News & Features
By Gordon G. Chang Author, commentator Critics and supporters are battling it out after President Joe Biden announced that he was increasing tariffs on $18 billion of Chinese products. Just about everyone is missing the point. Tariffs should not be the issue. What is? Americans must ask why their country has been importing the products…
As a nonprofit organization guided by Jewish values and dedicated to countering genocide around the world and the hate that leads to mass atrocities, Jewish World Watch (JWW) – like many across the globe – has deeply felt the ripples of the massacre in Israel on October 7th. We mourn with the families and friends…
As Jews around the world observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day this Saturday, we cannot escape the knowledge that we are only three months out from the largest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. We cannot escape the knowledge that our present bears eerie similarities to our past. Amid the swift rise in Jew-hatred, Holocaust-like…
LOS ANGELES – Jewish World Watch (JWW), the Los Angeles-based nonprofit committed to bringing help and healing to survivors of mass atrocities around the globe, is thrilled to announce that it is one of a select number of organizations throughout the country to receive a share of a half a million dollar grant from the…
We believe in a world that does not stand idly by while civilian populations are being attacked simply because of who they are. A world in which all people, regardless of ethnicity, religion or background, feel safe and welcome in their community. To accomplish this, we must stand up against hate whenever and wherever it…
It is difficult to fathom the current crisis in Syria. Doctors in Northwest Syria are overwhelmed, and supplies are running out following this week’s devastating earthquake. We have launched an emergency fund to help ensure medical facilities in the region have everything they need to save lives. Together with our longtime partner in Syria, we…
This week, members of the Canadian Parliament stood up for human rights by unanimously passing M62. The motion calls on the Canadian government to accept 10,000 Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities fleeing persecution in China. The Jewish community has a profound understanding of the importance of acceptance of others. We know the unthinkable ramifications of…
Calling all teen activists: Jewish World Watch seeks to receive submissions from student artists throughout Los Angeles to use as poster artwork for the Walk to End Genocide on April 30, 2023. The Walk to End Genocide is a meaningful way to stand up for those facing oppression worldwide. We are asking artists to share…
The Armenian people are facing crisis once again. Azerbaijan has blocked the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh (known as Artsakh in Armenian) to Armenia and the outside world since December 12. This most recent aggression leaves 120,000 people in Artsakh under siege, unable to access medical supplies, food and fuel as the region experiences harsh winter…
Washington, D.C. – Today, Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognized two companies with the State Department’s prestigious Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) with well-known and extensively-documented ties to Uyghur forced labor. Human rights groups, including Jewish World Watch and Uyghur Human Rights Project, condemn the decision. Nominated by the U.S. missions in Costa Rica and…
Jewish World Watch (JWW) Executive Director Serena Oberstein received the second annual Activist of the Year award from California State Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel in Woodland Hills on December 1. The Activist of the Year Award is an honor presented to a community member in the San Fernando Valley who creates an impact locally and beyond.…
Jewish World Watch (JWW) commends the House of Representatives for passing the Uyghur Policy Act (H.R. 4685), a bill that would increase U.S. response, awareness and advocacy for Uyghur human rights. “We applaud our leaders in the House who continue to make progress toward Uyghur human rights through this bill,” Jewish World Watch Executive Director…
ENCINO, CA — Jewish World Watch (JWW), an anti-genocide organization based in Los Angeles, applauds California Governor Gavin Newsom and California State Representative Adrin Nazarian for signing into law a bill that establishes April 24 as Genocide Awareness Day. This bill signals California’s recognition of all genocides and allows Californians to memorialize those who suffer.…
ENCINO, CA — Jewish World Watch (JWW), an international human rights organization based in Los Angeles, presented on Sunday its 2022 Global Soul Award to Uyghur leader and United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chair Nury Turkel during the organization’s seminal gala. JWW also recognized community leaders and board of directors co-chairs Diana…
From our deep roots as a nascent country to striking workers today at core companies, there are few things more uniquely American than worker’s rights. Today’s labor movement doesn’t look entirely different in scope than its origin stories. Nearly 300 years ago – before Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, before the United Auto Workers and…
Communities worldwide are bonded and uplifted by women. Women create life, hold families together and lead communities with strength and resolve. That is precisely why they are often the targets of persecution during power struggles. Women’s bodies have been used as a weapon of war throughout history. We see it in the gender-based violence faced…
You are likely reading this email on a device made with Uyghur forced labor in the Xinjiang region of China. I am not saying this to shame you – unfortunately, virtually everyone in the United States owns tainted products. That is why Jewish World Watch and supporters like you fought so hard to pass the…
ENCINO, CA – Jewish World Watch (JWW), a Los Angeles-based organization fighting against genocide and mass atrocities worldwide, launched today a groundbreaking database detailing how global companies are complicit in forced labor. JWW’s Uyghur Forced Labor Database – the most extensive to date – brings to light more than 600 national and international companies and…
In 1939, four months before the invasion of Poland, 937 souls set sail aboard the MS St. Louis as a dark cloud of totalitarianism swept through Germany at the hands of the Third Reich. Passengers aboard the St. Louis, many of whom were Jewish, left their homes in Hamburg for what they hoped would be…
This week, the BBC released thousands of leaked police images, files and classified speeches documenting, in damning detail, the Chinese Communist Party’s internment and genocidal intent against the Uyghur people. The leak “establishes beyond the shadow of a doubt, beyond any question, that [the Chinese Communist Party] knows exactly what they’re doing,” as I told…
Jewish World Watch applauds Airbnb and the leadership of CEO Brian Chesky for taking the initial steps toward a more ethical business model by committing to removing all Chinese homes and experiences from its platform by mid-summer. Together with a coalition of worker’s unions, faith-based organizations and human rights groups, Jewish World Watch (JWW), an…
Today’s passage of the Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2021 (BURMA Act) in the U.S. House of Representatives is a meaningful and welcome next step in the fight for justice for the Rohingya people. Jewish World Watch and the entire Jewish Rohingya Justice Network thanks House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks…
This morning, the Biden Administration formally announced its determination that the Myanmar military committed genocide against the Rohingya people. Jewish World Watch applauds Secretary of State Antony Blinken for this decision. “Beyond the Holocaust, the United States has concluded that genocide was committed seven times,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. “Today marks the eighth…
Today marks 500 days since violence in the Tigray region began. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives, and more than 6.8 million need food aid. While the international attention is on the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, it is easy to lose sight of atrocities occurring in so many places worldwide. These conflicts…
This week, as the Jewish community gathers to celebrate Purim, one of history’s first averted genocides, we revisit the fortitude of Vashti and Esther. Where atrocities occur, or leaders preach hate, women are targeted and forcibly made objects of battle. Women also frequently guide us through the tumult, acting as crucial moral compasses. Like Vashti,…
Strong female leadership has driven the mission of JWW forward for 18 years. Co-Founder Janice Kamenir-Reznik answered her rabbi’s call 18 years ago and continues to fight for genocide and mass atrocity survivors today. JWW’s Board Chairs, Diana Buckhantz and Jane Z. Cohen, along with many in Committee leadership roles, are women dedicated to taking…
We all celebrated the passage of the monumental Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act at the end of December. The bill deserved this praise and is a significant step in the collective effort to combat the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing genocide against the Uyghur people. It’s an important first step. Effectively reducing – or even eliminating…
Jewish World Watch is seeking a Full-Time (Monday thru Friday) Executive Assistant to join our Organization. Working from our Encino, CA office, you’ll be someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment. In addition to being organized, analytical, strategic, and resourceful, you must possess strong business judgment and communication skills needed to interact with a variety…
As 2021 comes to a close, I am asking you to recommit to the fight against genocide and mass atrocities by donating to Jewish World Watch – an organization I co-founded with the visionary Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis (z”l) nearly 18 years ago. Over the last year, so many survivors of genocide and atrocity have…
Jewish World Watch has been working with the Darfuri survivor community since 2004. This year, to continue this legacy of support, we launched Seeds of Survival. This campaign aims to train 500 new gardeners and provide the tools needed to feed thousands of those in the refugee camps. We’ve raised enough to plant more than…
Jewish World Watch celebrates the bold leadership shown by the United States as President Joe Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) into law today. The bill received unanimous bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. The new law ensures that goods made with the Uyghur and other slave labor in the Xinjiang…
Jewish World Watch commends the United States Senate for unanimously passing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), a bill that sets the new international gold standard in forced labor prevention. “The bold leadership shown by Congress in unanimously passing this bipartisan and bicameral bill cannot be understated,” said Serena Oberstein, Executive Director of Jewish…
The last week has been extraordinary. So often, we share stories of tragedy and loss; however, the recognition of human rights and dignity and culpability for those who violate it has been invigorating. The cultivation of new partnerships, coalition involvement, and a more deliberate advocacy approach is truly paying off! Your commitment to a more…
In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted its first human rights treaty on this day. The resolution provided the first internationally recognized legal definition of “genocide” and affirmed a worldwide commitment to the idea that “never again” will the world be silent while people suffer. Despite this monumental decision, genocide remains a stark reality…
Jewish World Watch applauds today’s passage of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in the House of Representatives, which sets a new global standard in the fight against goods made by forced labor. The bill would ban all goods made in the region from being imported into the United States unless Customs and Border…
The 2022 Winter Olympics, set in Beijing, will be held against a backdrop of human rights violations reminiscent of the Berlin Olympics of 1936. Today’s announcement that the United States will refrain from sending any government officials to the Games denies China the highly veiled propaganda they seek as host. The presence of U.S. dignitaries…
The last year has been full of lessons. If there is one word that captures the spirit and motivation at JWW in 2021, it is resilience. Thanks to our supporters like you, we have continued to fulfill our mission with greater effectiveness and impact. While we had to pivot from our in-person programming and events,…
In life, we are blessed to meet a handful of people who have a spark that shines a little brighter. These encounters leave a lasting impression on us that makes it all the more heartbreaking when we have to say goodbye. Last week we learned of the sudden passing of longtime Jewish World Watch partners…
As a mother of two, Universal Children’s Day (observed on November 20) resonates deeply with me. It is an opportunity to promote togetherness and children’s welfare worldwide. As I thought about this week’s Global Update, I was reminded of the story of Sadiki, a 13-year-old in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “I used to…
Paul Wallace, in his essay entitled “Breathing Metaphors”, begins with the following exercise which I ask you to do along with me: Settle yourself and breathe with me before we begin. Note how it feels. Pull the cool air in through your nostrils, moving the breath downward into your chest. Fill your lungs slowly and…
Rosh Hashanah is an opportunity for us to each have a fresh start, to imagine a better version of ourselves and the world around us. The High Holidays present us with the time and space to act with more intention, in Hebrew kavanah. Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we let go of the ways we’ve…
To any activist that might need to hear this: if you have stopped advocating for a while or have been too busy helping yourself or your family to volunteer, and you’re worried about being criticized for that if you come back, don’t be. That was the position I was in with Jewish World Watch, and…
Before the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany, the International Olympics Committee, aware of the rising tensions, pressured the German government and received assurances that the Nazi regime would not use the Games to promote their ideologies. A few Jewish athletes and Jewish groups called on the United States to boycott, and while some other groups…
We are excited to announce the launch of our refreshed online experience. The new website expresses the work of Jewish World Watch in bold new ways while being more accessible, intuitive, and responsive than ever before. The refreshed website places the focus on the survivors and how you can take action. Our striking new design…
To celebrate World Day Against Child Labor (June 12), I’d like to highlight the incredible work supporters like you make possible in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Our empowerment programs aim to minimize children’s use in armed groups and reduce their exploitation in mining sites through negotiated release from militias, educational access and psychosocial support.…
It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Malkah Schulweis, a life force for her beautiful family, for the Valley Beth Shalom community and Jewish World Watch. Malkah was a brilliant woman with extraordinary intellect and was a critical part of our work at Jewish World Watch. While she was always dedicated…
More than a century ago, 1.5 million Armenians were rounded up and slaughtered amid a campaign of extermination that history has long acknowledged was the 20th century’s first genocide. We all know too well it would not be the last. For decades, no United States president had called the atrocities what they were even as…
We are gravely concerned about what is happening in Tigray and believe the United States – along with other international powers – need to do more to curb the ongoing violence. We have penned a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging the U.S. to increase our humanitarian aid in the region and ramp…
Each year, on Yom HaShoah, we remember the 6 million Jewish sisters and brothers we lost during the Holocaust. We say their names, we tell their stories, we commemorate the lives of survivors, and we reaffirm the promise that arose from that incredible tragedy: “Never again.” Yet, it is not enough to simply memorialize those…
