My baby girl is 6 month old today. Everyday, I get notifications from daycare on what she is doing, how much she ate and napped, etc. Today, I got sent a photo of her in the park, holding a LGBTQ pride flag while being read a book celebrating Pride.
As a parent, I was thrilled.
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Carly Pildis
@CarlyPildis
Director of Community Engagement . Writer, Organizer, Advocate. Formerly , , Obama for America. All opinions personal only 
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Kanye West has more twitter followers than there Jews in the world. There are an estimated 14.8 million Jews and he has over 30 million followers. American Jews are experiencing a historic rise in antisemitic incidents. His actions are extremely dangerous and must be called out.
On January 6th, my daughter’s preschool will be closed. This is the second time this school year her Jewish school has had to close because of Nazis and far right extremist marching in support of President Trump. We cannot allow this to be normalized.
My husband bought wine and cheese. Then he took our 4 year old daughter to the park determined to tire her out and have a nice adult date night with me. He is currently passed out on the couch and my daughter is laughing about how she tired him out. Nice try my darling! 🤣🤣
We are overjoyed to welcome our daughter Aviva!!! Our rainbow baby is finally finally here!!! After sharing our pain last year, we are overwhelmed with gratitude to now share our joy!Baruch Hashem, we feel beyond blessed.
I want my children to know that they are loved unconditionally. I want them to know that we will love and treasure them if they are queer or straight.
That's appropriate at any age.
You may wonder why I am happy about this. Why would I want my tiny baby, who doesn't even have teeth yet and can't find her toes, to learn that it's okay to be gay? Why would I want her exposed to Pride? Isn't that too adult?
This is about love, acceptance, and harm reduction.
There are definitely Pride events that are not kid appropriate. There are Purim events that aren't kid appropriate. Christmas parties that aren't kid appropriate.
But Pride is not inherently dirty and inappropriate. Gay familes are not inherently inappropriate. That's bigoted.
LGBTQ children are oftened othered at a very young age. They may know they are "different" and feel isolated, frightened, and alone. This can have severe consequences - LGTBQ kids are at higher risk for depression, drug abuse and suicide.
I don't want my kids to think that straight is "normal" and if they aren't straight its a problem to be dealt with. I don't want their to be any doubt in their minds that they will always be embraced and loved by their parents and their school.
This morning as we walked into synagogue my little girl yelled Shabbat Shalom to the cops on duty and twirled through the metal detector, showing off her fancy dress. This will be her normal. I’ll never be able to explain to her what has been lost for Jews in America.
That's why it's good to talk about pride in age appropriate ways from the very beginning. So our kids know that they will be okay, they will be loved. It's not about sex, or politics, or adultification - its about unconditional love.
When my kids grow up, if they are gay, they will have no questions about what Mom and Dad will say. If they are straight they will have been taught to be loving, inclusive, and tolerant.
So enjoy your book and your flag baby girl. Mama will always have your back. Happy Pride!
Despite what anti-gay extremists claim, this has nothing to do with sex. Kids can learn and understand love - like the love between their parents, or grandparents - in an age appropriate way. They can also understand Pride and Queer love in age appropriate ways. Love is healthy.
Kids knowing that they will be accepted and loved saves lives. I want my kids to grow up happy and healthy and loved.
I saw the videos of two beautiful orthodox brides getting married, a private family moment posted on Jewish twitter for people to mock, degrade and dehumanize. I won’t share the videos or tweets. But I will remind you that the Rabbis compare this type of cruelty to murder.
Last Passover, I was lost in the desert. I was so sad not to be pregnant.
This year, I am grateful that my family is meeting our new baby girl.
May Hashem liberate you from whatever personal miztrayim you are in and fill your life with joy this #Passover
Chag Sameach!
Today my daughter was eating a bagel. She picked up a tiny sesame seed and examined it.
What's this? She asked
A sesame seed, I told her. Her eyes lit up.
Mommy! If we plant it, will it grow a bagel tree?
