In wake of kidnapping of Nigerian girls, Jewish human rights organization lauds Senate introduction of International Violence Against Women Act WASHINGTON, DC — Congress must act swiftly to strengthen policies aimed at ending violence against women and girls worldwide, a crisis underlined by the recent kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria. In the …
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American Jewish World Service applauds the White House’s guidelines on campus rape, urges Congress to pass International Violence Against Women Act to tackle gender-based violence globally NEW YORK, NY – American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading Jewish international development and human rights organization, praised the Obama Administration today after the White House released new …
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Applauds President Obama’s action on campus rape and calls for stronger action by Congress to end violence against women and girls worldwide NEW YORK, NY — Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), praised the Obama Administration today for its recently announced efforts to combat sexual assault on American college campuses and called …
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A month ago, I stood outside Cambodia’s National Assembly with hundreds of Buddhist monks. They chanted in Sanskrit and tossed lotus petals into a crowd of protesters, blessing them. Many of them had walked from rural villages to Phnom Penh over 10 days. They rallied at the palatial seat of the country’s parliament, to mark …
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This guest post from the Grassroots Girls Initiative tells the story of Mohammad Bazar Backward Class Development Society (MBBCDS) and their efforts to end child marriage and empower marginalized women and girls. MBBCDS is an nonprofit organization that AJWS supports in West Bengal, India. The Situation for Girls West Bengal is one of the poorest states in …
Read MoreAt the outset of Parshat Kedoshim, all Israel receives the nebulous command of “kedoshim tihiyu . . .—You shall be holy, for I am holy; I am the Lord your God.”[1] The text then proceeds to enumerate numerous laws appearing to detail the requirements of this injunction. Within this collection of verses we find an …
Read MoreAt the outset of Parshat Kedoshim, all Israel receives the nebulous command of “kedoshim tihiyu . . .—You shall be holy, for I am holy; I am the Lord your God.”[1] The text then proceeds to enumerate numerous laws appearing to detail the requirements of this injunction. Within this collection of verses we find an …
Read MoreAs if in mockery of Pharaoh’s decree—“every son that is born you shall cast into the river, but every daughter you shall save alive”[1]—Parshat Shmot opens with a cast of extraordinary women. Among these alternately cunning and curious, steadfast and stubborn women, a cabal of three—Yocheved, Miriam and Batya—stands out for its impromptu conspiracy of …
Read MoreParshat Vayeshev recounts the cover-up of Joseph’s sale into slavery. The brothers present their father with Joseph’s coat and Jacob dutifully reads their script: “It is the coat of my son. An evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is without a doubt torn in pieces.”[1] There is, however, another more discerning witness to the brothers’ …
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. …
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