It has been a dark week for Myanmar and the persecuted Rohingya people. On Sunday, Myanmar’s military (also known as the Tatmadaw) staged a coup – arresting activists and civilian leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and retaking power after ten years of fragile democracy. Confirmed reports reveal orders for police officers to disperse protesters…
On Jan. 31, the Tatmadaw (Myanmar’s military) staged a coup in Myanmar, taking into captivity pro-democracy activists and many of the country’s democratic leaders, including civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Since 2017, the Tatmadaw has led a brutal and genocidal campaign against the Rohingya people, killing thousands and forcing more than 700,000 to flee…
Holocaust survivor, author, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel promised that he would never be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering. “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” More than 75 years after the holocaust and 17 years after our…
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden took an important step in support of refugees by signing a new executive order that reverses the xenophobic travel ban, renewing the United States’ commitment to ethical leadership. We believe that within the first 100 days, the new administration and legislature must pass policy that will…
Jewish World Watch applauds the U.S. State Department’s crucial declaration that the Chinese government is committing genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghur people and other minority groups in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. “Today is a momentous day for the Uyghur people,” said Jewish World Watch Executive Director Serena Oberstein. “We will…
The Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) has reissued an open letter to governments, along with 29 genocide and atrocity prevention organizations from seven countries, and 21 senior experts, reiterating our grave concern that crimes against humanity and genocide are taking place against Uyghurs in East Turkistan. “Uyghurs have now suffered unspeakable brutality for four years,”…
While we typically have worked on matters in other countries, what happened on Jan. 6 in our nation’s Capitol is one that requires our attention. I’ve struggled to find the words and sentiments that describe how deeply to our core this has shaken us as individuals and communally. As I’ve reflected on it, there are…
[maxbutton id=”99″] It has no doubt been an extraordinary year. Because of our supporters, Jewish World Watch has been able to deepen its impact, advocate, educate and provide direct aid to on-the-ground projects. Every single dollar you gave, every moment you took to sign a petition, meet with a Congressperson, call a legislator or forward…
Over the last few weeks, Jewish leaders from around Los Angeles came together to stand with the Armenian community when fighting broke out in the region of Artsakh or Nagorno-Karabakh. Regional conflict can often get lost in the din of constantly breaking news, but Azeri aggression – supported by Turkish military might – in this…
Ten years ago this month, the United Nations published the Congo Mapping Exercise Report. The landmark report documented more than 600 incidents of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between March 1993 and June 2003, with women and children as the primary victims. In addition to…
As the Director of Education for Jewish World Watch, I spend a large portion of my time talking to adults and students about genocide and mass atrocities, the unrest and fragility across the globe, our obligations as Jews, and the need for all of us to participate in the great but weighty mitzvah of tikkun…
The Rohingya community in Southeast Asia continues to live in a state of fear, isolation and suffering. We can do something about that. Please join me in calling on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to help end the brutal campaign of hatred against the minority Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar by declaring it what it truly…
Jewish World Watch, a genocide prevention organization that brings hope and healing to survivors of mass atrocities worldwide, urgently appeals for immediate action to protect our long-time partner Dr. Denis Mukwege from recent threats of violence and death. Dr. Mukwege — 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Congolese gynecological surgeon, and trailblazing advocate for women’s rights…
UPDATE – July 30, 2020 – Jewish World Watch’s fears of mounting atrocities in Darfur have been realized. Just days after publication, on July 25, more than 60 people were reportedly killed and approximately 60 injured during an armed attack in West Darfur. On the same day, attackers killed at least 20 in South Darfur, including children. This is…
A countrywide shutdown in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in response to COVID-19 has led to increased fears of starvation. Amani Tom, our longtime partner in the Congo, said that he is “worried that hunger will kill more people than COVID-19.” That is why, despite the closure of schools, the Jewish World Watch-funded Congo…
Nearly three years after unconscionable atrocities were unleashed upon the Rohingya of Myanmar by their country’s military and security forces, the United States still has not called the crimes perpetrated against this ethnoreligious minority group by their rightful name: Genocide. Jewish World Watch, in coalition with 57 other human rights organizations, sent a petition on July…
Right on the heels of a major advocacy victory for the Uyghur crisis — the signing of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act into law — new evidence suggests that the Uyghurs of China are being subjected to not only crimes against humanity, but also genocide. The Chinese government is implementing draconian measures to severely…
The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act is now law! Thanks to advocates like you, on June 17 President Trump signed the legislation, bringing us one step closer to halting the crimes against humanity China is actively perpetrating against the Uyghur ethnic and religious minority group of East Turkistan (also known as Xinjiang), China. This legislation marks…
“Enough is enough,” is the cry reverberating throughout the United States in response to the murder of George Floyd. “Enough is enough” echoes the founding principle of Jewish World Watch – “Never again,” to targeted killings of people for their race or ethnicity. We have all learned through pervasive videos over the past three decades,…
This past Shabbat we read the story of the census. God tells Moses that he should conduct a census of all the Israelite men over the age of 20. There is much to relate to in this parsha, especially in this year when the US census is being conducted. Why does Moses conduct the first…
On Wednesday, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 finally passed both chambers of Congress, a momentous win for the persecuted Uyghur ethnic minority group of East Turkestan – the name preferred by Uyghurs for the region commonly known as Xinjiang, China. The act condemns “gross human rights violations of ethnic Turkic Muslims in …
COVID-19 has disrupted many social justice efforts, including those most integral to the mission of Jewish World Watch — preventing genocide and mass atrocities and protecting human rights. While managing the global pandemic has eclipsed many initiatives to protect vulnerable populations around the world, JWW is pleased to report that key advocacy initiatives continue to…
A Rohingya man tested positive for coronavirus inside the overcrowded refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where nearly 1 million Rohingya live. Jewish World Watch and our on-the-ground partners have been bracing and attempting to prepare for a potentially nightmarish outbreak. Conditions in the vast, fetid camps are conducive to the rapid and rampant spread of…
COVID-19 has reached the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and is spreading rapidly. As of April 23, 377 cases have been confirmed, with 25 deaths – almost a 7% mortality rate. The government ordered a countrywide lockdown in response to COVID-19, but the DRC lacks the resources, infrastructure and perhaps even the will to…
Dear friends, Today, on Yom HaShoah, we remember the horrors of the Holocaust, and we commemorate all who were lost. We also honor the survivors who through their very resilience have given hope to the world that even the darkest of times can be dispelled, and light can follow. The dual memories of loss and…
The Never Again Education Act (S. 2085) is a bipartisan bill to support Holocaust education on a national level. The legislation would establish dedicated federal funding – through the creation of the Holocaust Education Assistance Program Fund – to provide teachers with resources and training necessary to teach students all around the United States the…
Imagine if you had no access to Internet or cell service right now. In the middle of a pandemic. Now, imagine you hear from an acquaintance that a “death virus” is gripping the world, spreading like wildfire. And it’s headed your way. You have no way of knowing how or where it’s spreading. All you’re…
COVID-19 has leveled the playing field in many ways — its indiscriminate nature and rapid spread remind us all of our fragility, but also our shared humanity. In many ways, the pandemic has brought the world together as we face a common enemy. But, the pandemic has also set off quick, desperate, and sweeping government…
View a recording from our recent webinar, “COVID-19’s impact on the survivors we serve” [maxbutton id=”54″] All of us at Jewish World Watch want you to know that we are concerned for you, your families and your communities as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis continues. These are clearly extraordinary times for us all. At the same time,…
Just under a month ago, in our last JWW blogpost on Sudan, the country’s transitional government was making steady progress, including by expressing its openness to finally prioritizing justice for the genocide in Darfur. Earlier today, March 9, the prime minister of Sudan’s transitional government, Abdalla Hamdok, survived an assassination attempt when his convoy was…
It is not often in the “business” of fighting genocide and atrocity that we have a day in which we can claim and celebrate an epic victory. However, today is truly a Red Letter Day for Jewish World Watch, for all organizations involved in anti-genocide advocacy and for the people of Darfur, Sudan. Today, the…
Today, January 23, marks a momentous day in the Rohingya cause, as the International Court of Justice in The Hague ordered the government of Myanmar to take immediate steps to prevent genocide. The highest United Nations court unanimously adopted four legally binding provisional measures that require Myanmar to (1) prevent future genocidal acts, (2) ensure…
We have just closed the book on what was, in so many ways, an extremely difficult year. The Rohingya, Darfuris and Syrians, as well as the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Uyghurs in China – all survivors of genocides and mass atrocities – have needed our support more than ever. We have all also been deeply alarmed by multiple murderous outbursts…
Dear Friends, It has been 15 years since Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis (z”l) and I founded Jewish World Watch in an effort to live up to the vow to not stand idly by. As long as extreme violence persists throughout the world, we will be there to support the vulnerable. We will provide Rohingya children…
As the world learns of China’s surveillance, imprisonment, torture and forced “reeducation” of millions of Uyghurs, an ethnic group based mostly in Xinjiang Province in northwest China, Jewish World Watch has joined with the California Uyghur diaspora community to give voice to their disappeared relatives. Jewish World Watch supporters and numerous Uyghurs together have met…
Earlier today, on December 20, 2019, President Donald Trump signed into law the bipartisan Global Fragility Act ushering in a new era of prevention-focused foreign policy to tackle the alarming and ever-increasing levels of violence around the world. This landmark legislation was passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, approved by the…
Thanks largely to the supporters of Jewish World Watch, Cibalonza Mushagasha Chanceline has survived the unthinkable to exemplify an extraordinary story of resilience. As a young girl in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she was raped and then abandoned by her family when they learned she was carrying her attacker’s baby. “I hated myself…
Hundreds of thousands of civilians are in grave danger in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) eastern Beni Territory in the wake of deadly violence and mass protests that have cut off humanitarian access to the troubled region. As fighting between government forces and armed groups mounts, armed groups are attacking schools and health…
Late on Tuesday evening, December 3, the House of Representatives passed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act in a landslide vote of 407 to 1, with 23 not voting. Added to a similar bill that passed the Senate unanimously in September, this amounts to a momentous victory for the persecuted Uyghur population of East Turkestan…
The wheels of justice are finally turning for the Rohingya ethnic minority of Myanmar — survivors of the world’s most recent genocide. It has been a whirlwind week for international justice, as multiple pathways to holding the Myanmar military and government accountable have been activated. Myanmar has denied the genocide and related crimes, so we…
Some 3,000 Rohingya people are scheduled to be moved from the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, to an uninhabitable tiny island in the Bay of Bengal called Bhasan Car, as early as Monday, November 4. The Bangladeshi government plans eventually to relocate as many as 100,000 Rohingya to Bhasan Char in phases. Despite promises…
A century after 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered by the Ottoman Empire, the House of Representatives today overwhelmingly recognized those systematic attacks and murders for what they were — a genocide. On Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 29, 2019, the House overwhelmingly passed the Armenian Genocide resolution (H.Res. 296) in a vote of 405 to 11. The…
Dear President Trump, We at Jewish World Watch, a human rights organization devoted to fighting genocide and mass atrocities, are writing to express our extreme concern in regard to your announcement on Sunday that you will be withdrawing United States troops from the Syrian border with Turkey. We strongly fear that a withdrawal will open…
Recently, Jewish World Watch had the honor of hosting Dr. Denis Mukwege — our long-time on-the-ground partner and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate — in conversation with our Board Co-Chair, Diana Buchantz. Dr. Mukwege, a gynecological surgeon and activist, won the Nobel for his inimitable commitment to combatting rape as a weapon of war in…
(Sept. 24 at 5:15 p.m.) GOOD NEWS — the BURMA Act was just approved in the House of Representatives (394 Yeas, 21 Nays). Thank you to all who reached out in support of the Rohingya. Your efforts make a difference. On to the Senate! The House of Representatives is set to vote on the BURMA…
Jewish World Watch (JWW) is proud to report two major accomplishments in our advocacy work related to the Uyghur (or Uighur) human rights crisis, which we have deemed a cultural genocide and potential mass atrocity situation. In the late evening of September 11, the United States Senate passed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act (S.…
The Rohingya suffered genocide at the hands of their own homeland’s military. This Sunday, Aug. 25, marks the two-year anniversary of the brutal crackdown against this long-persecuted minority group by the Myanmar (Burmese) military and security apparatus known as the Tatmadaw. The “clearance operations” unleashed on that day left tens of thousands killed and raped,…
Dr. Denis Mukwege, a 2018 Nobel Peace Prize recipient and longtime Jewish World Watch partner, is making preparations to deploy a rapid response mission to the remote Fizi territory of South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, funded through your support. Multiple militia groups in recent days attacked civilians in this region. A…
Tens of thousands of children have been abducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and forced to serve in militias. Jewish World Watch is helping to secure the release of these boys and girls, many of whom are being used as child soldiers and sex slaves. During the month of June alone, thanks to…
