American Jewish World Service - AJWS

06/04/2026

Are you or do you know a Jewish clergy leader interested in becoming an advocate for global human rights? AJWS’s Global Justice Fellowship (GJF) is accepting applications through June 10 for the coming year! The GJF is led by AJWS Global Ambassador Ruth Messinger and Rabbi Elizabeth Richman and includes online learning, a week of travel to the Dominican Republic, and two and a half days in Washington, D.C. to meet with elected leaders and government officials. Apply or help spread the word today! https://bit.ly/3QOY14S

06/03/2026

Our budget reflects our national values. This latest one signals a wholesale rejection of U.S. leadership on human rights, democracy, rule of law, and diplomacy. Rori Kramer, AJWS's Director of U.S. Advocacy, urges Congress to ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio tough and necessary questions during budget hearings this week.

The real-life consequences of these foreign policy decisions are cruel, devastating and shortsighted.

06/02/2026

For generations, q***r and trans people in India have been pushed into the shadows. But a revolutionary theater troupe supported by AJWS is bringing their stories back into the spotlight.

“Talki”, a play produced and performed by AJWS grantee organization Payana, is an initiative to build a more equal and open India, where LGBTQI+ people can live with dignity, safety, and freedom.

06/01/2026

Happy Pride Month! AJWS is honored to support activists fighting for LGBTQI+ rights around the world—often at great personal risk. Activists like Karla Guevara, who founded Colectivo Alejandría fifteen years ago in El Salvador. In a society where hard-won progress for LGBTQI+ rights has been rolled back in the last several years, Karla's organization has opened a community center offering physical and mental health care, legal aid and more.

05/21/2026

The AJWS community wishes a meaningful and joyous Shavuot to all who celebrate.

05/21/2026

The Nicaraguan regime's attacks on human rights have been largely overshadowed by other international flashpoints. AJWS Senior Policy Advisor Corinne Paul makes the case for why the U.S. should make Nicaragua a priority again, both as a matter of human rights and of national security.

Congressional hearings on Nicaragua are set for next month. An expert on the Ortega-Murillo regime describes how the U.S. should shape its policy toward the Central American nation.

05/21/2026

BREAKING: A huge step forward for trans rights in Kenya as the country's High Court ruled that people should not be barred from changing their s*x or gender on official documents. We celebrate this historic ruling alongside our longtime partner Jinsiangu, an organization fighting for the rights of trans, inters*x, and gender-nonconforming people, that supported the case.

The High Court has issued a landmark ruling declaring that Kenyan law does not expressly prohibit the alteration of s*x or gender markers on official documents, in a decision expected to shape future policy and constitutional interpretation on identity rights.

05/17/2026

Today marks International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, a day for activism against these forms of hatred and discrimination. Join us in affirming that LGBTQI+ rights are human rights and celebrating the activists working to build a more just world.

05/13/2026

Today in Haiti, the government largely operates on the currency of corruption. While there are people of integrity in all state agencies, networks of corrupt politicians, bureaucrats, and private businesspeople collude to shape decrees, institutions, and processes, and share public resources among themselves. Learn how Haitian institutions and groups are pushing back.

But there are ways to break free. Today in Haiti, much of government operates on the currency of corruption. While there are people of integrity in all state agencies, networks of corrupt politicians…

05/08/2026

Are you or do you know a Jewish clergy leader interested in becoming an advocate for global human rights? AJWS’s Global Justice Fellowship (GJF) is accepting applications for the coming year! The GJF is led by AJWS Global Ambassador Ruth Messinger and Rabbi Elizabeth Richman and includes online learning, a week of travel to the Dominican Republic, and two and a half days in Washington, D.C. to meet with elected leaders and government officials. Apply or help spread the word today! https://ajws.org/get-involved/travel-with-ajws/global-justice-fellowship/application-instructions/