Unable to safely gather in person in large numbers, many of us will turn to Zoom and other digital platforms for Passover Seders. The Free the Slaves Passover Project has produced a unique video to help deepen the experience of this year’s online and hybrid...
The year 2020 brings several important anniversaries. It’s the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Palermo Protocol, the landmark treaty to confront modern forms of slavery worldwide. It’s the 20th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the...
Every shekel counts! That’s how Arava Lightstone sees it. Arava has been studying the story of Passover (Pesach) for the past month in her school, and also at home with her parents. She was deeply moved by the story of how God chose Moses to help Him free the Hebrew...
The holiday of Passover has a foundational premise, based in biblical narrative and law: those who suffer enslavement have a unique insight and responsibility to help the vulnerable. As Exodus 23:9 declares: “Do not oppress the stranger, for you know the soul of a...
The first day of Hanukkah this year coincides with an important date in the anti-slavery calendar. December 2nd is the United Nations International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. That is why we are especially happy this year to spotlight a confluence of observance...
It doesn’t look like much, just a small brick building with a dirt floor and tin roof. But it’s a major step in ending child slavery in Senegal. Residents of Medina Samba Diamanka have typically sent their children to boarding schools in the city to learn the Quran...
Today brings a close to Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. But at Free the Slaves, it’s not a time to relax. We will not rest for one instant until everyone, everywhere is free from bondage. The great civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer noted that...
Free the Slaves donors all have one thing in common: a burning desire to make slavery a thing of the past. That's why we sent award-winning documentary filmmakers this year to spotlight four Free the Slaves donors to learn how they discovered that slavery still exits...
In his music, friendships and faith, Derek Mount thinks often about connections and impact. He imagines his music carries with it a “little trail of peace.” He sees the freedom in his life, the chance do what he loves. Then he looks outside himself, at the 40 million...
In recent weeks, I experienced the intense contradiction of great joy at the birth of a child and revulsion at despicable public conduct. Both are linked to my passion for the work of Free the Slaves. On August 14, we welcomed to the world our first grandchild,...
One of the most important things to remember about slavery is that it never really ended. It has been outlawed worldwide, but never eradicated. There are tens of millions of people trapped in modern forms of slavery around the globe today. That’s why Free the Slaves...
The season of giving is close at hand. In celebration of the spirit of community , Free the Slaves is spotlighting some of most inspiring donors in our original film series, “Why I Free Slaves.” These short profiles tell the deeply personal stories of people who...
Slavery is a key part of Jewish identity. The central narrative of Jewish faith is being enslaved in ancient Egypt; it is the story the Jewish community tells on Passover, every Sabbath, and during daily prayers. The book of Exodus recounts the miracle of Moses...
Archbishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Social Sciences, says his marching orders come from the very top of the Catholic Church.“The Holy Father said: Marcelo, I want you to study this topic carefully so that we know...
Judaism is deeply connected to the themes of slavery and freedom. The enslavement of Jews during biblical times—and their subsequent exodus—are a central narrative not only for Jewish people, but for others who have found hope in the biblical story.That’s why FTS has...
Today is an important date in the Catholic calendar. Pope Francis has proclaimed Feb. 8 the “International Day of Prayer and Awareness on Human Trafficking.”The date commemorates the life of St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese woman who was kidnapped into slavery in the...
January is a perfect opportunity to mobilize your friends, family, neighbors, classmates, clients, congregants, co-workers and everyone you know. Join us in January to raise the visibility of slavery as one of the world’s greatest human rights problems. It’s a problem...
Seventeen religious leaders from different faiths agreed they’ll take action with their congregations to confront modern slavery, following an in-depth workshop with Free the Slaves and our Congolese partner organizations in Goma earlier this month.The training...
People often ask us at Free the Slaves if there is something they can do in their daily lives to help fight slavery. Well, this Saturday is your chance. Communities around the world will be coming together to fight poverty, social injustice and climate change on World...
Editor's Note: We thought you'd like to read a remarkable presentation by our Executive Director, Maurice Middleberg. Our thanks to St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Boca Raton, Florida for inviting Free the Slaves to spread the word about slavery today. October 30,...
We were slaves of the Pharaoh We, as Jews, grow up with this phrase. The passage from slavery to freedom is at the very heart of our story as a Jewish people. Everything we are – our sense of shared community and common heritage - stems from breaking the chains of...