Instability continues to rock the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). With the spread of the Ebola crisis, this war-plagued country is now facing a perfect storm of conflict and disease, leaving it teetering on the brink of catastrophe on multiple fronts. A combination of ethnic violence, armed group activity, medical emergencies, and political disarray…
Despite recent developments suggesting that a transition to civilian rule could be possible, Sudan’s political turmoil is far from over. On Friday, July 5, Sudan’s ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change (FFC), representing the protesters, reached a groundbreaking power-sharing agreement aimed at ending the country’s months-long political…
Kids in cages. Scenes of chaos and filth, where basic necessities are denied to the most vulnerable: children in a foreign land forced to fend for themselves. We at Jewish World Watch (JWW) have, unfortunately, come to somewhat expect such conditions in the crisis situations where we work, but we have been shocked to learn…
Sudan is in chaos. Every day brings reports of mounting atrocities as autocracy and democracy go head to head, with civilians paying the price. “We had a week indescribable. I hope this is the last time that we experience this,” Jewish World Watch’s field representative in Khartoum reports. “Sudan is very fragile.” Last time we…
Congress is not giving up on the Rohingya! After much anticipation, the House companion bill to the newest incarnation of the Burma Act was introduced on Tuesday, June 14. The Burma United through Rigorous Military Accountability Act (H.R. 3190) — sponsored by Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) — authorizes significant humanitarian…
Hopes for a smooth transition to civilian rule in Sudan were dashed at dawn on June 3, when Sudan’s armed forces opened fire on pro-democracy protesters, bystanders, and medical workers, killing more than 100 people. In response, Sudanese opposition groups halted all negotiations with the Transitional Military Council (TMC), which has been in power since…
Jewish World Watch (JWW) commends the House of Representatives for passing the Global Fragility Act of 2019 (H.R. 2116) on May 20. This marks an important victory for the field of mass atrocity and genocide prevention, sending a strong bipartisan message that investing in the underlying structural causes of violence and conflict is in the…
[UPDATE: May 16, 2019] The transitional military council currently running Sudan has announced a suspension of talks with the opposition coalition representing the demands of the protesters. The 72-hr suspension of talks comes just a day after the two sides reached a preliminary agreement on the future of Sudan’s transition. Citing the growing atmosphere of…
Jewish World Watch intern Yasmin Liberman contributed to this report. In March 2017, China’s government launched a mass crackdown against the Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic minority group who live primarily in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region, as well as other Turkic Muslim minorities in the region. The crackdown, allegedly a counter-extremism measure, includes implementation of a…
In just one week, from April 28 to May 6, 152,000 people were forced to flee their homes in Syria according to a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), doubling the number of displaced persons in the northwest since February. A renewed Russian-backed Syrian government offensive has brought…
At just 8 years old, Sidney Ross-Stern was inspired to take action by Jewish World Watch’s Walk to End Genocide. She created her own jewelry business, Jewels4Justice, making beaded necklaces and bracelets and donating 100% of her profits to JWW. She has also accompanied JWW staff to congressional meetings, enthusiastically advocating on behalf of survivors of genocide and…
Today, we at Jewish World Watch are celebrating a momentous and long-awaited human rights victory: Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have been released from prison in Myanmar (also known as Burma) after being imprisoned for more than 500 days! Despite recently losing their final appeal before the Supreme Court, in a surprising…
Dear Friend, On Saturday a 19-year-old gunman filled with hatred entered the Chabad of Poway sanctuary, which was filled with worshipers on the last day of Passover. He murdered one woman, Lori Gilbert Kaye, 60, when she heroically jumped in front of the Chabad’s rabbi, Yisroel Goldstein, to protect him. Rabbi Goldstein’s life was saved,…
“Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” This is the question Adolf Hitler asked in 1939 while defending his invasion of Poland. It is a strong reminder of why it is vital to educate, share stories and keep memories alive in order to not repeat the terrible evils of the past.…
It is with heavy hearts that we acknowledge the recent devastating attacks in Sri Lanka, which took some 310 lives, including many Christians celebrating Easter Sunday. The bombs ripped through three churches, three luxury hotels, and two other locations, leaving shock, death, and despair in their wake. Police have arrested 24 people in connection with…
Something incredible just happened. After nearly 30 years in power, Sudan’s President — indicted war criminal and genocidal mastermind Omar al-Bashir — has been ousted and arrested by the military. Is this good news or bad news? And, what does this mean for the future of Sudan? The Darfur genocide that occurred 15 years ago…
Beginning on April 7, 1994, 25 years ago this Sunday, and continuing over the next 100 days, 800,000 Tutsis in Rwanda were slaughtered by members of Rwanda’s Hutu majority during an orchestrated campaign of widespread and unprecedented violence. Jewish World Watch stands in solidarity with the Rwandan people, and the memory of this horrific genocide…
Nothing blew me away on this trip to Bangladesh more than my visit to the largest Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, the sprawling Kutupalong megacamp where about 600,000 Rohingya refugees are living in chronically overcrowded and squalid conditions … indefinitely. The camp quite literally extends in every direction with no end in sight. It’s…
I had the privilege of meeting some extraordinary women over the course of this past week in Cox’s Bazar. There is no better time to tell their stories than on International Women’s Day. I spoke with them sitting cross-legged on the dirt or cement floors of their impermanent dwellings, and they let me catch a…
After an auspicious first day in the camps — in the sense that we got in and moved freely without incident — the second day brought unexpected challenges. I woke up to find out that street protests by the host community living adjacent to some of the camps were blocking any vehicles from going through,…
Yesterday was my first day in the camps. Haythem, from one of our partner organizations, met me and my traveling companion/friend/photographer Rares Michael Ghilezan at the airport at Cox’s Bazar. We quickly dropped off our luggage and then we were off to the camps, anxious about whether or not we would even be permitted to…
I arrived today in Cox’s Bazar, just a 1-hr flight from Dhaka, where I spent a day in transition on my trip from Los Angeles. Although the main mission of my trip has not yet begun, I have already seen and heard so much. Driving in Dhaka is an experience in and of itself. There are…
While in Washington, D.C. for the Lemkin Summit, I had the opportunity to meet with several members of Congress and/or their staff to discuss current or upcoming legislation related to the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities. Because 2019 ushered in a new Congress, everything done by the previous Congress has been thrown out, and…
The Walk to End Genocide is a community event that brings together activists of all ages and backgrounds to rise up in one united voice to say: “We will not stand idly by while genocide and mass atrocities occur.” Event highlights include: 5k walk & rally starting at Pan Pacific Park Jump-A-Thon for kids of…
The second day of the Lemkin Summit was largely focused on developing advocacy skills, in preparation for meeting with policymakers on the Hill. Because, as JWW’s advocacy director, I’m pretty familiar with this, the highlight of my day was connecting with my friend Joseph Mulala Nguramo, who was a presenter on one of the panels…
I’m currently attending the Lemkin Summit at American University in Washington, D.C., organized by the Enough Project. Saturday was the first day of the conference, focusing on the importance of targeting ill-gotten gains and the networks of corruption as a means of preventing future mass atrocities. The highlight of the day was a simulation exercise…
In the last week alone, more than 10,000 Syrian civilians have fled the fighting in the ISIS-held areas of Hajin enclave in Deir ez-Zor governorate in northeast Syria for Al-Hol camp in the Syrian Kurdish YPG-controlled Hassakeh region. Those fleeing this last ISIS enclave — a sliver of land along the Euphrates River — report…
The protests in Sudan have entered their sixth week. Instead of fading into oblivion under the weight of President Al-Bashir’s iron-fisted response, they have gathered momentum, evolving into a countrywide social change movement. The protests began in several cities on the outskirts of Khartoum in response to the elimination of a bread subsidy, that caused the…
Things were not looking good for the future of democracy in Congo yesterday, after African Heads of State convened at a summit in Addis Ababa to discuss the DRC’s contentious elections. While, at first, African leaders seemed unwilling to stand up to Congolese President Joseph Kabila and to question the duplicitous tactics of the Electoral…
U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law vital bipartisan legislation named for the late Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, the White House announced in a statement, on Jan. 15 – days before Holocaust Remembrance Day. The ELIE WIESEL GENOCIDE AND ATROCITY PREVENTION ACT (GAPA), approved unanimously by the Senate in December has been a cornerstone…
Sudan has been roiled by protests and concomitant violence since mid-December. What began as popular disapproval over steep hikes in bread prices, which tripled overnight due to a government cut of a vital bread subsidy, has now metamorphosed into growing anti-government rallies demanding President Omar al-Bashir’s resignation. The protests have spread to engulf towns and…
At around 3 a.m., Jan. 10, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, following numerous delays, Congo’s electoral commission finally declared Felix Tshisekedi the victor in the country’s contentious presidential election. While the declaration of a winner who is not Joseph Kabila – the dictatorial kleptocrat who has been president for the past 18 years…
The Congolese people are bracing for the results of the recent presidential election. Following a two-year delay in holding the highly anticipated election to unseat President Joseph Kabila, the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) finally got the chance to go to the polls on Dec 30. The lead up was not…
Dear Friend, In so many ways, we have just closed the book on an extremely difficult year. The Rohingya, Darfuris, Sudanese and South Sudanese, as well as the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria and now Yemen, all have needed our support more than ever, and throughout the past year you made clear that you…
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) much-anticipated presidential and parliamentary elections took place on Sunday, December 30th. In the past week alone, the elections were postponed by the electoral commission (CENI) from the 23rd to the 30th, and nearly 1.2 million people were excluded from the vote, allegedly due to public safety and security…
In the lead up to Sunday’s (re-)scheduled elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), every day brings word of some new large-scale human rights violation or atrocity rattling the conflict-beleaguered nation. Elections have been postponed and a large swath of the Congolese population has been blocked from casting their votes. The electoral commission…
At the end of each year, Jewish World Watch invites our board member Malkah Schulweis to share her thoughts. This year, Malkah chose this opportunity to re-introduce a poem by her late husband, Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis, who, along with Janice Kamenir-Reznik, founded JWW in 2004. The poem, excerpted below, describes the rabbi’s foundational belief…
When Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis (z”l) and I founded Jewish World Watch nearly 15 years ago, we envisioned a world in which the Jewish community would embody the post-Holocaust promise of “Never Again” for all people, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or any other trait. Today, this is more important than ever. This has been a year of…
Sattar, his mother and eight of his siblings fled their homes in Myanmar after uniformed troops attacked their village. Many of their neighbors were killed and they still do not know the whereabouts of their father. They spent several days hiding in the jungle and eventually escaped into Bangladesh. They were provided temporary shelter, but it…
At Jewish World Watch, we understand that building a community of people who do not stand idly by begins at home. Our network of humanitarians, empowered with the necessary knowledge and skills, have the ability to bring help and healing to survivors of mass atrocities around the globe. To achieve this, we: Teach about the dangerous…
Following months of deadly battles, the warring parties in Yemen agreed on Dec. 13 to a CEASEFIRE in Hodeidah, the flashpoint port city, which is Yemen’s main link to the outside world. This is an enormous breakthrough in what the UN calls the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” with rampant war crimes and crimes against humanity…
In a historic bipartisan rebuke to the Trump Administration, U.S. Senators passed a bipartisan resolution today to END U.S. SUPPORT for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen! Senators also assigned responsibility for the slaying of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the erratic de facto…
The House of Representatives declared Rohingya crisis in Burma/Myanmar a genocide. What we’ve been calling genocide for months has finally been recognized as such by the U.S. House! In a roll call vote on H. Res. 1091, the representatives voted 394 Yay, 1 Nay, and 37 abstained. A powerful statement of near unanimity, proving once again…
The Senate, by unanimous consent, on Wednesday, Dec. 12, passed the ELIE WIESEL GENOCIDE AND ATROCITY PREVENTION ACT (GAPA), finally completing its passage in both chambers! This has been a cornerstone of Jewish World Watch’s advocacy efforts for years. It’s incredible to finally see this vision of coordinated, holistic, and comprehensive genocide prevention realized! Thank you to both California…
The United States Congress may be lame-duck when it comes to other issues, but a bipartisan group is aggressively pushing forward genocide and atrocity-prevention legislation in the last few weeks of the session, which is spectacular news! Today alone has already brought three incredible developments: The Senate, by unanimous consent, on Wednesday, Dec. 12, passed…
Advocacy, designed to create change, is an essential component of Jewish World Watch’s work. By joining your fellow JWW Upstanders, you spoke out with passion about issues crucial to the safety and livelihood of survivors of genocide and mass atrocities around the world. Over the past year, your calls, emails and visits to elected officials…
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Genocide Convention. Catalyzed by the “never again” sentiment pervading the aftermath of World War II, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide codified and outlawed this most heinous and unconscionable of crimes. The Genocide Convention has been ratified by 149 member states. But…
After Bangladesh and Myanmar officials met in Dhaka in late October, they announced that they had developed a concrete plan to begin repatriation in mid-November, with the first round to include 2,260 Rohingya from 485 families. Starting on November 15, 150 refugee would be received each week at the Nga Khu Ya reception center before…
Although a genocide designation shouldn’t matter, since a country’s responsibilities to protect innocent civilians should be triggered whenever and wherever mass atrocities are under way, it does matter legally. The Genocide Convention requires signatories to take stronger punitive measures when the intent to annihilate or wipe out a particular group is present. Given America’s increasingly…
