Social justice advocates meet with leaders of Congress and the State Department to lobby for three pressing issues in the developing world Twenty-eight American rabbis travel to Washington, D.C. next week as part of a human rights lobbying day organized by American Jewish World Service (AJWS), the leading Jewish organization supporting advocates for human rights and …
Read More
American Jewish World Service Welcomes Introduction of an Act That Would Impose Sanctions on Current and Former Guatemalan Officials American Jewish World Service (AJWS) Director of Government Affairs Rori Kramer issued this statement following the introduction of the Guatemala Law and Accountability Act in the House and Senate: “As the leading global Jewish organization that supports …
Read More
The American Jewish community stands united against the genocide of the Rohingya people and the persecution of all ethnic minorities in Burma. Inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice, the Jewish Rohingya Justice Network (JRJN)* works to promote a robust U.S. and international response to the Rohingya genocide. Convened by American Jewish World Service (AJWS), …
Read More
We can predict that President Trump’s State of the Union address will be rife with hyperbolic references to walls and refugees. But what about America’s obligation to uphold basic human rights around the world? To challenge strongmen, help democracies and uphold the human rights of every person on this planet?
Read More
From Temple Emanu-El’s magnificent bima, Robert spoke about our shared obligation to live our Jewish values — to repair our broken world in difficult times.
Read MoreOn December 16, 2012, 23-year old Jyoti Singh was raped by six men while riding on a bus in New Delhi, India. The attack reportedly lasted over two and a half hours, and Singh died two weeks later in Singapore from her injuries. Four of her attackers were found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging.
Read MoreWasteland, jungle, impoverished, malnourished, unhygienic, militant and crowded. Those were some of the words I had associated with Africa before I visited for the first time. The images were etched in my mind from the media, from documentaries and from the atrocities that we all read about daily in the newspaper.
Read MoreA shocking and inspiring episode in Parashat Pinchas occurs when the five daughters of Zelophechad stand up to Moses, Aaron and Elazar and demand to inherit their father’s property, in the absence of any sons. This courageous act, which challenges the assumption that tribal land can be passed on only from fathers to sons, seems to leave Moses speechless and moved, and he takes their claim to God.
Read MoreYou likely know that our ancestors wandered the wilderness for 40 years until they entered the Promised Land. You may find it surprising, though, that the ancient Israelites actually arrived at the border of the Land of Israel only two years after the Exodus. The other 38 years of wandering weren’t a long journey to the land; they were the consequence of ill-fated events that took place during Parashat Shlach.
Read More