Nikhil Aziz, Director of Natural Resource Rights at AJWS, visited AJWS’s grantee organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has been sharing stories from his travels. “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 …Read More
Read More
Nikhil Aziz, Director of Natural Resource Rights at AJWS, visited AJWS’s grantee organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has been sharing stories from his travels. 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 …Read More
Read More
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 More
To say Masinda Masiano is formidable would be an understatement. She packs a punch, both in personality and speech, even if her frame is slight. Masinda is a Pygmy from the village of Mujo Mukondo outside Goma in North Kivu province. She doesn’t know how old she is, but I’d guess at least 60. She met us at the village entrance in a bright orange polo shirt emblazoned with the AJWS logo.
Read More
Mujo Mukondo village was “just outside Goma,” according to Joseph Itongwa Mukumo, the North Kivu coordinator of AJWS grantee Program for the Integration and Development of the Pygmy People (PIDP). But, to me, it may as well have been on the moon—and not just because of the potholes on the road. It was a different world, far from a major city.
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 More
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 More
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 More
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 More
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 …Read More
Read More