Jewish World Watch was one of the first organizations to officially call the Tatmadaw’s (Burmese military) persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority a de jure genocide. Since JWW made its genocide designation, numerous entities have followed suit, including the UN fact-finding mission. Although individual lawmakers have taken the brave step of using the “g” word, the State…
[UPDATE: Dec. 12, 2018] President Donald Trump signed legislation on Tuesday to help ensure humanitarian relief reaches the members of religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria who have been targeted for genocide by Islamic State militants. “In recent years, IS has committed horrifying atrocities against religious and ethnic minorities in Syria and Iraq, including…
The House of Representatives passed the “Democratic Republic of the Congo Democracy and Accountability Act of 2018” (H.R. 6207) on Nov. 27. Jewish World Watch (JWW) has strongly been advocating for the adoption of this crucial piece of legislation since it was introduced by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ-4), with Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37) and Rep.…
Big news for Yemen — finally, Congress has stepped up to the plate and managed to get the ball rolling on ending the Administration’s facilitation of war crimes and crimes against humanity in this impoverished nation, which has been deemed the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. In a 63-37 vote, lawmakers discharged S. J.…
In my last update on Darfur, I expressed skepticism regarding the United Nations’ assessment that the situation in Sudan had significantly improved. I detailed some of the violence that continues to pepper the region, including some skirmishes between returnees and new settlers stemming from competition for land. The U.N., Government of Sudan, and mainstream media…
I mentioned in my last piece on the “mega-crisis” rocking the Congo that sources familiar with the situation on the ground in North Kivu’s Beni area believe that ethnic cleansing, i.e., forced deportation, of the Nande people is underway. Since late 2014, nearly 1,000 civilians have been murdered, and hundreds of thousands have fled their…
Jewish World Watch (JWW) supports multiple programs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including educational initiatives, mass information campaigns around gender-based violence, peace and leadership trainings, and skills development to help war-affected communities move from mere surviving to thriving. At one point, when the situation on the ground remained relatively calm, JWW internally…
UPDATE — Nov. 7, 2018: The student captives have been released after being held hostage for about two days. More than 70 students were dropped off at the campus of their Presbyterian Secondary School in Nkwen, from where they had been abducted two nights prior. Despite the posting of a video in which a group…
“I feel my friend’s pain and my pain. I don’t feel anything else.” These are the words of 12 year Yemeni boy Khaled, one of the few survivors of the Aug. 9 bombing of a school bus taking school children to a picnic. Yemen is one of the most dangerous places in the world to…
By now, most Americans have heard about the massacre of 11 Jews at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh this past Saturday. Jewish World Watch (JWW) was created to monitor and call attention to mass atrocities and genocides worldwide. When most of our work is focused on countries in the Global South or areas…
We are all connected, and our hearts are broken. As the tragic news poured out of Pittsburgh on Saturday morning, many Jews in Los Angeles spoke of their own close ties to the Tree of Life Synagogue, where 11 people were murdered during a Shabbat morning service by a gunman spewing anti-Semitic hatred. We see…
Sermon by Rabbi David Wolpe: “Even a hunter cannot kill a bird that flies to him for refuge.” This Samurai maxim inspired one gifted and courageous man to save thousands of people in defiance of his government and at the cost of his career. On Friday I came to Nagoya at the invitation of the Japanese government…
To be a Jew is to wonder where God is when bad things happen to good people, and, where God was when bad things happened to our people – like the Holocaust, and the Inquisition and the pogroms, and the recent death of Lisa, a 51 year old congregant, mother of 4 … and the…
Lech Lecha is the story of the start of the Jewish people. In this parasha, God tells Avram, or as we will come to know him, Abraham, to leave his home and go to the land that God will show to him. This land is, of course, Canaan, which we know today as Israel. God…
Jewish World Watch has collected sermon excerpts from rabbis throughout Los Angeles in honor of National Refugee Shabbat. We also received a wonderful excerpt from a Bar Mitzvah speech. “The Japanese Man Who Saved 6,000 Jews With His Handwriting” by Rabbi David Wolpe “Even a hunter cannot kill a bird that flies to him for…
South Sudan is the world’s youngest country, made up of 10 states, and home to over 60 different major ethnic groups. Salva Kiir Mayardit became president of South Sudan—then still part of Sudan—and head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in 2005, succeeding long-time rebel leader John Garang, who died in a helicopter crash. …
Last week, Jewish World Watch (JWW) co-sponsored a conference at Loyola Law School called “New Challenges to Justice: Genocide in the 21st Century.” The event began with a screening on Thursday evening of “Amae, Thamee, Ama (Mother, Daughter, Sister),” a documentary by Jeanne Hallecy about the Burmese military’s practice of using rape as a weapon…
Sometimes it seems as though the world has almost given up on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). After decades of conflict, many in the international community looked at the resource-rich nation as a lost cause. The large proxy war, known as Africa’s first world war, may have subsided, but violence flares up regularly…
Jewish World Watch (JWW) came into being as a response to the Darfur genocide. The Darfuris remain a vital cornerstone of our work. We continue to monitor and support the refugees living in camps in Chad 15 years after fleeing their homes in western Sudan, as well as the internally displaced persons in the Darfur…
Since our first visit with Dr. Denis Mukwege, who has just been named the 2018 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, JWW has met on multiple occasions in in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Dr. Mukwege, and we have proudly supported his remarkable work with rape survivors at the Panzi hospital in Bukavu. …
Last Saturday, I had the privilege of attending the Convention on Myanmar’s Ongoing Genocide, organized by Jewish World Watch’s long-time partner, the Burmese American Muslims Association (BAMA). BAMA asked me to say a few words and when I arrived I was treated not only like a keynote speaker, but as a member of the family.…
The bodies of two children, a two-year old boy and a newborn girl, were dug up Sept. 16 from under the rubble left in the wake of the Saudi-led coalition’s air strikes in a civilian neighborhood in Saada province. The children were from an internally displaced family who had recently relocated to Saada’s Marran district after…
The holiday of Yom Kippur offers a time for reflection, a time to see ourselves as inextricable from a larger community, sharing responsibility not only for our own lives, but also those of others. I think of the concept of shared responsibility often in our work at Jewish World Watch — not in the promises…
Our small, extraordinarily efficient partners bringing hospital supplies into Syria are likely your best option for getting aid directly where you want it to go – to the doctors inside Idlib, and the people whose lives they are saving. We say this in the wake of an article published yesterday by IRIN, a respected news…
Myanmar, also known as Burma, continues to make international headlines … and not in a good way. Almost daily, there are developments that confirm the country’s utter disregard for human rights and humanitarian law. Despite consistent outrage from global media, scholars, leading organizations, and protesters, the United States has offered little in response. So far,…
Jewish World Watch received upsetting news last week that Noura Hussein is in trouble once again. Her execution is not off the table, after all. Noura, a 19-year old Sudanese girl, was sentenced to death in May for fatally stabbing her 35-year old husband, Abdel Rahman Mohamed Hammad, in self-defense. She had been forced to…
It’s been an important few days for the Rohingya Muslim minority of Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Aug. 25 marked the first anniversary of the Myanmar military’s crackdown on the Rohingya — the killing of thousands, destruction of villages, mass rapes of women and children, and the exodus of nearly 700,000 Rohingya into neighboring Bangladesh. Rallies world-wide…
Aug. 25 marks the one-year anniversary of the start of the Myanmar (also known as Burma) military’s “clearance operations” against the Rohingya population in Rakhine State. While many experts, international organizations operating on the ground, and states have categorized the atrocities that followed as genocide, others have been hesitant to use the term, including the…
When news of the Trump administration’s new Genocide Recovery and Persecution Response Program was announced in late July by Vice President Pence, it sounded good on its face. Pence spoke of the program during the State Department’s inaugural “Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom,” an event intended to “focus on concrete outcomes that reaffirm international commitments…
by Susan Freudenheim, executive director, and Ann Strimov Durbin, director of advocacy and grantmaking Tear gas fired into maternity wards. Pro-democracy protesters arrested, tortured, wounded, some even killed. Children attacked with machetes. Villages reduced to ash. These scenes were witnessed in recent days by the Jewish World Watch (JWW) field representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).…
Scores of innocent children died last Thursday in a senseless attack on a school bus in Yemen. On August 9, an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition fighting Shiite rebels hit a bus driving in the busy Dahyan market in Majz District of Saada province, a Houthi stronghold that lies along the border with Saudi Arabia.…
Thirty-two former U.S. diplomats and 11 aid groups penned a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on July 23, urging him not to eliminate an important State Department refugee bureau, warning that the move would be “an error of grave proportion.” The letter emphasizes the importance of the Department of State Bureau of Population,…
Can jumping rope help survivors of genocide and mass atrocities? It can when the Hirschhorn sisters get involved! Following in the footsteps of her older sister Michelle, Ariella Hirschhorn is reviving the fundraiser that Michelle started in 2006 as a “Jump for Darfur.” Ariella’s jump-a thon, called “Jump-4-Syrian-Children”, takes place on June 10, 2018, as…
On Tuesday, May 8, Jewish World Watch (JWW) celebrated its 14th year by honoring Ben Reznik as the 2018 Global Soul award recipient, recognizing his incredible commitment to and service on behalf of our organization. Held in the outdoor courtyard of the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City, Global Soul helped raised critical funds…
“Just as my dreams have come true in coming [to the Iridimi refugee camp in Chad] to see this [Solar Cooker] project to fruition, here’s hoping the refugees’ dream of going back to their homes in a safe and secure Darfur happens soon… or at least within our lifetime.” – Rachel Andres, Director, Solar Cooker…
Today, on Yom HaShoah, we remember the 6 million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust – simply because they were Jews. It was then that the mantra “Never again” was born. And yet it did happen again … in Cambodia and in Bosnia, in Rwanda and in Darfur. And it’s still happening today. Just look…
Jewish World Watch’s field representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Amani Matabaro Tom, recently visited Los Angeles, where he briefed members of the board and staff on current events and our ongoing partnerships, and he spoke at a community event focused on issues facing refugees. Tom, 41, is the executive director and…
High school student activists at Milken Community Schools, in partnership with Jewish World Watch, educated their peers and the community about the issues facing refugees at the YOZMA Siyyum Celebration and Action Fair on March 23. Yozma, which means “initiative” in Hebrew, is Milken’s social action leadership initiative. At the recent event, groups shared their…
The statistics concerning women and violence are staggering: An estimated one out of every three women in the world will be beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused during her lifetime. At least 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone female genital mutilation, and almost 750 million were married before they turned 18.…
Jewish World Watch’s Teen Ambassador Program (TAP) not only can make a difference in how young people view the world; it can change their inner lives as well. That was the message relayed by various participants who addressed nearly 20 local students during a “Taste of TAP” event on Feb. 25. The free event at…
As Purim begins tonight, Jews around the world will read the Book of Esther and use a chorus of boos and noisemakers to drown out the name of Haman, the villain who sought to destroy all the Jews. Unfortunately, though the story is ancient, Haman’s spirit remains alive and well in today’s world: It survives…
Today is the 15th anniversary of the start of conflict in Darfur, the first genocide of the 21st century. The Darfur genocide has caused the deaths of approximately 400,000 Darfuris, and displaced more than three million people. Although the International Criminal Court has indicted Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against…
The United Nations has designated Feb. 20 a World Day of Social Justice. Here at Jewish World Watch, we appreciate the recognition of this important type of work, but we also see it as a sad reminder of how much healing the world still needs. Across the globe you’ll still find civilians who are attacked…
More than 150 students and adults eager to learn about ongoing mass atrocities and what they can do about them will gather from Feb. 10-12 in Washington, D.C., for the third annual Lemkin Summit to End Genocide and Mass Atrocities. The Summit, held at American University, is named after Polish lawyer and activist Raphael Lemkin…
Harry Davids’ parents were killed at the Sobibor extermination camp when he was just a child, so he knows all too well what happens when good people don’t act when confronted with wrongdoing. He also knows the positive difference a single person can make in the world. Harry, a Jew born into Nazi-occupied Holland, owes…
Imagine that you need to leave your home in a hurry. For many of us, it could be the result of an environmental disaster – a flood, fire, or storm. But for millions of others across the globe, the reason they become displaced is much more sinister: war, genocide, or other mass atrocities. On Jan.…
Today, a broad coalition of organizations from across the Jewish community — including leaders of major organizations and the Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative and Orthodox movements — released a letter urging the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to advance the Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act of 2017 (S. 2060). Twenty-four national organizations, including Jewish World Watch,…
To all of our supporters and friends: As we begin the work of 2018, we want to first take a moment to thank you for all your amazing contributions in 2017. You spoke up for people fleeing genocide and mass atrocities. You helped restore the dignity of Rohingya refugees with medical and sanitary care kits. You helped bring much…
Jewish World Watch staged a public Rally for the Rohingya on Nov. 8 in front of the Myanmar Consulate, decrying “ethnic cleansing” and facing off with deniers of the crisis. LOS ANGELES — More than 50 Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and others turned out during the noon hour on Wednesday, Nov. 8, to march and…
Background: The Rohingya are a minority ethnic group from Myanmar’s Rakhine State – they are mostly Muslim but there are also some Hindu. The Rohingya population are denied citizenship under the 1982 Myanmar nationality law, despite being able to trace Rohingya history to the 8th century. They are restricted from freedom of movement, state education…