Here is the thing, Dave Chapelle wants to joke about antisemitism but he isn’t living with the consequences of it. Antisemitic incidences are at a historic high in America, but that doesn’t get mentioned. Probably cause it’s not actually funny. It’s scary as hell
It’s such a strange feeling to share a home with little kids during a crisis. My 5 year old happily eats kosher salami and apples and watches cartoons. Her parents are glued to the phone, terrified. We are together yet worlds apart.
I have been writing about anti-semitism in Women's March leadership for 2 years. This the first time a major feminist figure who isn't Jewish has spoken up and called Women's March leadership behavior towards Jewish Americans unacceptable. Thank you
We had just had a baby and we were supposed to go out but I was so exhausted I cried. He said, I got you just sit in bed and put on a movie. He laid out a table cloth and ordered take out and we cuddled. It was the most romantic night because I felt so loved!!
My daughter’s Jewish preschool will be closed in Wednesday because Nazis and extremists are marching to overthrow American Democracy. Let this terrifying sentence drive you to take action. Fight extremism. Protect Democracy. We are the ones who love America, we love the ballot.
On January 6th we will stay home. We will not provide bodies for violent extremist hate groups to attack. We will watch movies and make treats and I will lie about why school is closed. Shame on this elected officials who are complicit in this.
I am a Jew. I am a patriotic America who is loyal to her country. Implying that Jews have dual loyalty and cannot be trusted could get me killed. Stop it.
This is a thread of prominent black leaders condemning antisemitism and recent hate crimes against Jews.
While we need more voices calling for change, it is false that there has been total silence. Will update regularly and please feel free to add. We are stronger together.
My daughter’s school is closed on Monday Wednesday because facists are marching against Democracy. They are marching to overthrow our government. They are marching to take away your vote, the vote I fought to mobilize and win. The vote Americans died for.
Happy Hannukah!!! We are ready to light up the night with so much to celebrate. Happy first Hannukah Aviva! I am so grateful to be celebrating with my family!!! #Hannukah2022
As people read about #holocaustrembranceday, I want you to take a moment and imagine what it is like to learn about the Holocaust for Jewish children. I learned about it at about 4 years old. It changes you.
This is the nightmare Jews live with. It’s there while we pray, while we shop for kosher food, while we dance, while we study. It’s always here.
We all feel helpless right now, but we are not. Let this be your call to action. Pray with us. Listen to us. Fight for change with us
If your just joining me, I stopped by an African Market after shul. A sweet old Ghanaian lady asked what I was cooking, and I said Jollof Rice for my Ghanaian husband. She asked if she could help. I said I would love that. She promptly emptied half my cart and refilled
The American Jewish community has been saying that this was coming. Most of you didn’t listen.
American Democracy will endure this attack, but those who enable, encourage, applaud, and are complicit in these acts of sedition do not deserve the honor of serving our great nation and our people.
Dear Hill Restaurant Group,
I won't be eating at your establishments again. I'll be eating with Sunnyside Group, who has been providing free food to kids while schools are closed instead.
Sincerely,
Former Hawk n Dove Bar Patron
I pray that Hashem blesses these kallahs with the most beautiful life. May this cruelty be the worst thing they ever experience. May they have such joy that it erased this cruelty from memory. May they have every blessing.
This tweet is for people who aren't Jewish and have questions about antisemitism and criticism of Israel. This example of how antisemitism, specifically blood libel, masquerades as critique of Israel is so textbook I think I may use it in future trainings.
My Husband surprised me an amazing dinner ( steak, risotto, champagne) to celebrate the end of a big work project. He just rubbed my feet and told me was proud of me.
I have read Linda Sarsour’s statement a few times now. It is dishonest, disingenuous and deeply unkind. The goal was not healing or learning - but deflection. I am unimpressed.
If you've spent the past two months defending Louis Farrakhan, don't be surprised when mainstream American Jews are uninterested in your take on Israel. You've stood with those who called us Satanic and evil. We know who you are.
