NEW YORK, N.Y. – Rabbi Joshua Ratner of New Haven is among the 15 Jewish leaders from across the United States selected to participate in the Global Justice Fellowship sponsored by American Jewish World Service (AJWS), a leading Jewish organization working to promote human rights and end poverty in 19 countries of the developing world. The six-month program engages key Jewish opinion leaders to become advocates for human rights and affect policy.

Over the course of the fellowship, participants will play a key role in educating their communities, the American public and elected officials about crucial global issues, including the plight of ethnic and religious minorities whose citizenship rights are under attack or have been abrogated by their governments.

The Fellowship commenced on Jan. 8 with a seven-day trip to the Dominican Republic to learn from activists supported by AJWS who are fighting for the rights of Dominicans of Haitian descent who have had their citizenship rights stripped by the government because of their ethnic heritage. The Fellows also met with advocates who are working to empower women, youth and LGBT people.

Ratner is the associate rabbi and Jewish educator at the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale University and the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater New Haven. Ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in May 2012, he was a Joseph Neubauer Fellow and also earned a master’s degree in Midrash and a certificate in pastoral care.

During rabbinical school, Rabbi Josh worked as a public policy fellow for the Rabbinical Assembly and as a Rabbinic Fellow for the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. He also received training in congregation-based community organizing and was part of the original rabbinical student cohort of Clal’s Rabbis Without Borders fellowship program. He was an attorney for five years prior to entering rabbinical school. His writing has been featured on The Huffington Post and MyJewishLearning.com.