AJWS Blog

The AJWS community has a lot to say about what's happening in the world. Read our insights about the struggle for justice and human rights around the globe — and meet the activists on the frontlines of the fight to build a better world.

LA’s Pride Parade, with Ugandan LGBTI partner Julius Kaggwa

Los Angeles celebrated LGBT Pride the first weekend in June with its  spectacular annual pride parade through West Hollywood. AJWS supporters marched with a banner proudly declaring that we are the leading Jewish voice for LGBTI rights around the world. Surrounded by volunteers decked out in feather boas, beads, and rainbow flags, we were privileged …

Read More

Supreme Court Ruling on “Anti-Prostitution Pledge” is a Victory for Public Health and Human Rights

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled on the side of human rights. In a six to two ruling, the Court struck down a federal provision that required organizations receiving government funding to pledge that they had adopted a policy “opposing prostitution.” Commonly known as the “anti-prostitution pledge,” this provision contravened best practices in public health, …

Read More

Historic Vote on Food Aid in Congress This Week

The fight for food aid reform is about to come down to an historic vote. With our partners at the leading development and humanitarian organizations in the country, we just released a joint statement of our support for updating the U.S. food aid system, making it more flexible and effective. Building on the ideas for reform we …

Read More

Promoting Human Rights in Nicaragua

American Jewish World Service has worked in Nicaragua for 14 years, focusing on two of the most pressing challenges facing some of the most disadvantaged groups in the country: The struggle for land, food, water and resources needed for the survival of indigenous people Human rights violations against women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and …

Read More

Alarming Statistics About Attitudes Toward LGBTI People

A new report released last week by the Pew Research Center reveals alarming data about attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities around the world. Here are a few statistics that shine a spotlight on the countries in which AJWS works: In El Salvador, 35 percent of survey respondents believe the LGBTI …

Read More