Below is an excerpt from an op-ed by Mike Brand just published by IRIN: “There are no opportunities for youth here,” said Yar, a 20-year-old South Sudanese refugee from Jonglei, stuck in the Nyumanzi refugee settlement in northern Uganda. Her words were echoed in conversations I had throughout my two-week visit to the settlements. Since…
On Friday Oct. 6, the Trump administration decided to lift economic sanctions on the genocidal regime in Sudan citing, “the Government of Sudan’s sustained positive actions to maintain a cessation of hostilities in conflict areas in Sudan, improve humanitarian access throughout Sudan, and maintain cooperation with the United States on addressing regional conflicts and the…
Reflections on the horror at Charlottesville… Until this past weekend, Charlottesville, Va., was best known as the home of the University of Virginia, one of the best universities in the country. It was also touted as the home of Thomas Jefferson, a founding father and champion of free speech and free press, albeit also a…
Our Summer 2017 teen interns, Gianna Barwald (15), and Noah Stark (17), listened to the powerful sermon that called for the creation of Jewish World Watch given by Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis (z”l) in 2004. (Read or listen to the sermon). Below are their thoughts. Gianna Barwald Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis, the founder of Jewish World Watch, stated a…
**JWW’s Director of Advocacy and Programs, Mike Brand, is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) visiting JWW’s partner programs, speaking with civil society leaders on the forefront of the pro-democracy movement, and meeting with officials from MONUSCO (the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC). Follow his updates on our blog and social media.**…
I’m back in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) visiting JWW’s partner programs, speaking with civil society leaders on the forefront of the pro-democracy movement, and meeting with officials from MONUSCO…
On Monday, a top official at the United States Department of State announced that the U.S. believes the Syrian regime has “authorized the extrajudicial killings of thousands of detainees using mass hangings at the Saydnaya military prison” outside Damascus. Further, the U.S. believes the Assad government has built a crematorium to dispose of the bodies…
If you ever wonder whether or not our advocacy makes a difference, here’s your answer: it does! Thanks to the grassroots advocacy done by all of you, and the high-level advocacy we are able to do from our office and in Washington, DC, we make a difference. Yesterday the House of Representatives passed House Resolution 187: Relating to…
The excerpt below is from a recent Op-Ed piece in the Jewish Journal by Susan Freudenheim: Each year, we gather with family and friends for our Passover seder. We lift the matzo and remember how we were once slaves in the land of Egypt. We talk about the blood, locusts, boils, hail and so on,…
The Guardian reported on Feb. 8 that President Trump is expected to sign a memorandum that would suspend Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act, the conflict minerals provision established in 2010 to break the link between minerals and mass atrocities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Conflict minerals are minerals such as tin, tantalum,…
Last Friday, the White House did not mention Jews in its Holocaust Remembrance Day message; it was the first time that the 6 million Jews who died have been overlooked in an official message of this sort. Jewish organizations were outraged, including the Zionist Organization of America, which otherwise supports the new Trump administration. Nevertheless,…
I marched on Saturday with 749,999 of my fellow Angelenos: old and young, different races and genders, some wearing hats, and many carrying signs with a plethora of diverse messages. People marched for many different reasons: for women’s rights to gay rights to human rights; from a request for unity to a more divisive declaration…
The Trump administration, as one of its first actions, is expected to completely shut our borders to people fleeing mass atrocities and violent conflict. We must not stand idly by! Jewish World Watch is dedicated to fighting genocide and mass atrocities. The United States was built by people fleeing persecution, and with more refugees in the…
JWW’s Director of Advocacy and Programs Mike Brand wrote in The Hill today about President Obama’s decision to lift sanctions and open up trade with Sudan; a regime that has continually committed genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity against its own people. Read the full article here. [break] “As a senator, Barack Obama was a staunch advocate for…
I have been involved with nonprofits for over 25 years, and while I have had the privilege of working with other organizations that do extraordinary work on various important issues, there are few whose staff and leadership are as committed to the mission of the organization as those at Jewish World Watch. JWW is made…
A deal has been reached in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for President Joseph Kabila to step down from power, paving the way for the country’s first democratic transfer of power. While the deal is clearly a welcomed alternative to Kabila staying in power indefinitely, and will hopefully avoid further bloodshed, major challenges still…
What do South Sudanese See as the Way Forward? It has now been three years since violence first broke out in the world’s newest nation. What began as a fight between different factions of the Presidential Guard on December 15, 2013, quickly grew into a full-blown ethnic conflict that rapidly spread across the country. Mass…
JWW’s Director of Advocacy and Programs Mike Brand speaks out in an interview with the International Business Times UK about how a bad situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could get worse with a change in foreign policy under the new US administration. Note: This article originally appeared in the International Business Times. Read the full…
[su_quote]I have said before that we have collectively failed the people of Syria. The Security Council has not exercised its preeminent responsibility with regard to the maintenance of international peace and security…History will not easily absolve us, but this failure compels us to do even more to offer the people of Aleppo our solidarity at…
Last year, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly established December 9th as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. This date was chosen because on December 9, 1948. the newly created United Nations adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment…
Great news! Thanks to the work of atrocities prevention advocates like you, Congress is standing up for the Syrian and Congolese people. This week The House of Representatives passed: The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016 (H.R.5732): A bill that seeks to help “halt the wholesale slaughter of the Syrian people, encourage a negotiated political settlement,…
There has been much talk of the prevalence of rape culture in the United States during the past year – on college campuses, in the military and on the streets. For a vision of how to stop the violence, we can turn to an innovative program supported by Jewish World Watch that is taking place…
Dear Friends of Jewish World Watch, In recent weeks, as I’ve stepped up to take the helm of this amazing organization, I have witnessed first-hand the passion inspired by our mission to eliminate genocide and mass atrocities from our world. Even when at times our task has seemed insurmountable, your commitment has been undiminished. Thousands…
The situation in South Sudan is rapidly deteriorating. While mass atrocities in the form of war crimes, crimes against humanity and possibly even genocide have been committed since the civil war first broke out in December 2013, the recent uptick in violence and ethnically charged rhetoric is particularly worrisome. Since July 2016, widespread violence and…
*Brooke Cichosz, a 2016 Schulweis Fellow contributed to this post. Imagine if you were forced to flee your home. What would you bring? What could you bring? Where would you go if you had never been more than 2 miles outside of your hometown your entire life? These are just some of the tough decisions facing…
*JWW’s Consultant in the Congo contributed to this post. Democratic Republic of the Congo President Joseph Kabila has intentionally failed to respect his country’s constitution and the obligation to organize presidential elections. Since President Kabila’s second term is coming to an end and the constitution of the DRC does not allow the president a third…
The Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis Social Justice Fellowship, named to honor JWW’s co-founder, the visionary longtime leader of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, is a year-long internship for college and graduate-school students. Rabbi Schulweis envisioned a network of students, multiplying annually, who would help to carry out JWW’s mission — to not stand idly by…
In October, JWW launched a new initiative aimed at bringing high school students together from schools throughout L.A. County to develop a cohort of educated teen activists: the JWW Teen Ambassador Program, or TAP. The 2016-17 TAP group, comprised of 21 student Ambassadors from 11 public and private high schools, will meet monthly to learn, share…
This week Jews throughout the world will celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, traditionally a time for giving thanks for the bounty of the harvest. Named for the sukkah, the temporary dwelling in which farmers in ancient Israel lived while harvesting their crops, Sukkot also recalls the fragile dwellings in which the Israelites lived during their…
Since 2011, when the Syrian people peacefully rose up to protest decades of dictatorial leadership by the Assad family, Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, responded in the most brutal fashion. The result of that response has been: an international war, the rise of various extremist groups, the deaths of over 400,000 individuals, and the displacement of…
It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly’s wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world. This is the part of Chaos Theory, called the “Butterfly Effect”, that explains that one small change can influence a big change later. The quote has also been used to express…
Rosh Hashanah is an ideal time to celebrate change and renewal. Along with holiday wishes, we would like to share some wonderful news of a New Beginning for the New Year: Jewish World Watch is pleased to announce Susan Freudenheim as our new Executive Director. Susan has been Executive Editor of the Jewish Journal since 2011…
This weekend, our Director of Advocacy and Programs, Mike Brand, will be traveling to Washington, DC for the Coalition of Advocates for South Sudan’s (CASS) second annual conference that is taking place on Sunday September 25th. This year’s theme is Unity and Partnership: Supporting a Just and Sustainable Peace in South Sudan. CASS’s membership is…
Refugee Summit Must Address the Cause: Conflict. 65 million people, that’s the population of the United Kingdom. Imagine if the entire population of the UK was forced to flee their homes. What would the world’s response be? How would we help? Now think about this very real-life scenario: today over 65 million people around the…
When did the world forget that Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir is a wanted génocidaire and war criminal? Between the European Union’s multi-million dollar deal that would effectively pay Sudan to prevent refugees from fleeing into Europe, and Israel’s attempts to influence western nations to normalize relations with Sudan, it seems as if the world has…
One of the great pleasures of my job is that I get to work with so many incredible people. Through the Walk to End Genocide in each of its locations, to our advocacy events, fundraisers and speaking engagements, I have come to know hundreds of activists. The youngest activist I met was an adorable three…
On World Humanitarian Day, I find myself extremely frustrated with number of seemingly endless atrocities happening around the world. Conflicts are killing individuals, destroying communities, and displacing millions. On a day that marks those who seek to make people’s lives better, I wonder why there are so many individuals who seek to make others’ lives…
In the midst of the world’s greatest sporting event is a small group of competitors representing history’s greatest refugee crisis. For the first time ever in Olympic competition a Refugee Olympic Team is marching and competing under the Olympic banner. These ten athletes represent over 21.3 million refugees worldwide—individuals who have fled their countries due…
Jewish World Watch is deeply concerned by the latest attempt of President Joseph Kabila to silence any objective research and reporting by human rights defenders. Today, Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced that Ida Sawyer, a Senior Researcher for HRW based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had her work permit revoked and is being forced…
When discussing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the issue of ‘conflict minerals’ is almost always a part of the conversation. Conflict minerals refers to the tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold (3TG) that are mined in the DRC’s eastern region, and have a history of being used as a source of funding…
It’s that time of year again. The August Congressional recess is rapidly approaching, which means your Representatives will be home in their district offices. This is a perfect time for you to schedule a meeting with your Representative and Senators to discuss atrocities prevention, and update them on the situations in Sudan, South Sudan, and…
**This Blog post was written by our two summer Federation Interns: Gabby Blum and Emma Aaronson** Gabby: As a Jewish child I was taught about the horrific events that occurred during the Holocaust. It was very impactful when I was constantly faced with stories and photos about one of the most infamous events in…
Last weekend, heavy fighting broke out between government and opposition soldiers in Juba, South Sudan, killing approximately 300 and displacing thousands. It has been nearly a year since a peace agreement was signed in August 2015 to end the “meaningless war,” as President Salva Kiir has characterized it, but little progress has been made to…
This weekend we lost a giant. Elie Wiesel passed away at the age of 87. The Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner may be best known for his widely read book “Night,” the story of his time in the concentration camps Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Wiesel was not only a Holocaust survivor, but an outspoken advocate for…
After more than two years of unnecessary war that accomplished nothing—except the destruction of the country—South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar wrote in the New York Times yesterday that what their country needs to move forward is not justice, but truth telling. The brutal civil war which saw horrific mass…
* A special report from our consultant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Eastern Congo May 26 – Masses of demonstrators, mainly made up of civil society organizations and opposition parties’ supporters, joined in the streets this morning to protest against a likely third term by President Joseph Kabila. People were protesting nationwide against the May 11th ruling by Congo’s highest court…
Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir, recently traveled to two nearby African nations and faced no consequences, despite the fact that he is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for counts of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. On May 8, 2016 Bashir traveled to Djibouti for the inauguration of President Ismail Omar Guelleh. One…
The 2016 Walk to End Genocide was a great success in all its locations this year, and in Los Angeles it garnered coverage from several media outlets. Click below to view the news reports… KTLA: KNBC: KCAL: CBS LA (links to video on their site):
*A post from our consultant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. * This year, all eyes are on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The second term of President Joseph Kabila will end in 2016. Elections are scheduled for later this year, and according to the Constitution President Kabila cannot stand for a third…
