A portrait of
Ruth W. Messinger Champion of dignity, justice and equality

Ruth Messinger's Story

Ruth Messinger’s dedication to social justice runs deep. “I feel like I’ve been an activist my whole life.”

Tributes to Ruth Messinger

Bill Clinton, Al Gore and others pay tribute to a truly extraordinary leader.

Ruth Messinger Through the Years

Here's a look back at Ruth's four decades in the public eye.

Ruth Messinger on Civil Rights

As is true for many in my generation, the civil rights movement was a formative part of my Jewish and American identities.

Ruth Messinger on Darfur

As the President of American Jewish World Service, I went to Sudan and Chad.

Ruth Messinger on Sexism

In the 1980s and ‘90s, I was in the thick of my political career as a New York City Council member and as Manhattan borough president.

Ruth Messinger on the Holocaust and Human Rights

I do this work—proudly—as a Jew, for Jewish reasons, with a Jewish vision for repairing the world.

Ruth Messinger on Disaster Relief

“Who is wise? One who learns from all people.” So teaches a passage in Pirkei Avot, an ancient collection of Jewish texts.