Major initiative is building a national network of Jewish leaders to advocate for U.S. policies to improve the lives of the most marginalized people in the developing world
NEW YORK, NY —American Jewish World Service (AJWS) today launched the Global Justice Fellowship, a major new initiative to engage key Jewish opinion leaders across the country to advocate for U.S. policies that support the human rights of women, girls, LGBT people and other marginalized groups in the developing world. The fellowship, which features travel to a developing country, is a year-long program through which Global Justice Fellows will advocate for U.S. policies that complement the work of AJWS-funded advocates in developing countries. Uniting AJWS’s work in the developing world with its domestic advocacy efforts is key to supporting lasting change.
“As Americans Jews and global citizens, we have a responsibility to advocate for the dignity and human rights of the poorest and most oppressed people in the developing world,” said Ruth Messinger, president of AJWS. “We are launching the Global Justice Fellowship to build a new network of Jewish leaders who are committed to engaging their communities and persuading our government to do all it can to improve the lives of women and girls, LGBT people, and others who are defending their farm land and water supplies from unbridled development projects.”
In the coming year, six groups of Global Justice Fellows will be recruited nationally to participate in this new program created by American Jewish World Service, the leading international Jewish organization dedicated to realizing human rights and ending poverty in the developing world. The inaugural Global Justice Fellowship group is from Los Angeles, and its 18 fellows were selected through a highly competitive process. The Los Angeles fellows range in age from 21 to 68 years old and come from a diverse array of backgrounds, communities, professional experiences and networks.
Five other Global Justice Fellowship groups are being organized. They are:
- San Francisco (currently recruiting)
- Rabbinical and Graduate Students (currently recruiting)
- New York Area Young Leader Fellows (currently recruiting)
- Chicago Fellows (recruitment to begin October 2013)
- Rabbinic Fellows (recruitment to begin October 2013)
The Global Justice Fellowship includes a week of on-location study in a country where AJWS supports grassroots and other local organizations working to overcome poverty and injustice. The trip will be the centerpiece of an intensive year of study and activism during which the Global Justice Fellows will mobilize and organize their communities and networks in support of AJWS’s national policy campaigns to improve the lives of people in the developing world.
For More Information
If you are a member of the press and wish to obtain information about our work or speak to a member of our global team on deadline, please contact Tanyanika Davis, Director of Media Relations, at tdavis@ajws.org.