Today, 120 members of Congress called on President Obama to make Sudan a foreign policy priority, hold Sudanese leaders accountable, and protect civilians from ongoing violence. Among other recommendations, the bipartisan letter included a request to enhance the current sanctions regime to target high-level officials in Sudan, and to counter gold as a major source…
Last month, during Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month, and the 101st commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, the Wall Street Journal ran a full-page ad for a group that denies the Armenian genocide. The events that unfolded in the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1916 are widely recognized as genocide by scholars, activists, and museums alike. The United States…
The Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking ethnic and religious minority living primarily in northern Iraq. Sunni Jihadists and the Islamic State in particular, regard the Yazidis as ‘devil worshippers’ who have two options: atone and convert, or face death. On August 3rd, 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) viciously attacked and took…
Presidential election years are a great opportunity for advocates to shape candidates’ positions on various issues. Social media platforms have proven to be effective in grasping the attention of candidates and getting a response. Help us grab the attention of the current presidential candidates. Join us in asking the next President of the United States…
Today, Jewish World Watch joined 11 organizations, including InterAction an alliance of over 180 nongovernmental organizations operating around the world, to issue a statement on the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. The statement calls on the conflicting parties, and the impending transitional government, to immediately address the food security crisis the conflict has caused. If…
In 1913, the ultra-nationalist Young-Turks took political control of the Ottoman Empire, now Turkey. The group sought to develop a unified empire with one language and one religion that would be able to expand its power to the East. When WWI broke out, the regime, which sided with Germany and Austria-Hungary, took action to disarm…
In March 1992, the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina declared independence from The Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia. The event followed a series of incidents that would ultimately culminate in the breakup of Yugoslavia. Bosnian Serbs however, were unhappy with the newfound independence. They wanted to be part of a dominant Serbian state—and not a state with…
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been plagued by violence, corruption, and poor governance for decades. Since the Second Congo War in 1998, conflict in eastern DRC has claimed over 5.4 million lives, and displaced more than three million people. Various militia groups and government forces are both responsible for committing heinous crimes…
On April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge, under the leadership of Pol Pot, took control of Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. Over the course of the next four years, the Khmer Rouge murdered nearly two million people while attempting to establish a strictly Communist society. The Khmer Rouge sought to transform Cambodia into…
In 2005, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ended Sudan’s decades-long civil war and provided the southerners an option to vote to secede from Sudan. On July 9, 2011, South Sudan became an independent country with the support of the United States. Two years after independence growing tensions within the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM)…
Sudan has undergone two civil wars spanning decades, resulting in an estimated 2 million deaths and 3.1 million displaced. In 2003, rebels from the western region of Sudan, known as Darfur, rose up against the government in Khartoum, claiming inequitable treatment of the “African” Sudanese population. The government responded by recruiting the Janjaweed, an Arab…
Today we mark the 22nd anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. April 6, 1994 began 100 days of horrific violence and slaughter that would leave nearly one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus dead. Looking back at the Rwandan genocide, we are reminded of the countless warning signs that went unheeded, the propaganda that poisoned the minds…
The Holocaust refers to the systematic persecution and murder of about six million Jews during World War II by the Nazi regime and its supporters. The Nazis used the phrase “Final Solution” to speak of their plan to wipe out the Jewish people. Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, the systematic targeting of the Jews…
April 1st is the first day of Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month, a month of remembrance, reflection, and action. The anniversaries of several genocides take place in April—including Rwanda, Cambodia, and Armenia—with Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) falling on May 5th this year. Jewish World Watch will be sharing a series of blogs and social media…
Twenty five student leaders from universities across the United States call on Secretary Kerry to send a clear message to President Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that he cannot extend his time in office. In a letter sent to the Secretary of State, these student leaders from Jewish World Watch, the Enough…
As we take the day to celebrate the achievements of women around the world and appreciate the significant roles of women globally, we must also acknowledge that in 2016, women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected by violence, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In 2010, Margot Wallstrom, the United Nations…
Today marks the 7th anniversary of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity. In 2008, chief prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, brought the case against Bashir stating that there was evidence that the President implemented a strategic plan to destroy…
The ongoing genocide in Darfur has multiple interwoven causes. While rooted in structural inequity between the center of the country around the Nile and the “peripheral” areas such as Darfur, tensions were exacerbated in the last two decades of the twentieth century by a combination of environmental calamity, political opportunism and regional geopolitics. Darfur is…
From January 30-February 1, over 150 passionate activists from across the country, of various ages and backgrounds, gathered to attend the Lemkin Summit to End Genocide and Mass Atrocities, a three-day conference organized by Jewish World Watch and the Enough Project in Washington D.C. The conference was named after Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term…
Once again, JWW is co-hosting a conference and advocacy day in Washington, D.C. Activists from across the nation will come together to learn about genocide and mass atrocities prevention, and then take that knowledge to the Capitol. Join us! When: Saturday January 30 – Monday February 1, 2016 Where: American University, Washington D.C. Who: Open…
Burundi has been experiencing waves of protests, targeted killings, mass violence, and displacement since the lead up to controversial elections in July, 2015 in which President Pierre Nkurunziza was elected to a third term in office—something the constitution and peace accords that ended a more than decade-long civil war prohibited. In the aftermath of the…
On Nov. 18th, Jewish World Watch (JWW) will present its Global Soul Award to the four members of the Katzburg Gabriel Family — Stuart Gabriel, Judith Katzburg, Jesse Gabriel and Oren Gabriel — in recognition of their efforts to prevent genocide, mass atrocities to alleviate the suffering of survivors in Darfur and the Democratic Republic…
Click here to read an article from The UCLA Anderson Blog.
Janice Kamenir-Reznik and Zev Yaroslavsky write in the Daily News about why the United States cannot shut it’s doors to Syrian refugees. The article is reproduced below: Over the past week, America’s worst impulses have threatened to overtake its greatest values in the public debate about whether to allow Syrian refugees to enter the United States. In…
The Obama Administration has made great progress on prioritizing genocide and mass atrocities prevention in US foreign policy, however more needs to be done. Make your voice heard, tell Members of Congress, the Obama Administration, and Presidential candidates to make genocide and atrocities prevention a priority. Genocide & Atrocities Prevention – The US Government Can…
The debates throughout the primary and general election season are a huge opportunity for you to make your voice heard and ask the candidates serious questions about genocide and atrocities prevention. By introducing these questions, we start a narrative on genocide prevention — one which the candidates, and then future President, will be beholden to.…
eTown honored JWW President and Co-Founder Janice Kamenir-Reznik with their eCheivement Award in August 2015. Watch the video below.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calfi. – While Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks opened its doors to charitable activities Sunday in observance of National Mitzvah Day, students at the synagogue learned how to make a difference in the world.
The crisis in Syria and the suffering of the Syrian people shocks the conscience. While the crisis will not be solved tomorrow, the world can step up and help those who are fleeing violence and oppression. As President Obama said during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, “There are no easy answers to…
Jewish World Watch (JWW) expresses its deep concern and disappointment with President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s recent announcement to divide South Sudan’s current 10 states into 28. This plan stands in direct contrast with the peace agreement signed on August 26th and threatens to lead the country towards further conflict. With ongoing ceasefire negotiations by both…
Each New Year brings new opportunities. I’m proud to say that Jewish World Watch (JWW) has wasted no time in 5776 in turning our Jewish values into action. Click here to continue reading an article in the Jewish Journal.
When girls three years old and younger are brutally raped and sometimes left permanently damaged for the rest of their lives, impunity cannot be the answer. In a town called Kavumu, about 40 kilometers north of Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) young girls are facing a constant threat that they will be abducted…
JWW Board Member Diana Buckhantz and Director of Policy and Programs Mike Brand are traveling in the Democratic of Republic of Congo’s eastern provinces to work with survivors of the country’s decades-long conflict, which has claimed nearly six million lives. They are meeting with JWW’s partners on the ground, with whom JWW works to create…
JWW Board Member Diana Buckhantz and Director of Policy and Programs Mike Brand are traveling in the Democratic of Republic of Congo’s eastern provinces to work with survivors of the country’s decades-long conflict, which has claimed nearly six million lives. They are meeting with JWW’s partners on the ground, with whom JWW works to…
JWW Board Member Diana Buckhantz and Director of Policy and Programs Mike Brand are traveling in the Democratic of Republic of Congo’s eastern provinces to work with survivors of the country’s decades-long conflict, which has claimed nearly six million lives. They are meeting with JWW’s partners on the ground, with whom JWW works to create…
With the number of Syrian refugees climbing above 4 million, local Jewish organizations are taking note and reaching out. Jewish World Watch (JWW), whose mission is fighting genocide, recently launched a fundraising campaign that has collected about $10,000 to help fund fully vetted organizations that are aiding refugees, JWW president and co-founder, Janice Kamenir-Reznik, said.…
Will Recant pulls both heartstrings and purse strings for a living. As the head of the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief, a consortium of 49 national Jewish organizations, he has been at the center of the American Jewish reaction to 20 global crises in the last 20 years. Of late, his focus has been on…
JWW Board Member Diana Buckhantz and Director of Policy and Programs Mike Brand are traveling in the Democratic of Republic of Congo’s eastern provinces to work with survivors of the country’s decades-long conflict, which has claimed nearly six million lives. They are meeting with JWW’s partners on the ground, with whom JWW works to create…
JWW Board Member Diana Buckhantz and Director of Policy and Programs Mike Brand are traveling in the Democratic of Republic of Congo’s eastern provinces to work with survivors of the country’s decades-long conflict, which has claimed nearly six million lives. They are meeting with JWW’s partners on the ground, with whom JWW works to…
JWW Board Member Diana Buckhantz and Director of Policy and Programs Mike Brand are traveling in the Democratic of Republic of Congo’s eastern provinces to work with survivors of the country’s decades-long conflict, which has claimed nearly six million lives. They are meeting with JWW’s partners on the ground, with whom JWW works to…
JWW Board Member Diana Buckhantz and Director of Policy and Programs Mike Brand are traveling in the Democratic of Republic of Congo’s eastern provinces to work with survivors of the country’s decades-long conflict, which has claimed nearly six million lives. They are meeting with JWW’s partners on the ground, with whom JWW works to create…
Today, Amnesty International took an important step in the continued fight for conflict free minerals by filing a petition asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to reconsider an earlier decision affecting Section 1502 of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Section 1502 requires that companies submit…
The following blog was written by Lior Azariya , who interned with JWW this past summer. *** I have always been interested in international politics. Yet, I had not found a real passion for human rights and development until I studied abroad in London during my junior year of college and took classes studying that…
The following blog was written by Ally Harris, who interned with JWW this past summer and is now joining the 2015-2016 Cohort of Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis University Fellows. *** Almost two years ago, at the beginning of my senior year of high school, my international relations teacher had our class watch Hotel Rwanda as…
The following blog was written by Jake Phillips, who interned with JWW this past summer and is now joining the 2015-2016 Cohort of Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis University Fellows. *** I had the great fortune of being able to intern at Jewish World Watch this summer. Not only has the entire experience been educational, enjoyable,…
This past year, my congregation at Valley Beth Shalom — and the greater Jewish community — lost a giant. Rabbi Harold Schulweis z”l, of blessed memory, was an incredible scholar, a visionary for justice, and an exceptional leader in the deepest sense of the word. As we move through the High Holidays this year —…
Sudan’s President Omar al- Bashir, an ICC-indicted génocidaire, is spending four days in China, marking four years since he last traveled there, and indeed, anywhere outside of Africa and the Middle East. The invitation and acceptance of this trip shows a continued flagrant disregard for the International Criminal Court and the international community at large…
Jewish World Watch welcomes the signing of a peace deal that is set to end the violent civil war that has plagued South Sudan since December 2013. Though President Salva Kiir initially stalled, now the two warring factions have endorsed the agreement. However, we remain cautious: both sides have expressed reservations about the deal,…
The Situation: Food rations provided to the Darfuris in the refugee camps in Eastern Chad have been severely reduced from the World Food Program’s recommended 2,100 calories per person/per day to approximately 800 calories—a dangerously deficient amount that is a threat to the survival and safety of the refugees. Some refugees report that they…
In 2004, Janice Kamenir Reznik was considering retirement from a successful career as an environmental lawyer when just by chance she attended a service at her local synagogue that literally changed her life. This was at the height of the genocide in Darfur, and her rabbi spoke that day about their responsibility as a Jewish…
Click here to read the article in the New York Times by Janice Kamenir-Reznik, Co-Founder of Jewish World Watch.
