I have a couple of pieces up if you want to check them out.
When I pitched this review of Nyad, the biopic about lesbian marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, I thought I’d be criticizing the decision to make a film about an anti-trans voice in sports. But Diana Nyad has changed her position & now champions inclusion. That alone makes her story inspirational. My first piece for Xtra Magazine.
My newsletter from a couple of weeks ago about the Phoenix Mercury's hiring of Nate Tibbetts as their new head coach was turned into a piece for SELF. You can read it here.
And my adorable apartment and its Gaylor decor was featured on Apartment Advisor!
It's safe to say that the movement for a free Palestine is larger and louder than it has perhaps ever been. As someone who has been involved with antizionist Jewish organizing against the occupation for many years now, it's heartening to see so many people waking up to the reality of what's happening in Gaza.
If you follow me on social media then you know where I stand on this issue, but I want to say unequivocally that I am for a free Palestine, from the river to the sea. (And as a Jew, I will say unequivocally that the sentiment behind that slogan is not antisemitic. The reason so many Jews are taught that it is is because of (very effective) Zionist propaganda. I made a video about this, but there is also really good reading—from Jewish publications, no less—about the history of that saying and what it actually means.)
Like many American Jews, I was raised in Zionism. In my reform synagogue, it was taught unquestioned. I went to a majority-Jewish high school and many of the kids I grew up with attended Birthright after graduation. In 2011 I started organizing around issues of sexual violence and, for the first time in my life, began to meet other people doing movement work, people with radical politics that would shape my own. I noticed that nearly every radical organizer I met—including the Jewish ones—did not support Israel. They used words like "occupation" and "human rights abuses" and "apartheid"—things I'd never before associated with what I understood to be the Jewish state.
In 2014, I attended my first pro-Palestine march, carrying a sign that read, "Another Jew who stands with Gaza," my 4-month-old baby strapped to my chest in a carrier. I posted a photo of myself and my sign to Facebook and people I hadn't spoken to in a decade came out of the woodwork to berate me. My uncle called my mother to tell on me. I was shocked—I assumed other people would have evolved in their beliefs or learned better by then, but I underestimated the depth to which Zionism has a hold on Western Jews. Finding an organizing home among other antizionist Jews has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life, and I never feel more Jewish (and closer to G-d) than when I am movement-building with my Jewish values at the forefront. I am not just an antizionist Jew—I am antizionist because I am Jewish. My Jewish values are ones of freedom and liberation, of tikkun olam and justice (justice we shall pursue).
As more and more people speak out—whether it's 300,000 people marching in Washington, D.C. this past weekend, solidarity letters from journalists and Jewish writers, or a massive call for a ceasefire from celebrities—one field that has been eerily quiet is the world of U.S. women's sports. Usually there are politically outspoken athletes all over place, especially in women's sports. So where are they now?
There are a few athletes who have posted or shared content in support of a ceasefire or to condemn the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. Several WNBA players have spoken up. The always-on-the-right-side-of-a-protest Natasha Cloud has been tweeting her butt off and attended the action in D.C. Brianna Turner has begun sharing information and come out to say she sees a need for a ceasefire and named war crimes as being committed (worth noting that fellow W player Alyshia Clark, a dual U.S. and Israeli citizen, called her tweets "well said"). Aces player Kierstan Bell has also been retweeting and sharing content on both Twitter and Instagram. Every one of those athletes has taken pains to ensure they express dismay for the Israeli hostages and loss of Israeli life, as well as for the loss of Palestinian life that is now ongoing and disproportionate.
While USWNT player Megan Rapinoe hasn't said anything directly about the situation, she has received criticism for posting a fundraiser in support of Gaza without condemning Hamas (worth flagging that Rapinoe's fiance, Sue Bird, is Israeli-American). Austin Killips, a trans woman cyclist, has a fundraiser for Gaza up on her Instagram page. And... that's kind of it? I'm sure there are a few that I'm missing but probably not many.
Why the radio silence? Well, it's likely that many athletes are afraid of either losing sponsorships or getting in trouble with their league. That's because when the current escalation first happened—what was reported as the Hamas strike on Israeli citizens, with hostages taken—a bunch of leagues and teams decided to make public statements in support of Israel.
On October 9, the WNBA posted that they were in contact with the few players who were overseas in Israel and those players were all safe and in the process of leaving the country. They said that their "thoughts were with the people of Israel in the aftermath of this horrific event." There has been no further statement and no expression of support or sadness over the loss of Palestinian life. On October 15th, NWSL team Angel City FC banned any flags, signs, or paraphernalia that wasn't directly related to the two teams playing that day, citing safety concerns.
Since those initial statements nearly a month ago, those same entities have been silent, even as it's estimated that over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes of homes, hospitals, and refugee caravans—and even as the U.S. government continues to send money and military supplies to support Israel's siege.
Why a bunch of sports leagues thought that making a comment about an ongoing geopolitical crisis, one that's been rife with misinformation and propaganda for anyone not from a directly impacted community who hasn't made an intentional effort to learn what's going on, I don't know. Maybe it was because they didn't want to look antisemitic and one of the most effective things Zionists have ever done is equate criticism of the state of Israel with antisemitism as a way of deflecting any and all legitimate critique. (Meanwhile, the way the Zionist project has positioned itself as necessary because of antisemitism while, in fact, it has made antisemitism much worse because now much of the world associates Israel's crimes with Jews in general, is infuriating and a topic for another day.)
But now, any athlete who speaks up against Israel's carpet bombing of innocent civilians, any athlete who condemns the ongoing genocide of Palestinians, risks breaking with their league. "We're all incredibly precarious laborers and it's a rock and a hard place for many people in leagues or with employers proper," one athlete told me.
Cloud has been especially vocal about her frustration and disappointment over the silence regarding the human rights crisis in Gaza. "I’m confused where my W sistas are at...y'all been silent," she tweeted on October 25. "I’m disappointed in us man, she added on October 27. "I thought this was the blueprint of what our league is. Freedom fighters." She's also been upfront with the risk she knows she's taking by speaking out.
I, too, am disappointed at the lack of outcry from the women's sports world.
If not now, when?
I really only feel equipped to speak directly to my people on this, but if you are Jewish and becoming mobilized on this issue for the first time, welcome. If you're unsure what you can do, here are some small things I'm doing. On Shabbat, I've been lighting a Yahrzeit candle and saying Kaddish for the loss of life (Jeanna Kadlec wrote a great newsletter about spiritual warfare you should read). If you haven't already, consider ensuring that any Judaica you buy isn't made in Israel (harder than it sounds!). For candles, check out Narrow Bridge. Look up your local chapter of Jewish Voices for Peace or IfNotNow. Both organizations have been doing this movement work for many years and are a wonderful place to find community and momentum.
If you want to read more, here are book recommendations.
I also just want to acknowledge how scary and grief-stricken and infuriating it can be to discover that nearly everything you were taught about a situation was propaganda and lies. It's a lifelong and intentional process for us to unlearn the Zionism we were raised with. I'm proud of you for being here.