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.

group of people smiling together outside

From Despair to Dignity: Supporting Migrant and Refugee Sex Workers in Uganda

On the streets skirting refugee camps across Uganda, sex workers eke out a living on the margins of legality; their very profession and immigration status marking them for harassment, arrest, and detention. Within this community, lesbian, bisexual and queer women have become particularly vulnerable after Uganda’s recent passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, a draconian law that criminalizes homosexuality, making some offences …

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Stories of Hope: September 2025

First, we want to wish you and everyone you love a shanah tovah u’metukah — a good and sweet New Year ahead! We hope Rosh Hashanah felt empowering this year and that you’re preparing for a meaningful Yom Kippur, whatever that looks like to you. In this time of change and uncertainty, we created the …

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Larry Simon speaking at podium in black and white

The Origins of AJWS: Reflecting on 40 years of Human Rights Activism

Over forty years ago, I began discussions with leaders of major Jewish organizations, with synagogue Rabbis and their congregations, to organize the first Jewish organization dedicated to respond to world poverty, hunger and dehumanization. Eventually, and together with philanthropist Larry Phillips, I took a leap and founded American Jewish World Service (AJWS), stepping away from …

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