Press Releases

September 12, 2011

AJWS Brings Jewish Communal Leaders to Capitol Hill To Protect International Food Aid as East Africa Famine Continues

Rabbis, Rabbinical Students and Educators Draw from Experience in Developing World with AJWS to Lobby Congress on Proposed Foreign Aid Budget Cuts Washington, DC; September 12, 2011—An inter-denominational group of 20 rabbis, rabbinical students and Jewish educators from across the U.S. will meet with their local members of Congress this afternoon about preserving funding for …

August 25, 2011

AJWS Board of Trustees Elects 3 New Members

New York, NY; August 25, 2011—The Board of Trustees of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development and human rights organization, has elected three new members: Monte Dube, Scott A. Edelman and Eileen Epstein. “We are thrilled to welcome these talented professionals and committed philanthropists to our board,” said AJWS board chair Barbara Dobkin. …

August 4, 2011

AJWS Salutes White House Policy on Human Rights Violators

AJWS commends President Obama’s announcement today that the administration will enact new steps to prevent genocide and mass atrocities and impose consequences on serious human rights violators. The measures are positive steps toward creating an environment of zero tolerance for human rights abuse.

July 8, 2011

AJWS Urges International Community to Recommit to Comprehensive Peace in Sudan as New Nation Forms

AJWS expresses concern about Sudan’s future as South Sudan celebrates its independence and violence persists along its border and in the Darfur region.

June 1, 2011

AJWS Expands On1Foot Partnerships and Resources to Better Serve Jewish Educators and Activists

Unique Web Portal is Hub for Educational Resources from Jewish Social Justice Community New York, NY; June 1, 2011 – American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development and human rights organization, has relaunched On1Foot, its innovative web portal for Jewish social justice texts and resources. With over 17 new co-sponsorships from Jewish organizations across …

May 12, 2011

James Kofi Annan: From Child Slave to Child Protector

AJWS Grantee Wins $100,000 Grinnell Young innovator for Social Justice Prize New York; May 15, 2011—James Kofi Annan, founder and executive director of AJWS grantee Challenging Heights, knows the impact of a lost childhood. And, as an adult, he has dedicated his life to protecting kids in his native Ghana from the same types of …

May 6, 2011

AJWS Board Chair Receives Honorary Degree from HUC

New York, NY; May 6, 2011—American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is proud to announce that its board chair, Barbara Dobkin, has received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). Founded in 1875, HUC-JIR is the nation’s oldest institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual …

March 28, 2011

AJWS President Joins Fast to Challenge Congress’s Proposed Food Aid Cuts

Ruth Messinger Will Fast with Broad Coalition of Faith and Human Rights Leaders New York, NY; March 28, 2011—Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development and human rights organization, is fasting this week to protest cuts to the U.S.’s humanitarian aid budget being voted on in Congress. The week-long fast, …

March 21, 2011

AJWS Wins YouTube and See3 “DoGooder Nonprofit Video Award”

AJWS has won YouTube’s and See3 Communications’ “DoGooder Nonprofit Video Award” for its Judd Apatow directed public service announcement (PSA).

March 18, 2011

AJWS Accepting Applications for Jewish Community Engagement Fellowship

New York, NY; March 18, 2011—American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development and human rights organization, is accepting applications for its Presidential Fellowship. The 12-month, highly-competitive fellowship offers a recent college graduate the unique opportunity to accompany AJWS president Ruth Messinger on her professional travel, including speaking engagements in Jewish communities throughout North America …