Ruth Messinger

Ruth W. Messinger was President of American Jewish World Service (AJWS) from 1998 to July of 2016. She  is currently the organization’s inaugural Global Ambassador, continuing to engage rabbis and interfaith leaders to speak out on behalf of oppressed and persecuted communities worldwide. Before her time at AJWS, Ruth had a 20-year career in public service in New York City as a City Council member and Manhattan Borough President; today she raises money for Congressional candidates across the US. Ruth has been a member of the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, the original Reconstructionist synagogue founded by Mordecai Kaplan, for 54 years—longer than any other living member. Currently Ruth works as a social justice consultant, teaching rabbinic students at the Jewish Theological Seminary and  women social justice entrepreneurs at Elluminate, and advising at the Meyerson JCC.  She devotes significant time and attention to the challenges of the City’s newest New Yorkers—immigrants and asylum seekers. Ruth is married to a retired educator and has three children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.