Press Releases

July 16, 2020

Commission on Unalienable Rights Releases Draft Recommendations That Would Destroy Human Rights Protections, says Leading Jewish Global Human Rights Group

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) urges public outcry over the draft report Today, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s Commission on Unalienable Rights released its draft recommendations about the role of human rights and U.S. foreign policy, Rori Kramer, Director of U.S. Advocacy at American Jewish World Service (AJWS), released this statement: “Since the establishment …

July 8, 2020

U.S. Makes Drastic Misstep by Withdrawing From World Health Organization (Who), Says Leading Jewish Global Human Rights Group

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) says WHO can protect vulnerable people around the world in a pandemic On July 7, 2020, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo moved to officially withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), a year-long undertaking that will occur as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread in the U.S. …

June 29, 2020

U.S. Supreme Court Fails to Ensure Free Speech Protections for U.S. NGO Foreign Partners, Says Leading Jewish Global Human Rights Group

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) opposes the harms of the Anti-Prostitution Loyalty Oath Today, as the United States Supreme Court released its opinion on the case, Alliance for Open Society International vs. United States Agency for International Development, Rori Kramer, Director of U.S. Advocacy at American Jewish World Service, released the following statement: “We are …

June 24, 2020

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) Announces Four New Members of its Board of Trustees

Leading global Jewish human rights organization praises new members’ commitment to Jewish values and human rights at a time of a global pandemic and reckoning about justice NEW YORK – American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading Jewish organization working to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world, welcomed four new …

June 16, 2020

Leading Jewish Global Human Rights Organization Mobilizes More than 350 Clergy Leaders to Mark Pride Month

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) calls on Congress to protect the most vulnerable in COVID-19 response Today, more than 350 Jewish clergy from 36 states and the District of Columbia sent a letter to the House Foreign Affairs Committee urging the committee to make every effort to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the global …

June 15, 2020

Leading Jewish Global Human Rights Organization Joins Amicus Brief in Court Case Against State Department’s Commission on Unalienable Rights

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) denounces State Department’s use of conservative religious philosophy to suppress the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people American Jewish World Service has joined five other human rights organizations in an amicus brief supporting Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights et al v. Pompeo, a case in the U.S. District Court …

June 1, 2020

Statement of Robert Bank, President and CEO of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), on the Murder of George Floyd and the Crisis of Structural Racism in the United States

Leader of global, Jewish human rights group calls on all sectors of American society to play a role in ending institutionalized racism in the United States. “The community of American Jewish World Service is heartbroken and outraged by the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white Minneapolis police officer—the latest in a …

May 17, 2020

Leading Global Jewish Human Rights Organization Calls for Solidarity with LGBTQI+ People During Pandemic

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) calls on all countries to respect human rights of vulnerable communities scapegoated for COVID-19 On International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOT), Rori Kramer, Director of U.S. Advocacy at American Jewish World Service, issued this statement: “As the world marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, we …

May 12, 2020

Human Rights Organizations Call On U.S. State Department To Protect Human Rights In Myanmar (Burma) In The Face Of Covid-19

64 U.S. organizations say Myanmar’s government and military must protect vulnerable communities Today, 64 organizations sent a joint letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to demand that Myanmar (Burma) make a priority of promoting human rights as COVID-19 spreads. Rori Kramer, Director of U.S. Advocacy at American Jewish World Service, the leading global …

April 16, 2020

Leading Global Jewish Human Rights Organization Denounces Trump’s Decision to Withhold Funding from WHO

American Jewish World Service Calls for International Solutions to the Global Pandemic In response to President Trump’s decision to withhold U.S. funding from the World Health Organization (WHO), Rori Kramer, Director of U.S. Advocacy at American Jewish World Service, issued the following statement: “We are appalled that the Trump administration is once again turning its …