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.

Wrestling with Global Poverty

Originally posted on Pursue: Action for a Just World. “Establish early on that your liberalism is impeccable, and mention near the beginning how much you love Africa, how you fell in love with the place and can’t live without her. Africa is the only continent you can love… Be sure to leave the strong impression …

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Why India's LGBTI Community is Outraged

Addressing a convention on HIV/AIDS in India this past Monday, India’s Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was quoted saying, “The disease of ‘Men having Sex with Men’ (MSM), which was found more in the developed world, has now unfortunately come to our country and there is a substantial number of such people in India.” …

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Dvar Tzedek: Parshat Balak 5771

A specter of violence and conflict hangs over Parshat Balak. Fearing attack by the approaching Israelite nation, Balak, king of Moab, hires the prophet Bilaam to curse the Israelites. Balak entreats Bilaam: “come then, put a curse upon this people for me, since they are too numerous for me… for I know that he whom …

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Storymaking and Storytelling: Afro-Descendant and Indigenous People Shape Public Dialogue

This series on storytelling for justice is guest edited by Deji Olukotun. Creating and sharing stories are powerful ways of shaping understanding. Where historically disenfranchised groups face deep societal prejudices, legacies of physical and symbolic violence, and the devaluing of their cultural identities, storytelling serves as a powerful method to challenge mainstream cultural norms. In …

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Dvar Tzedek: Parshat Chukkat 5771

We read in Parshat Chukkat about the death of Miriam: “Miriam died and she was buried there. There was no water for the assembly, and [the Children of Israel] gathered against Moshe and Aharon.” This odd and disjointed sequence of verses is puzzling, and leads the Talmud to connect Miriam’s death with the disappearance of …

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