Learn more about the major threats facing communities around the world and discover the work of brave activists who—like Queen Esther did in the Purim story—are standing up to injustice and changing lives for the better today.
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Sanjay Jagtap has spent the past 25 years of his life as a public bus driver in the state of Maharashtra in India. He always thought sexual harassment was an important but distant issue, something he read about in newspapers or heard about on television. That’s before he had a major wake-up call. Thanks to …
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On May 19th, India’s Supreme Court made a historic step towards advancing the rights of sex workers and ensuring their protection under the law: It issued a set of directives that acknowledges sex work as a dignified profession and mandates freedom from violence for those who practice it. These new guidelines have the potential to …
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In May 2021, AJWS launched a crisis campaign in response to the profound humanitarian tragedy in India when COVID’s Delta variant collapsed its fragile healthcare system and claimed countless lives. Thanks to an outpouring of generosity from our donors, AJWS responded quickly to support over 80 local organizations and activists to meet the mounting needs …
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In the bustling metropolis of Bangalore, India—home to over 13 million people and known as “India’s Silicon Valley”—a young couple is following their passions for sustainable farming and social justice. Kavitha and Narendra are devoted to protecting the planet through their work, while also striving for equality in their marriage—something that’s not a given in …
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At just 14 years old, Mangal Waikar’s parents pressured her into a marriage she didn’t want. As she began raising her own children, she wondered: how could she keep them from following the same path? Set in rural Maharashtra, India, “Something Different for Our Daughters” tells the story of how Mangal and her daughter, Shital, …
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Watch our new animated video about AJWS’s work to end child marriage in India. AJWS supports efforts to end child marriage by bringing girls and young women together to define their own futures. Together we’re supporting girls in India to live with the dignity, safety and independence they deserve. Learn more about AJWS’s work to …
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As a teenager, Khushi Prajapati worried for her future. Her family had lost everything. Forced to move to a Delhi slum, she worked long hours as a maid, but the family could barely make ends meet. If she didn’t figure out a plan for her future, Khushi faced the likely prospect of an unwanted, early …
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Ending child marriage through philanthropy
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Escaping child marriage and guiding girls to choose their own paths
Read MoreAnu Mokal was four months pregnant the night policemen brutally assaulted her at a bus stop in Satara, India. They beat her so severely that she suffered a miscarriage. When she later filed a complaint against them, no investigation took place, despite the presence of witnesses. Why? Because she was a sex worker, and the …
Read MoreParashat Ki Tetze contains 74 interesting and illuminating commandments—including one that, at first glance, gets my hackles up: “A man’s apparel should not be on a woman, and a man should not wear a woman’s clothing, for whoever does these things is an abomination before Adonai your God.”[1] For many of us—and especially for those …
Read MoreIn the beginning of the book of Bamidbar, Moses is instructed to call together all of the Israelites in the wilderness in order to undertake a census of the people. Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah explains the significance of this census by way of a parable about a man who has a box filled with jewels.[1] From …
Read MoreIn third grade, my Hebrew School teacher took our class into the sanctuary to point out its most important fixtures. After the Ark and the Torah scroll, he directed our eyes up to the very top of the ceiling, from which hung a sphere-shaped lamp. With our necks craned to gaze up at the orb’s …
Read MoreIn many biblical stories, women are not named. While we know her salty fate, we never learn the name of Lot’s wife; and despite her central role in the Joseph story, Potiphar’s wife remains nameless. However, five women—Machla, Noa, Chogla, Milka and Tirtza—are named in Parshat Pinchas and again and again in the Bible. These …
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