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.
“Thoughts and prayers.” It’s the all-too-familiar phrase uttered when tragedy strikes. We hear it from our leaders, we see it on social media feeds from friends, and we offer it ourselves.
Rescue workers were still responding to the catastrophic earthquake of September 7 that struck southern Mexico when, just 12 days later, the country was jolted by another quake—this time in the capital of Mexico City.
Today marks one year since Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti and neighboring Dominican Republic, and left behind a trail of destruction that claimed more than 500 lives and displaced over 175,000 people. Haiti’s southern peninsula bore the brunt of the hurricane’s fury, where powerful winds and heavy floods destroyed millions of homes, ravaged large swathes of farmlands and decimated precious livestock.
Our family gathered together in the sukkah each day for meals, inviting in congregants and neighbors to join the celebration of this holiday.
Years ago, while on my day off from working at sleepaway camp, my backpack was stolen from the front desk of the store I was inside perusing. Though the bag didn’t contain my phone or wallet, it contained hundreds of pages of hand-written journal entries, ruminations and reflections from several years. I scoured the city …
