The power of women

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 action and not standing idly by.

On International Women’s Day, it’s also essential to strengthen and amplify those who don’t always have access to a platform to be heard.

Many of our coalition partnerships creating meaningful change for genocide and mass atrocity survivors are women-led, partly because women are frequently targeted in times of instability and crisis. Taking back power and creating pathways for greater independence within our anti-genocide movement is what makes our work so powerful. Together, we are committed to shining a light on the difficulties women face, raising our collective voices and providing direct aid to those in need.

We empower Darfuri refugee women living in Chad by combating food insecurity, promoting healthy communities and allaying gender-based violence through our Seeds of Survival program.

We fight to end forced labor in Xinjiang alongside our Uyghur sisters and brothers by urging elected officials to support the America Competes Act and pressuring companies to do more.

We help protect women and girls in Tigray by contacting members of the House and Senate demanding that the United States step up efforts to bring peace to the region.

We ensure Rohingya girls aren’t left behind by sustaining classrooms in refugee camps in Myanmar where they learn in their dialect.

We support schools that promote peace and justice and work to allay toxic masculinity, driving down instances of domestic violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The vision and strength of women in leadership can tear down authoritarian regimes and transform communities. This work requires all of us to come together.