AJWS in Washington, D.C.

AJWS D.C. puts Jewish values into action to build a better world. Join our community to lobby, organize, give, and connect with friends around the Beltway who are dedicated to ending poverty and promoting human rights in developing countries. Together, we’re bridging the gap between the world as it is and the world as it should be.

The AJWS D.C. community has the power to influence policy and change lives!

As activists, we think globally and act locally. Supporters of AJWS’s mission are working to stop violence against women, girls and LGBTQI+ people; enable indigenous communities to protect the land, water and natural resources they need to survive; and help vulnerable communities recover from civil wars and ethnic persecution.

As philanthropists, we support 450 grassroots organizations that use AJWS’s funding to effect change in their communities, their countries and around the globe.

As a community, we put our hearts, minds and influence to work so that the rights of all people are respected and realized.

We are all united by a desire to raise our voices to help mend our broken world.

AJWS’s Presence on the Hill

In addition to being a hub for AJWS supporters around the Beltway, AJWS’s D.C. office is the heart of our organization’s advocacy operation. Every day, our staff and supporters in Washington engage with Congress, the White House, government agencies and fellow advocacy groups to push for critical legislation and policy change that will make a difference in the developing world.

Over the years, AJWS’s advocacy, activism and coalition work has contributed to key human rights advances in bringing peace to Sudan, relieving the debts of developing nations, improving legislation for HIV and AIDS, increasing U.S. funding for international food aid and ensuring that America’s aid for Haiti reaches earthquake survivors who need it most.

Latest Updates from Washington, D.C.

Read about the latest AJWS happenings in our city!

Anti-LGBTI groups participate in State Dept. religious freedom conference

A number of anti-LGBTI organizations participated in a three-day religious freedom conference the State Department held this week in D.C. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on Thursday tweeted a picture of Family Research Council President Tony Perkins “welcoming attendees” of a workshop that focused on U.S. government grants.

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Ruth Messinger speaks on keynote panel at Georgetown University

On March 4, 2015, AJWS president Ruth Messinger joined a panel of distinguished guests, including Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and Katherine Marshall of World Faiths Development Dialogue, who each spoke about the relationship between religious proselytism and development at a forum hosted by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown …

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View all AJWS Updates for Washington, D.C.