14 rabbis from cities across the United States selected to participate in prestigious social justice program
NEW YORK, NY – Fourteen rabbis have been named 2017-2018 Global Justice Fellows with American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading Jewish organization working to promote human rights and end poverty in the developing world. AJWS announced the selection today of 14 Jewish leaders from across the United States who will participate in this prestigious program.
The Global Justice Fellowship trains American Jewish leaders to advocate effectively in support of international policies that advance the human rights and well-being of the world’s poorest and most oppressed communities. The 2018 Fellowship includes an educational trip to Guatemala in January, during which the fellows will meet with front-line leaders who are fighting poverty and advancing human rights. Fellows will learn firsthand about the challenges facing vulnerable communities in Guatemala. Most crucially, the fellows will learn from local Guatemalan advocates about how they are working to improve life in Guatemala and how American Jews and others can support their efforts.
The 2017-2018 cohort of Global Justice Fellows is made up of 14 esteemed rabbis who live across the United States in Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. They were selected through a competitive process and represent a diverse array of Jewish denominations, communities, professional experiences, identities and networks.
Robert Bank, President and CEO of American Jewish World Service, said: “This group of influential Jewish leaders will join forces to improve the lives of some of the poorest and most oppressed people on Earth. They will issue a moral call to action to their communities and persuade decisionmakers in the United States to bolster human rights and end poverty in Guatemala and the rest of the developing world.”
In addition to traveling to Guatemala, each participant in AJWS’s 2017-2018 Global Justice Fellowship will engage in six months of education and action that includes learning directly from advocates in Guatemala and AJWS staff in the United States. The fellows will also meet with and educate government officials in Washington, D.C., and will have the opportunity to learn about advocating for social change from AJWS Global Ambassador, Ruth Messinger. With American foreign aid and support for human rights at a crossroads, these fellows will play a key role in educating their peers, the public and elected officials about the importance of continued U.S. leadership on the global stage in bolstering human rights and ending poverty.
The AJWS 2017-2018 Global Justice Fellows include:
California
- Rabbi Noah Farkas of Valley Beth Shalom
- Rabbi Andrew Feig of Alice and Nahum Lainer School
Florida
- Rabbi David Weizman of Congregation Beth Shalom
Massachusetts
- Rabbi Laura J. Abrasley of Temple Shalom
- Rabbi Lila Kagedan of Walnut Street Synagogue
- Rabbi Joseph Meszler of Temple Sinai
- Rabbi Julie Zupan, director of the Union for Reform Judaism’s Reform Jewish Outreach Boston
North Carolina
- Rabbi Justin Goldstein of Congregation Beth Israel
Pennsylvania
- Rabbi Ariella Rosen of Temple Adath Israel
New Jersey
- Rabbi Adina Lewittes, founder of Sha’ar Communities and interim rabbi at B’nai Jeshurun
- Rabbi Elliot Tepperman of Bnai Keshet
New York
- Rabbi Ilana Schachter of Temple Shaaray Tefila
- Rabbi Howard Stecker of Temple Israel of Great Neck
- Rabbi Elie Weinstock of Congregation Kehilat Jeshurun
For More Information
If you are a member of the press and wish to obtain information about our work or speak to a member of our global team on deadline, please contact Tanyanika Davis, Director of Media Relations, at tdavis@ajws.org.
