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.

On Anti-Semitism and Human Rights for LGBT People

The following remarks were originally posted on the website of the U.S. Department of State and shared on May 30th with the Cream City Foundation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a child of a Holocaust survivor, anti-Semitism is something very personal to me. I am the daughter of a man who was literally marked by a …

Read More

Dvar Tzedek: Parshat Naso 5772 – The Law and Lore of the Wayward Woman

Torah—with its rich narratives and poetry, glimpses of the Divine and profound wisdom—is a text we turn to for inspiration, intellectual stimulation and meaning. Yet there are moments in the Bible when culturally located prejudices come to the fore and the reader is left struggling with the tension between timeless writing and context-bound oppression. One …

Read More

Chag v'Chesed: Shavuot 5772

Judaism’s core lies in community. On Shavuot, the “time of the giving of our law,” we gather together to receive the Torah, making a covenant with God, in the name of the Jewish People. We are given the Torah and 613 commandments to build our community, our relationship with God and our relationships with one …

Read More

Southeast Asia Celebrates International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Yesterday, May 17th, was International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). Hundreds of events took place in 95 countries around the world, including countries in Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, AJWS grantee Rainbow Community Kampuchea (RoCK) focused its IDAHO action on bringing together activists from surrounding countries to develop a regional advocacy strategy. AJWS grantees in Cambodia, …

Read More