I write a lot here about all of the disturbing and upsetting things going on in the world, but a few weeks ago, I met someone from Burma who inspired hope. I thought to myself, “Hmmm! This is a good opportunity to share with our GrokNation community a story that isn’t depressing, that there are …
Read MoreThe Dominican Republic’s treatment of people of Haitian descent resembles the discrimination Jews have faced through their history, said a group of U.S. rabbis who visited the Caribbean island Thursday. Hundreds of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian ancestry have been threatened with deportation by the Dominican government, which stripped them of their citizenship through a series of …
Read MoreRuth Messenger, who is completing her tenure as the chief executive officer of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), discussed her agency’s priorities over the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend at Congregation Beth Israel, where she was a Shabbaton speaker. She also met with the Leichtag Foundation in Encinitas as well as with some local LGBT …
Read MoreTo the Editor: As a Haitian activist, I commend The Times for covering the desperate situation in Anse-à-Pitres (“Haitian Migrants Flee Dominican Republic for Camps Along Border,” news article, Dec. 13). You accurately describe the plight of these 3,000 people — mostly Haitian migrants — who have fled the Dominican Republic in terror from the …
Read MoreIn the developed world, women fought and struggled to gain their rights and eventually created a space in which these rights could be expressed. Violence does indeed occur in the developed world, but it cannot be compared to what is happening in countries that are plagued with persistent, systematic conflict. Women in the developed world …
Read MoreTikkun olam-repairing the world. For American Jewish World Service President and CEO Ruth Messinger, this core Jewish value resides deep within her DNA-and tikkun olam is the force that created and has driven AJWS for the past 30 years. AJWS, a grantee of JUF, focuses on aiding vulnerable populations suffering from pressing human rights violations, …
Read MoreThe January 2010 earthquake provided a perfect opportunity for many to come and do business in Haiti. Even prior to the earthquake, Bill Clinton led the discussion on developing Haiti through corporate investment. President Martelly turned that approach into a credo: “Haiti is open for business.” We understand the pretext for this so-called development. The …
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American Jewish World Service, the 30-year-old nonprofit organization that supports human rights and anti-poverty activism in the developing world and educates the American Jewish community about global justice, recently announced that in July, Robert Bank, executive vice president, will succeed Ruth Messinger as president. Messinger has headed AJWS since 1998.
Read MoreAs the head of a Jewish organization with American roots and global reach, I find that Commentary’s big question begets familiar and more specific questions: Will Jews be viable in 2065? Will our community be more observant and more politically conservative? Will its signature institutions—federations, denominations, and congregations—still exist? Will today’s liberal majority drift away …
Read MoreI am inspired to see The Lancet, one of the world’s most esteemed research journals, focus its attention on the role of faith-based organisations in delivering health care to vulnerable individuals and communities that mainstream health-care professionals find it difficult to penetrate. We, at the American Jewish World Service are deeply involved in this work, …
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