From November 30th through December 11th, world leaders are convening at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference to take action against the dangerous consequences of climate change. We have been sharing reflections from AJWS grantees about how climate change affects their work. To learn more, read our introduction and first post from AJWS grantee GATT-RN in the DRC, and …
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From November 30th through December 11th, world leaders are convening at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference to take action against the dangerous consequences of climate change. Their goal? To reach a global consensus on what’s needed to stem the tide of climate change and pledge concrete action to achieve it. Climate change disproportionately affects the …
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“I came here 23 years ago from Goma to visit my friend, and never left,” said Mama Colette. I was immediately drawn to Colette when I saw her—one of just two women—in a roomful of nearly 80 fishermen in Nyakakoma, North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Even though she had been silent for …
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Charles Mukandirwa, my colleague in the DRC, had warned me that travel inside the country was not easy. But I only fully realized how challenging it was when I did it myself. We were accompanying Jeredy Malonga, who works for AJWS grantee CREDDHO (Centre for Research and Investigation into the Environment, Democracy and Human Rights), …
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On our way to Nyakakoma, Democratic Republic of Congo, we’d spent a night in the town of Ishaha, just across the Uganda border. It reminded me of the Wild West: a small town, a main drag, ramshackle buildings on either side, one hotel, rumors of bandits or rebels nearby, and immigration officials seeking a bribe.
Read MoreIn Parashat Matot-Masei, the tribes of Reuven and Gad come to Moses with a strange request. Instead of settling in Canaan with the rest of the Israelites, they wish to settle on the east side of the Jordan River. Their stated rationale is purely pragmatic: the trans-Jordan pastures are perfect for raising livestock, which Reuven …
Read MoreIn Parashat Matot-Masei, the tribes of Reuven and Gad come to Moses with a strange request. Instead of settling in Canaan with the rest of the Israelites, they wish to settle on the east side of the Jordan River. Their stated rationale is purely pragmatic: the trans-Jordan pastures are perfect for raising livestock, which Reuven …
Read MoreA specter of violence and conflict hangs over Parshat Balak. Fearing attack by the approaching Israelite nation, Balak, king of Moab, hires the prophet Bilaam to curse the Israelites. Balak entreats Bilaam: “come then, put a curse upon this people for me, since they are too numerous for me… for I know that he whom …
Read MoreIn Parshat Vayishlach, Dinah is captured and raped by Shechem, a local prince. Her father Jacob’s reaction is both puzzling and disturbing; he does nothing. Silent, he sits and waits for his sons to return from the pasture, where they are tending the family flocks.[1] We can conceive of reasonable ways to explain Jacob’s behavior. …
Read MoreAt the beginning of Parshat Vayezte, we encounter Jacob on the run from Esau, having tricked his brother out of the birthright. As night falls, Jacob rests for the night and has a startling prophetic dream involving angels ascending and descending a ladder between earth and heaven. During the dream God makes a number of …
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