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.
Marching Towards Justice: After Years of Uncertainty, Families of Mexico’s “Disappeared” Begin to Find Answers
Disappeared. It’s a benign word we use for a lost object, gone without a trace. Something we most likely misplaced by accident. But when ‘disappeared’ describes another human being, it is no longer passive. It’s an act of violence—abduction, imprisonment, and often murder. People don’t simply get lost; they are ‘disappeared’ so that they’re never …
Haitian Perspectives Ten Years After Haiti’s Devastating Earthquake
January 12th, 2010 was a traumatic day for every person in Haiti. 10 years ago, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook the country. This disaster killed 316,000, injured 1.5 million, devastated the capital city of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, and left 1.5 million homeless and vulnerable. For days, citizens worked together to rescue people before professional …
8 Nights, 8 Jewish Values: Reflections for Chanukah on the Jewish obligation to build a better world
I’ve spent my career largely in public service, most recently as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. And having grown up with little Jewish background, for most of my life, if you had asked me what Judaism meant to me, I would have said something like, “working for social justice is how I do …
Bearing Witness from the Historic Rohingya Genocide Hearings
This week, the world is watching as the Burmese State (Myanmar) stands accused of crimes of genocide against the Rohingya people, a religious and ethnic minority in Burma persecuted because of their identity. I had the privilege of joining several AJWS Rohingya allies and grantees to bear witness to this historic trial. The Gambia has …