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.
January 12th, 2010 was a traumatic day for every person in Haiti. 10 years ago, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook the country. This disaster killed 316,000, injured 1.5 million, devastated the capital city of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, and left 1.5 million homeless and vulnerable. For days, citizens worked together to rescue people before professional …
I’ve spent my career largely in public service, most recently as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. And having grown up with little Jewish background, for most of my life, if you had asked me what Judaism meant to me, I would have said something like, “working for social justice is how I do …
This week, the world is watching as the Burmese State (Myanmar) stands accused of crimes of genocide against the Rohingya people, a religious and ethnic minority in Burma persecuted because of their identity. I had the privilege of joining several AJWS Rohingya allies and grantees to bear witness to this historic trial. The Gambia has …
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving at a time of climate crisis, I am pausing to share my gratitude to Indigenous Peoples and others around the world who live close to nature, care for the earth and battle climate change. Through my travels for AJWS, I have been fortunate to meet, break bread with and …
This week’s Torah portion, known by its first word “Vayyera,” or, “And (God) appeared,” is unusually rich in developing the character of our ancestors Abraham and Sarah, and the nature of our relationship with God. Early in the Torah, some 19 verses into Genesis Chapter 18, God expresses that because there is to be a …
