Press Releases

January 8, 2018

Thirteen American Rabbis Visit Guatemala To Support Local Advocates for Human Rights

Thirteen American rabbis will visit Guatemala from January 14th to January 21st, 2018, as part of a cohort working to advance human rights for some of the most oppressed people in the developing world. Their visit is part of the Global Justice Fellowship of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading Jewish organization supporting local advocates for change in 19 developing countries across the world. The fellowship program empowers American Jewish leaders to advocate in support of international policies that advance the human rights and well-being of the world’s poorest and most oppressed communities.

December 21, 2017

Sanctions on Burmese Military Leader Must Be Expanded to Others Responsible for Crimes against the Rohingya

“As the leading global Jewish human rights organization, which has been supporting advocates for the human rights of ethnic minorities in Burma since 2002, AJWS welcomes the U.S. State Department’s announcement today that it is imposing sanctions on one of the Burmese military leaders responsible for the horrific violence against the Rohingya people in Burma,” said Robert Bank, President and CEO of AJWS.

December 5, 2017

American Jewish World Service Names Margo Bloom Vice President for Development

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) named Margo Bloom—a nonprofit professional with a long and impressive history of leadership in fundraising, management and Jewish communal life—as its Vice President for Development. Bloom, who was most recently the Senior Division Director of Development at NYU Langone Medical Center and who has led major Jewish communal organizations, brings a deep commitment to advancing AJWS’s mission as this global human rights and development organization embarks upon its next stage of growth and impact.

November 27, 2017

The Pope Must Say the Name of the “Rohingya People” and Insist on Justice for Them

We are Jews who believe deeply in the dignity and human rights of every person and who have long admired you, your Holiness, for your life-long commitment to the most vulnerable people on our planet. We have also supported ethnic minorities in Burma, including the Rohingya, in their quest to live in peace and dignity.

November 3, 2017

American Jewish World Service Strongly Supports Bipartisan Burma Act of 2017

“The mass murder and displacement of the Rohingya people by the Burmese military demands nothing less than a strong and swift response by the United States. The bipartisan Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act of 2017 represents a critical step in that direction to address the crisis. Additionally, it would re-establish an official U.S. policy on Burma that prioritizes the advancement of human rights, support for religious freedom, the bolstering of civil society and implementation of democratic reforms.

October 31, 2017

Global Surveys of Intersex and Trans Groups Reveal Critical Funding Gap

Today, American Jewish World Service (AJWS), Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice (Astraea) and Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE) released the findings of their global surveys of intersex and trans organizations in 107 countries engaged in advocacy, services and education in two new reports, The State of Intersex Organizing and The State of Trans Organizing.

September 26, 2017

American Jewish World Service Launches Emergency Fund to Support the Rohingya People

American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading Jewish organization supporting the human rights of ethnic minorities in Burma, has launched an emergency fund to offer immediate assistance to the Rohingya people fleeing horrific violence and mass displacement perpetrated by the Burmese military. The persecution of the Rohingya has recently intensified. Since late August, Burmese forces have burned entire Rohingya villages to the ground and indiscriminately massacred Rohingya men, women and children—forcing more than 400,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.

September 19, 2017

Leading Jewish-American Organization Calls on the UN Security Council to Issue Sanctions Against Burma in Response to the Mass Murder and Displacement of the Rohingya People

As the mass murder and displacement of the Rohingya people by the Burmese military intensifies, we implore the United Nations Security Council to issue targeted sanctions against Burma (Myanmar) to send an unmistakably clear message that the global community will not tolerate state-sanctioned violence against the Rohingya people.

September 15, 2017

American Jewish World Service Urges Passage of Durbin-McCain Resolution on Rohingya Crisis

The horrific persecution of the Rohingya people in Burma has intensified in recent weeks. Since late August, Burmese armed forces have burned entire Rohingya villages to the ground, and soldiers have indiscriminately massacred Rohingya men, women and children. More than 300,000 people have fled on foot to refugee camps in Bangladesh for fear of being imprisoned, tortured or murdered.

September 13, 2017

American Jewish World Service Names 2017-2018 Global Justice Fellows

Fourteen rabbis have been named 2017-2018 Global Justice Fellows with American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading Jewish organization working to promote human rights and end poverty in the developing world. AJWS announced the selection today of 14 Jewish leaders from across the United States who will participate in this prestigious program.