AJWS Blog

The AJWS community has a lot to say about what's happening in the world. Read our insights about the struggle for justice and human rights around the globe — and meet the activists on the frontlines of the fight to build a better world.

AJWS President Ruth Messinger, Liberian activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee and American Jewish feminist writer Letty Cottin Pogrebin

Interview With Ruth Messinger: AJWS’s Liberia Study Tour

An intergenerational group of American Jews recently traveled with AJWS to Liberia to learn how Liberian women are effecting social change. Melia Plotkin, an AJWS intern, caught up with AJWS President Ruth Messinger to learn about the trip: Melia: This was your first trip to Liberia. What was it like to travel to a country …

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Eradicating HIV Requires More Than Medicine

With the International AIDS Conference right around the corner, there has been a flurry of articles about stemming the spread of HIV in the developing world. We have certainly made great strides, but many countries’ efforts to maximize access to HIV treatment do not always succeed. Botswana is one example. In the early 2000s, the country …

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Gagan Sethi

Toward Peace and Coexistence in India

This week’s New York Times article, “Justice and ‘a Ray of Hope’ After 2002 India Riots,” examines the possibility of peace and coexistence a decade after religious violence plagued Gujarat, India. A few weeks ago, Gagan Sethi, the founder of Janvikas, the Dalit Foundation (an AJWS grantee) and the Center for Social Justice, visited AJWS’s New York office and reflected on a …

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Finally! The UN’s First Panel on Women Human Rights Defenders

On Tuesday, June 26th, the United Nations Human Rights Council assembled its first panel on women human rights defenders (WHRDs) as part of its annual consultation on women’s human rights. The panel reviewed the current context for women human rights defenders and presented recommendations to the UN and member states on pursuing gender-specific programs for …

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Dvar Tzedek: Parshat Chukat 5772

As the Israelites wind down their adventures in the desert and prepare to enter the Promised Land as a free generation, they must again confront their faith in God’s ability to protect and provide for them. At the heart of Parshat Chukat is the puzzling episode of Moses and the rock that yields water. Through Moses and …

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