence that claimed 49 innocent lives. They donated money, donated blood, and prayed at vigils across the country. But some people of faith pointed out that professing support for the LGBT community while …
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American Jewish World Service and Its Partners Around the World Call for Justice for Those Murdered in Orlando, and for LGBT Communities Worldwide NEW YORK – American Jewish World Service (AJWS) and the human rights organizations it funds around the world mourn the loss of life in the attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando. …
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Human rights advocates from major Western nations and organizations are protesting against a United Nations decision to bar 22 LGBT-affiliated groups from taking part in a high-level U.N. AIDS conference next month. Because the 193-member U.N. General Assembly operates by consensus, the countries calling for the ban – Russia, Tanzania and 52 countries in the …
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Thailand is among the world’s most dangerous countries in which to oppose powerful interests that profit from coal plants, toxic waste dumping, land grabs or illegal logging. Some 60 people who spoke out on these issues have been killed over the past 20 years, although few perpetrators have been prosecuted in a culture in which …
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