Rep. Tom Rooney (R-FL), with the co-sponsorship of the chairs of the Sudan-South Sudan Caucus, Reps. Michael Capuano (D-MA), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), introduced the South Sudan Peace Promotion and Accountability Act of 2015 (H.R. 2989) in early July. This bill is in response to the raging civil war…
The second semester proved to be an even greater learning experience than the one that came before it. I learned that just because people attend your first event does not mean they will attend your next, and just the people who’ve chosen to dedicated their lives to preserving and ensuring human rights globally are some…
As South Sudan marks the fourth anniversary of its independence from Sudan, there is not a lot to celebrate. Many in South Sudan, and around the world, who celebrated the country’s independence in 2011 knew that the there was a lot of work to be done in the fledgling country. However, no one imagined that…
This month, President Obama will make his fourth trip to Africa, visiting Kenya for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit and Ethiopia for meetings with Ethiopian and African Union (AU) leaders. This will likely be his last visit to the continent as president—and the first time a sitting U.S. president has visited the AU headquarters in Addis…
In a world filled with constant conflict, senseless violence, and seemingly endless suffering, there’s a natural human inclination to feel paralyzed by the enormity of the problems we face. Many believe that there’s little they can do to protect the innocent in the face of violence and persecution. Others don’t view this responsibility as their…
Growing up with a lot of theater and music, I always believed in the power of art and the stories it tells to connect human beings. This April with Jewish World Watch and the Dortort Center for the Arts at Hillel, I put up an exhibition of photographs by JWW staff on service trips to…
Washington D.C. Walk to End Genocide It was quite poetic really; a group of diverse individuals gathered in the shadow of the Holocaust Museum with one common goal- to raise awareness about genocide and money for survivor relief projects. Whether you spoke to attendees or merely read the signs that they were all holding, it…
Over the weekend, anti-genocide activists were watching the news with cautious hope and anticipation, thinking one of the most infamous genocidaires of our time might finally be brought to justice. Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir, is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity for his role…
I was a USC Jewish World Watch intern for the spring semester and there were several very memorable & meaningful events I was able to both participate in and help plan from January to May. The Lemkin Summit One really impactful event was the Lemkin Summit held in Washington DC during the last week of…
Update: On May 13, Major General Godefroid Niyombare, along with members of the Burundian army, launched a coup against the Nkurunziza government. While Nkurunziza was in Tanzania, attending an East African Community (EAC) summit to discuss the unrest associated with Nkurunziza’s election bid, Niyombare took to the radio to announce that he dismissed Nkurunziza from…
I came to Congo in July expecting to be depressed and overwhelmed by the immense problems of this country, but decided to focus on the opportunity to join with my son Spencer and dedicate a center in honor of Dillon Henry. I envisioned sharing stories about Dillon’s spirit with those benefiting from the various programs…
We always talk about the fact that in order to really change attitudes and behavior towards women and to correct gender inequity in Congo, there need to be women leaders. It seems like a pretty obvious statement, but as we know, this is far from an obvious truth in many countries around the world (including…
It has been an extraordinary experience, after these past few years working in the abstract, to have finally been in Congo, on the ground, seeing in person the amazing people and community-based relief and development projects supported by Jewish World Watch. But I am also struggling to process the stories of unimaginable violence and…
It’s difficult to put into words what these last days have been like, and even more difficult to fully account for my feelings and emotions. What we saw, what we heard, and what we experienced, has made my heart ache. I still can’t quite believe all we heard. Did we really hear about young boys…
I am always filled with sadness to leave Congo and our work here. With each trip (four for me now), I feel more and more connected to the people and our projects. There are so many remarkable Congolese people doing such important work to rebuild their country after so many years of war, and I…
An Unexpected Prayer On our last evening on this trip as a group, we joined thousands of Jews worldwide to recite the Shema, as part of an international call to prayer for the people of Israel. The Shema is Judaism’s foundational prayer. Translated as “Hear O’ Israel, The Lord our God, The Lord is…
Diana Buckhantz, JWW Board Member, is traveling with four other JWW delegates in Congo’s eastern provinces. They will work with survivors of the country’s decades-long conflict, which has claimed nearly six millions lives. They will meet with JWW’s partners on the ground, with whom JWW works to create innovative programs and projects that change lives…
There are days that fill you with hope — with a hope that the world will one day wake up and become accountable for all the violence and hate. A day in which inspiration reigns and true heroes show themselves. Today was one such day for me in Congo. We spent a very long…
It’s not every day that you get to meet a real, living, breathing hero. On this trip, it seems that heroes are everywhere. Whereas one might feel overwhelmed and consumed with sadness when considering the enormity of the struggles of the Congolese people, I find myself not only optimistic, but even more deeply inspired than…
Resilience has taken on new meaning in Congo. In the U.S., we use the word resilience to describe someone who has made something of their life after a hard childhood, or managed to recover after a deep personal loss, or has endured a difficult situation. All of these scenarios can be painful and deeply troubling,…
Surprisingly, this has been a journey filled with hope and inspiration. I had expected to feel more despair here, surrounded as we are by one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in the world. This week we spoke with Dr. Namagabe, who works to demobilize and rehabilitate former child soldiers as the director of…
“Sexual violence.” We hear these two words over and over in Congo. They have become a part of the vernacular — and in many ways are a symptom of a highly traumatized society. In every meeting, sexual violence is mentioned and everywhere we go, we meet girls, women and children who have survived rape and…
Here in Congo, so many of our discussions have been about the sexual violence affecting women. We have heard heartbreaking stories of horrific violence and trauma that give us a new appreciation for human cruelty. And we have met so many people that give us hope — who demonstrate unimaginable resilience despite unbelievable trauma. Just…
Throughout the world, there seems to be an epidemic rise of antisemitism. How extraordinary that in the rural villages of Congo, we are experiencing a totally different response. Tamara, the Chief of Party for International Medical Corps in Congo, told us that in the remote area around our Chambucha Rape and Crisis Center, more than…
We started our day with Dr. Mukwege at Panzi Hospital. Dr. Mukwege is an angel on earth, and a hero to thousands of women here in Congo whom he has helped with life-saving fistula repair surgery. He is one of JWW’s most treasured partners on the ground, and JWW is currently helping to fund the…
For the last several years, we at Jewish World Watch have been educating about and advocating to change the situation in Eastern Congo — a situation that is largely the result of conflict over ownership of the mineral mines. Today, I had the amazing opportunity to visit the Kalimbi Tin Mine, crawl up into it…
JWW Board Member Vaughan Meyer is traveling with four other JWW delegates in Congo’s eastern provinces. They will work with survivors of the country’s decades-long conflict, which has claimed nearly six millions lives. And, they will meet with JWW’s partners on the ground, with whom JWW works to create innovative programs and projects that change…
Spencer Neiman, board member of the Dillon Henry Foundation, is traveling with four other JWW delegates in Congo’s eastern provinces. They will work with survivors of the country’s decades-long conflict, which has claimed nearly six millions lives. They will meet with JWW’s partners on the ground, with whom JWW works to create innovative programs and…
The JWW team traveling to eastern Congo has begun their trip in neighboring Rwanda. It’s an important time to visit the country, which this year marked the 20th anniversary of the genocide that killed nearly a million civilians in only 100 days. The team spent Monday, July 21 in and around Kigali, visiting genocide memorial…
Spencer Neiman, board member of the Dillon Henry Foundation, and his mother Anne Roberts are joining with three other delegates travelling with JWW to Congo’s eastern provinces to work with survivors of the country’s decades-long conflict, which has claimed nearly six millions lives. They will meet with JWW’s partners on the ground, with whom JWW…
My attention is pulled in so many directions every day — to my husband and children, to my ailing mother, to Israel, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Gaza, to the homeless in Los Angeles, and to many more local and national issues, but it always comes back to Sudan and Congo, and to the work we…
On July 19th, I depart for Congo. It will be my first visit. After serving as Executive Director of Jewish World Watch for a year, I know all too well the horrific statistics illustrating the chaos, lawlessness, and violence that plague the country I will soon see. An estimated 1,100 women are raped every day…
I cannot believe that in a few days, I will be leaving on my fourth trip to Congo. I always have mixed feelings at this point — excitement about going back to a country I have truly begun to love on many levels, and yet some anxiety about being so far from home in a…
I feel blessed and extremely fortunate to have gone through the experience of a lifetime traveling in Central Africa with Jewish World Watch. My eyes have been opened and my mind illuminated by the views and lifestyles of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This journey has broadened my perception of the world and…
WHY are you going THERE? I traveled to Congo to bear witness. Everyone said I was so brave to go, but I discovered that I was not the brave one. The people of Congo who have survived and prevailed under dire circumstances are some of the most courageous people I have ever had the privilege…
“Congo? Rwanda? Jewish World Watch? Janice, can I go with you?” That’s how it started — helping people and experiencing a great adventure to add to my list of life adventures. My initial reasons for going do not do justice to this journey. Ten days with JWW has enhanced and deepened my understanding of genocide,…
Photo: One of only three girls who crossed the gender line to join the carpentry program at Laissez l’Afrique Vivre, funded by JWW with thanks to the Gary Saltz Foundation. Today we met a Congolese lawyer who strives to convince survivors of sexual violence to testify against their rapists. This would not be such an…
The day is May 30th, 2014. As we all approach our fourth day out of our nine day mission, the objectives that we have accomplished and achieved are unbelievable, yet there is still so much more to do. Yesterday was one of the most fulfilling days that our group has had thus far. It began…
The problems in Congo are so huge. Until recently, the widespread rape of women occurred in conflict zones. Militiamen used it as a weapon of war to gain control of mineral interests, territory and people. Now, we are told, the practice is spreading to non-conflict zones. Increasingly, men are raping women in nearby villages. It…
Inspiring moment for the day: The Dillon Henry Foundation remembers the compassionate spirit of Dillon Henry (z’l), who tragically passed away in a car crash when he was 17. Driven by the memory of Dillon’s strength and love for humanity, the Dillon Henry Foundation has been an ardent supporter of relief and development projects serving…
As we drove up the hill and over the river to Chambucha, we could right away see the Chambucha Rape and Crisis Center with its bright white paint and inviting landscape. The Center that we worked on for the better part of a year to develop with our partners at International Medical Corps. The Center…
Yesterday, our plane touched down in Rwanda. We will spend some time here before departing for Congo. By all measures, Kigali has undergone a clear and dramatic economic reconstruction. Its residents live a relatively western lifestyle in a city full of high-rise buildings, beautiful neighborhoods, gorgeous vistas, and trendy restaurants. Yet, the truth is that…
I write this blog from my flight gate, preparing to depart for a fifth trip to Congo. Although I have traveled frequently to the region over the past decade, my husband, kids, mother, and friends become anxious each time that I leave. When I return, they breathe a collective sigh of relief. It’s true that…
Friends and even my family are incredulous. They ask me, “WHY are you going there?” And they ask, “Why are you going THERE?” This trip to Rwanda and Congo I am embarking upon makes so much sense to me. As a child I was exposed to the horrors of the Holocaust, as a young adult…
Last October, Dr. Mukwege, one of JWW’s partners and the founder of the world-renowned Panzi Hospital in South Kivu, came for a visit in LA. My daughter had the chance to meet him (for which I will be forever grateful). She asked me who Dr. Mukwege was, and why I was spending so much time…
I am ecstatic to be going to Africa with Jewish World Watch as a representative of the Dillon Henry Foundation. My family is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which provided me with a household to be raised under Congolese traditions and customs as a first-generation African in America. Our background originates from the Bakongo…
It’s a few days before I leave for a much anticipated voyage. Although I have experienced a great deal for a West Los Angeles woman – Peace Corps in the 60s, social worker in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and Ethiopia, India and the former Soviet Union – I know this trip to Congo and…
As the President of Jewish World Watch, I encounter one question, again and again: why do you bother? The question can creep up slowly in conversation. Someone will remark, “Well, is there anything we can really do to help those suffering in Africa? Aren’t you just proposing band aids, not solutions?” Others convey the sentiment…
Violence has escalated dramatically in CAR since early December. The conflict follows a military coup in March by a union of Muslim rebels called Seleka, who unseated then-President Francois Bozize. In the months since his ouster, Seleka rebels committed documented human rights abuses and killings of Christian civilians with almost total impunity. Although current President…
Political tensions have been simmering in South Sudan for months, since President Salva Kiir sacked his Vice President, Riek Machar, and dissolved his cabinet in July. Violence escalated this Sunday, December 15 when reports surfaced of an attempted military coup against Kiir by Macher, an accusation that Macher denies. Fighting erupted on Sunday night between…
“Education through Action” By: Rabbi Chaim Tureff, Rav Beit Sefer Originally appeared in the Pressman Academy Shmoozer, November Edition. In school there are many concepts and ideas that are taught. Not all of them are taught in a book, on an I-Pad or through a lecture. Through our Middle School Tikkun Olam curriculum, Got Mitzvah?,…
About Dr. Mukwege The founder and chief medical director of Panzi Hospital in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Dr. Mukwege has treated more than 40,000 Congolese women with an unparalleled level of courage and compassion. Panzi Hospital, under Dr. Mukwege’s leadership, has become known worldwide for the compassionate treatment of survivors of sexual violence and…
I have fallen in love with two men on this trip to Congo. They are two men from very different backgrounds and with different skills but who share the same unshakeable passion and vision for Congo’s women. They are each extraordinary in their own right, and I am in awe of their humility, strength, and…
Electricity is “iffy” in Bukavu. Unexpectedly, power goes off, and you wait patiently for the lights to go on, the fan to start, and most importantly when 9500 miles away, your internet and email connection. Also, you don’t want to be left without enough battery power for your camera. While making the long drive out…
Today we visited our Rape and Crisis Center in Chambucha, a remote region of eastern Congo. It was an emotional, inspiring day. It took us four crazy hours to get there and four crazy hours to return, but it was more than worth every second. Click here to continue reading the full article.
