From the viewpoint of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), President Donald Trump’s “America First” slogan has the wrong emphasis. Rather than seeking to maximize American interests, AJWS’ goal is to use American resources — specifically, American-Jewish resources — to support human rights and anti-poverty initiatives abroad.
Read MoreIn the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, countless women have come forward to share their accounts of harassment, sexual assault, and abuse at the hands of powerful men in nearly every industry. As our Facebook feeds swelled with #MeToo stories, we were sorely reminded of the ways in which all institutions – including Jewish ones …
Read MoreA skinny finger of water separates Bangladesh from Myanmar, and the other night a group of men sat on the Bangladeshi side, peering into the darkness, wondering what was left for them. For these men, ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar, there is certainly nothing back across the water. Home doesn’t exist anymore. Myanmar’s army wiped …
Read MoreIsrael and the United States both refused on Wednesday to comment on a report stating that the Israeli government has ordered to stop all weapon sales to the Myanmar military as a result of American pressure.
Read MoreI have been haunted for weeks by a photo of a Rohingya woman mourning her dead baby on the shores of Bangladesh. This photo appeared in The Huffington Post in late September, and I’ve seen dozens of similarly disturbing images on the Internet every day. This mother and child were among the more than half …
Read More“Hey Swattie!” Liz Seth ’98 called over-cheerfully to a jet-lagged Richard Sager ’74 as he entered the lobby of the Raffles Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Adding to his disorientation was the fact that the two had never met in person—Liz only recognized Richard’s name from his and his family’s sponsorship of The Sager Symposium and …
Read MoreThe Book of Genesis proclaims that every human being is created in the image of God, that every human life is infinitely precious. Every religious person and every humanist understands that we are all diminished by needless loss of life. My heart breaks when I hear about people dying of starvation, of AIDS and other …
Read MoreTwo more earthquakes shook southern Mexico over the weekend as the country is trying to recover from a magnitude 7.1 quake last week that killed more than 320 people. The temblors Saturday registered magnitudes of 6.1 and 4.5. Earlier this month, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake was centered in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico’s southern coast, killing more than 90 people. …
Read MoreRabbi Ariella Rosen of Temple Adath Israel in Merion Station was named one of 14 2017-18 Global Justice Fellows by American Jewish World Service (AJWS). The fellowship program trains American Jewish leaders “to advocate effectively in support of international policies that advance the human rights and well-being of the world’s poorest and most oppressed communities,” …
Read MoreSince Haiti was devastated by an earthquake in 2010, the country’s already-marginalized LGBT community has faced a surge of attacks at home, including attempts to pass harsh legal measures that would further restrict LGBT rights. In response, Haiti’s LGBT community has become progressively more organized and active, pushing back for the first time. In an …
Read More