Press Releases

Statement of Robert Bank, President and CEO of American Jewish World Service, in response to the United States Department of State’s Documentation of Atrocities in Northern Rakhine State

More than a year after horrific and violent attacks by the Burmese military began on the Rohingya people, American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is gravely disappointed that the U.S. State Department failed to name the international crimes committed against the Rohingya people as the heinous acts that they are—genocide or crimes against humanity.

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American Jewish World Service Urges Action on Guatemala

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales recently announced that he will not renew the mandate of a powerful UN-backed commission set up to combat corruption in the country, the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) – a body that is currently investigating President Morales for alleged illegal campaign financing. In response, American Jewish World Service (AJWS) President and CEO Robert Bank issued the following statement:

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AJWS Endorses UN Report on Crimes against the Rohingya

Global Jewish human rights group endorses call for accountability from UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar NEW YORK, NY – “In a welcome move, today’s report by the UN Fact-Finding Mission calls for Burma’s military leaders to be investigated for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed against the Rohingya community, and to …

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AJWS Responds to New U.S. Sanctions on Burmese Military

“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. Government’s announcement today that it is imposing sanctions and visa restrictions on Burmese military leaders and divisions responsible for horrific violence against the Rohingya people in Burma,” said Robert Bank, President and CEO of AJWS.

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American Jewish World Service Names 2018-2019 Global Justice Fellows

15 rabbis have been named as 2018-2019 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 15 Jewish leaders from across the United States who will participate in this prestigious program.

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American Jewish World Service Condemns U.S. Supreme Court Decision to Uphold Anti-Muslim Travel Ban

American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading Jewish organization working to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world, strongly condemns the decision by the United States Supreme Court to uphold the Trump administration’s “travel ban,” which blocks entry to the United States of individuals from five Muslim-majority countries and two others. Over 33 years, AJWS has worked with Muslim partners worldwide to pursue goals we share in common—advancing human rights and ending poverty.

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AJWS Statement on U.S. Withdrawal from UN Human Rights Council

We are dismayed by the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw the United States from the UN Human Rights Council—the global body tasked with promoting and protecting human rights across the world. Although the council is imperfect, it has successfully moved the needle towards justice on critical human rights issues, including gender equality, respecting the rights of LGBTI people, preventing destructive mining and resource exploitation, and creating accountability after conflicts and wars.

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AJWS Calls on Senators to Reject Mike Pompeo Nomination for Secretary of State

In advance of Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Bank, President and CEO of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading Jewish organization working to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world, issued the following statement.

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American Jewish World Service Mourns the Death and Honors the Legacy of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter

“American Jewish World Service is deeply saddened by the loss of Congresswoman Louis Slaughter, age 88. Congresswoman Slaughter served for 30 years in the United States House of Representatives, where she demonstrated powerful leadership through her steadfast commitment to human rights and justice for women, girls and LGBTI people here in the U.S. and around the world. Congresswoman Slaughter’s work to promote and protect programs to advance sexual and reproductive health within U.S. foreign policy and aid programs has played a crucial role in the 19 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean where AJWS works—bringing us closer to achieving gender equality worldwide. May her memory be an inspiration and a call to action until gender equality is a reality worldwide with no exceptions.”

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American Jewish World Service Praises Holocaust Museum Decision to Rescind Elie Wiesel Award to Aung San Suu Kyi

We applaud the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on its principled decision to rescind its first ever Elie Wiesel Award from Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian leader of Burma (Myanmar). She has forfeited her right to be honored in the name of the Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor and human rights advocate, as well as in the memory of those murdered during the Holocaust and other genocides and atrocities in world history.

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