Mazel Talk
January 12, 2023 — Today we present a Mazel Talk with SRE Network Advisory Board Member Robert Bank. Robert is the President & CEO of American Jewish World Service (AJWS).
Why are you a member of the SRE Network Advisory Board?
I’m proud to be a member of the SRE Advisory Board as SRE represents everything I’ve been fighting for throughout my career and personal life as a Jewish, gay, white man who was born in South Africa, a country where a small minority oppressed a majority of its country’s citizens. SRE is the antidote to discrimination and abuse. It’s about dignity for all and gender equity.
What is one thing you want the rest of the Jewish community to know about SRE Network?
Sexual harassment and discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity happen in all communities. I’m proud that SRE holds this reality in the Jewish community and invites us all to build a Jewish community that is free from sexual harassment and promotes gender equity.
How does your professional role intersect with the work of SRE?
My role with SRE is deeply aligned with my work as President & CEO of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), a global Jewish human rights organization that works to build a more equitable world by supporting community-driven change in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean and advocates in the United States for foreign policies that prioritize human rights and democratic norms. Many of our grantee partners are working to create enabling environments where women, men, and adolescent girls, and boys, can develop skills to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and abuse. Our work is deeply aligned with SRE’s work and we are committed to ensuring that marginalized people across the globe are free from discrimination, violence, and oppression.