It’s always the children that break me down. I can listen to women tell stories of unspeakable atrocities — incomprehensible brutalization, devastating rapes, terrible sadness and loss. And while my heart breaks and my anger rages, I can stay calm — perhaps comforted in a small way by the fact that we are there to…
Dr. Murhabazi Namegabe is one of the many heroes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He does not stand idly by. Singly handedly, he is “one of the cowboys of Congo” as he rescues victimized children in this haunting, ugly war. His organization, BVES, houses hundreds of children at two facilities, one for young women…
It took 48 hours to get here, but we have finally arrived in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu. JWW partners with various Congolese non-profit organizations here, all of whom we will be visiting over the next 4 days. We partner with Panzi Hospital in helping rape survivors who have… Continue reading the full…
She was raped by a man claiming to be a pastor. He was newly arrived in her village, so when that she felt she needed help with her husband and his refusal to provide for her, she went to see the “pastor” to pray. Instead, he robbed her and raped her and then fled the…
Co-Founder and President Janice Kamenir-Reznik has an article about her latest trip to Congo featured in the Jewish Journal. Here is an excerpt: The problems are extreme in Congo, and the solutions are complex and will take years to achieve. The work Jewish World Watch and others are undertaking in Congo is a critical part…
After 5 days in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, we are now taking the “fast boat” to Goma, at the north end of Lake Kivu. This is a last minute change in plans. Because of the M23 activity reported recently, we avoided this area. But, after talking to aid relief agencies and security…
We have spent a week in Congo and my head is spinning. We visited eleven different programs and met with and talked to hundreds of people. Here are a few of my thoughts as we begin the two-day journey to come home: 1. Enabling Congo’s Rebirth The program managers, directors and staff of the local…
These trips fly by for me. It seems like I just get acclimated to the schedule, to the food (or lack thereof), to not sleeping (somehow I never sleep in Congo), to 18 hour days, and suddenly it’s time to go home. And as I seem to always say, at the end of every trip,…
Ms. Magazine chose to feature an article written by JWW President and Co-Founder Janice Kamenir-Reznik during her current travels in Congo. Find an excerpt below: “It is undeniable: Things are still terrible in Congo. But while outwardly life appears to be unchanged, there are many signs which indicate that there is some hope for a…
I have been to the Kivu provinces in eastern Congo many times over the past five years. From outward appearances, it seems that life here has not changed much since my first visit. A never-ending parade of rebel groups continues to kill, rape and enslave civilians as they vie for control of Congo’s vast mineral…
I have fallen in love with two men on this trip to Congo. They are two men from very different backgrounds and with different skills but who share the same unshakeable passion and vision for Congo’s women. They are each extraordinary in their own right, and I am in awe of their humility, strength, and…
Today we visited our Rape and Crisis Center in Chambucha, a remote region of eastern Congo. It was an emotional, inspiring day. It took us 4 crazy hours to get there and 4 crazy hours to return, but it was more than worth every second. The reception they gave us was outrageously…
“When you save one life it is as if you saved the world.” — Talmud, Sanhedrin 37a Each day we journey out early in the morning to visit current and prospective projects; and each day we meet the people of Congo who are making the most significant changes for future generations. The problems here are…
Electricity is “iffy” in Bukavu. Unexpectedly, power goes off, and you wait patiently for the lights to go on, the fan to start, and most importantly when 9500 miles away, your internet and email connection. Also, you don’t want to be left without enough battery power for your camera. While making the long drive…
Jewish World Watch is actively working to develop a partnership with BVES, the organization described below. If you are interested in supporting JWW and BVES’s work in eastern Congo, please contact Naama Haviv at Naama@jww.org or 818-501-1836. Names of children referenced below have been changed for security. Dr. Murhabazi Namegabe is one of the…
Jewish World Watch is actively working to develop a partnership with BVES, the organization described below. If you are interested in supporting JWW and BVES’s work in eastern Congo, please contact Naama Haviv at Naama@jww.org or 818-501-1836. It’s always the children that break me down. I can listen to women tell stories of unspeakable…
It took 48 hours to get here, but we have finally arrived in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu. JWW partners with various Congolese non-profit organizations here, all of whom we will be visiting over the next 4 days. We partner with Panzi Hospital in helping rape survivors who have been isolated from their families…
Two days into our trip, we finally have internet service. Amazing that in the bustling city of Kigali, Rwanda, we cannot get connected, but in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, a city with few paved roads and limited utilities, we connect right away. I traveled from Los Angeles to Kigali with one of my fellow…
I am on the first leg of our very long voyage back to Eastern Congo. Another Jewish World Watch board member and dear friend, Diane Kabat, and I are flying from Los Angeles to Amsterdam and then from Amsterdam to Kigali, Rwanda. It will take us almost 24 hours to get to Kigali. There we…
Dear JWW Supporters and Activists: As you read this message, JWW Board Members Diana Buckhantz, Diane Kabat and I are en route to Congo. We travel to meet our JWW partners in Africa and to lend moral support to those who are served by our various JWW programs in the North and South Kivu…
Greetings JWW blog readers. My name is Mike Ramsdell. I have had the privilege of capturing this “Congo journey” in still and moving images. I am pleased that Janice has asked me write a guest blog for two reasons. The first is so I may shamelessly plug my most recent film — THE ANATOMY OF…
Ten days ago we arrived in Kigali with trepidation and expectation. It seems like a day or two ago in some ways; yet in other ways it seems like a lifetime ago.
Today we drove across the entire country of Rwanda—from Bukavu at the Congo-Rwanda border to Kigali. It took almost 8 hours. The countryside is…
Suddenly we are surrounded by a sea of children. As we stand there they begin to form a circle around us and move in closer and closer.
Janice and I came outside after seeing an impressive women’s sewing collective. We are in a remote village called Kamisimbi, two hours outside of Bukavu in the hills. We…
I don’t sleep here, even with sleeping pills. I wake up after a few hours, images of the day racing through my head, trying to make sense of all I have witnessed and heard. This morning I got up at 4 am. I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I preferred to get up and busy…
We are taken by convoy on an impossible 3 hour drive, high up in the mountains where the Congolese Tutsis control the terrain. The “roads” are indescribable. Half the time our vehicle is gliding through the mud and the other half it feels as if it is almost on its side. Torrential rains fall, the…
After three days of travel within Chad, some of which got a bit dicey, we finally boarded the Air France plane which would take us home. We were very happy that we had made it through this harrowing experience and very excited to be going back to the US and to our loving families and…
Today we had the most intense experience we have had to date. We went to the Touloum refugee camp to see the expansion of the Solar Cooker Project. We were escorted by a truckload of armed police to Touloum. As we approached the outskirts of the camp we saw a caravan of donkeys and refugees…
Man’s inhumanity to man is limited only by the creativity of his cruelty. Today we cried. We have sat with small and large groups of Darfuri refugees for the last several days and talked about solar cooking, with the details of the horrors that brought us together silently hanging in the air. Today, however, we…
This was our last day in the Iridimi refugee camp ALREADY. Clearly it is not enough time to develop real relationships with the people there, but I do feel that we have touched their lives in a very important way – by helping them feel more secure, more safe. I participated in one of four…
Bearing Witness What does it really mean to bear witness? Having been here in the Iridimi refugee camp now for several days, it seems to me that “bearing witness” takes on new meaning. As we visit with these women and question them about their solar cooker training, their usage of the cooker, the results when…
My thoughts today are focused on Janice and Rachel. Today was our second day visiting the Iridimi refugee camp in eastern Chad. Refugee camp! In eastern Chad! I had to stop every once in a while and repeat that sentence to myself today as we sat in the “homes” (mud brick hovels) of 5 different…
My friend Monica wrote me a sweet note before I left. In it, she said to think of her “when there are laughs, and there are bound to be some.” Not only have there been periodic laughs, there have been many. How lucky I have been to travel here with Tzivia and Janice. They are…
Today we continued with the evaluations of the Solar Cooker Project inside the Iridimi camp. At the end of each 30-minute interview related to each woman’s solar cooker practices, we asked if she would mind sharing her personal story about what had brought her to the Iridimi refugee camp. Each of the women we interviewed…
Today we visited the Iridimi refugee camp, where our Solar Cooker Project was launched 18 months ago. The sense of being, literally, a world away, finally holding the hands of the women working to manufacture the solar cookers and speaking with the Sudanese refugees about how our project has impacted their lives for the better…
What an incredible day! A UN convoy escorted us to the refugee camp today – finally! (Picture this: a truckload of armed guards in the back of an open pick-up truck, followed by 6 Land Rovers loaded with people ready for a day of work at the camp.) In May 2006 when JWW kicked off…
Today we arrived in Iriba. Having “slept” last night in Abeche, we woke early to catch the UN flight to Iriba. The 12-seater plane carried our team, which now includes Daniel Roger Tam, from the UNHCR Environmental Unit, as well as a representative of Internews. Internews is our partner with Equal Access for our new…
It’s hard to believe it, but today, 4 days after leaving Los Angeles, we finally arrived at our destination – Iriba. The town is home to somewhere between 3,000 and 6,000 people (there is no census so no one knows the population for sure). Of course, there are only a couple of dirt “roads” and…
Waiting…waiting…waiting. It seems like 90% of the time we have spent since arriving in Chad has been spent waiting. In the first 24 hours in N’Djamena our waiting time was split between the American Embassy, with whom we needed to register our presence in Chad, and the UNHCR, which was the designated agency to procure…
The most common comment I heard before we left LA was, “You’ll never be the same. This experience will change your life forever.” At that time I didn’t know what they meant exactly, and surely I didn’t think it would happen the first day of our journey. But I think it has. While “touring” the…
I’ve driven my children down Skid Row at dusk so they can see the reality of life in Los Angeles for people not as privileged as we are. Today I was driven through the capital city of Chad and witnessed poverty and squalor to literally turn your stomach. As we left the main road and…
Hello JWW Friends, It’s Sunday evening and we have just arrived in N’Djamena, Chad! The almost 24 hours of flights went fine and we are settling in for the night before we go to various government entities tomorrow to get the permissions necessary to continue our travel to Abeche, and then on to Iriba and…
How do you reassure your 7 year old that you WILL be safe, that you WILL return and that it’s not SCARY to go a place like Chad, when you’re not so sure yourself? As I’ve been focused on my never-ending packing list of water purification tablets and mosquito nets (we’re not at DreamWorks anymore…
I was thinking today that exactly thirty years ago this week my husband and I, as young twenty-somethings, stood in a passport control and “welcome to the iron curtain” line at Moscow’s International Airport; we had dozens of Zionist and Judaic books and other such “subversive” documents sewn into the linings of our clothes and…