You won’t find any photos of prominent politicians or major donors at Ruth Messinger’s office at the American Jewish World Service, which describes itself as “the first and only Jewish organization dedicated solely to ending poverty and promoting human rights in the developing world.” Rather, the AJWS president displays pictures from meetings with the poorest …
Read MoreRuth Messinger and I were sitting in synagogue talking, as is our custom (much to the dismay of the rabbi, my husband). She and I get a lot done in between praying on Shabbat mornings, and it isn’t all gossip. This was during the height of the crisis in Darfur. Ruth had brought American Jewish …
Read MoreRight now in Nepal, a group of Tibetan Buddhist nuns is trapped in the city of Katmandu, living in sukkot. Not the beautifully decorated, religiously infused sukkot — or “dwellings” — erected as part of the Jewish High Holy Days. Not the kind in which delicious meals are served, songs are sung, and ushpizin — …
Read MoreMany Jews consider tikkun olam, or “repairing the world” to be a spiritual imperative — a call to reach across religious boundaries and seek out justice for all people. American Jewish World Service, an organization that promotes human rights in the developing world, participates in the mission by supporting hundreds of like-minded local charities working to overcome oppression, …
Read MoreFewer than 800 miles from our shores, a deeply disturbing crisis is unfolding as tens of thousands of citizens of the Dominican Republic face deportation from their country simply because of their heritage. Tragically, people of Haitian descent who were born in the Dominican Republic have been stripped of their rights and their citizenship, and are …
Read MoreFor many in our community, the Dominican Republic (DR) is a magical Caribbean nation we contemplate visiting in the winter for beach time, gambling and relaxation. For those of us who spent 10 days there in June, the picture is starkly different: the DR is a place of poverty, discrimination, violence, potential deportation and increasing …
Read MoreBack in New York City in the 1980s, AIDS, death and discrimination defined my life as a young gay lawyer whose partner was dying of AIDS. Same-sex couples were denied an entire slew of basic rights such as the right to hospital visitation, medical decision-making, adoption, and immigration, to name just a few. During that …
Read MoreRuth Messinger will receive InterAction’s2015 Julia Taft Award for her tireless leadership as an activist and social change visionary at InterAction’s Forum 2015. As president of American Jewish World Service she helps mobilize faith-based communities throughout the U.S. to speak on behalf of oppressed and marginalized people around the globe. You can learn more about …
Read MoreI lived in a tent in Nepal as a refugee from Bhutan in the 1990s. And so it broke my heart this month, when I traveled to Nepal in the wake of the recent earthquake and witnessed Nepalese families living in a sea of plastic tents, much like the ones my family and I lived …
Read MoreFor those who dedicate their lives to pursuing justice, every moment is urgent. As the great Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel famously taught, there is simply “no time for neutrality.” Every act is needed. Every gift, every word, every choice has the potential to save a life.
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