Today, has released our annual audit of antisemitic incidences. I am sad, but not at all shocked, that this is the highest number of incidents ADL has ever recorded, with a 34% increase from last year. Beyond the numbers, here are some frightening stories from the report:
Just once I want to see "The Jews" or "Jewish" trending and see something positive like the world has discovered that rugelach tastes amazing or that Sukkot is an awesome holiday. Just once.
Last week Jewish graves were defaced with antisemitic graffiti. Some of the graves were desecrated with the words “Kanye was right.” I know one of the victimized families.
Go away, Ye. twitter.com/kanyewest/stat
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I am asking Washingtonians and those who live in the region to stay out of the downtown area on Tuesday and Wednesday and not to engage with demonstrators who come to our city seeking confrontation, and we will do what we must to ensure all who attend remain peaceful.
If you are this shocked that a Russian Jew who fled the USSR is a Zionist, please consider the fact that you may not actually know what Zionism is.
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Crying in the taco bell cuz I just found out regina spektor is a zionist 
I can have NOTHING
I can have NOTHING To those looking for comfort. Do something Jewish this week. Decide to light Havdallah candles. Study some Torah. Deepen (or start) your commitment to kasherut. Go to synagogue - JOIN a synagogue. Fight hate with love for the culture.
I have some exciting news to share. Today is my first day as Associate Director for Community Engagement ! I am honored to join this incredible organization and devote myself to the fight against hate #fighthateforgood
This Channukah, I have a special reason to celebrate! I have some wonderful news to share: I’ve been promoted to Director of Community Engagement . I am honored and humbled to serve this incredible organization. I am grateful and tremendously proud to #FightHateForGood!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Happy Jewish Chinese food feast day to all who celebrate. May your egg rolls be crispy and your tea cup never empty. Yum.
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Anti-semitism is in the rise. It is hurting Jews. It is killing us. Yet we are constantly treated as though it isn’t a real problem. Across the political spectrum, people continue to dismiss the threat to us. When will you listen to Jews?
Today is an incredibly difficult and painful day for American Jews. Regardless of how you feel about Israel's decision, which I strongly oppose, please remember your Jewish friends, colleagues and family did not have a say in it.
My Rabbi was arrested for praying for DACA and refusing to leave the Capitol Rotunda. ARE THEY KIDDING US WITH THIS? Bring out the vans and arrest them all like you would any common protest. Then they can be charged!
Did you write “Are you the criminals!?!? From the statistics!?!”
My favorite line ever
I just want to note that not a single major Jewish institution is calling for Rep Omar’s resignation
This is so beautiful. In a time when our communities are under attack from extremist hate, this is a lovely moment of togetherness. We are so much stronger when we stand together for democracy, equity, and community.
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WATCH: “Thank you for being a role model for the young.”
As the #TennesseeThree arrived at the White House a group of Jewish students from across 
were there on a tour, and they were thrilled to meet @brotherjones_. #TikkunOlam
were there on a tour, and they were thrilled to meet @brotherjones_. #TikkunOlam
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American Jews need the social justice movement to raise their voices and stand with us. This is a disgrace. Mel Gibson is an anti-Semite making a movie propagating anti-semitism. This project should not move forward.
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Vile antisemitic myths about the Rothschild family have existed for centuries and continue to this day. Casting Mel Gibson, who’s trafficked in antisemitism, in a movie satirizing them seems like, at best, a cheap publicity stunt and, at worst, something far more insidious.
It is your civic duty to stay home. Practice social distancing. It saves lives.
The most frustrating thing about the parents rights angle on LGBTQ stories is that it completely ignore the well being of the child. Schools don’t out kids because LGBTQ kids may become homeless, face violence or even forced to conversion therapy. Kids safety > parents rights!
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The Times is just openly asking us to sympathize with bigots now.
nytimes.com/2023/01/22/us/
This type of misinformation is what twitter should be flagging, not disseminating at its highest levels. Adderall is a lifesaving drug for ADHD patients. Elon Musk is not a doctor and is not qualified to give his opinion on medication.
Shameful behavior that puts lives at risk.
Shakira and Jennifer Lopez are singing in Spanish on America's biggest stage while our government is profiling, deporting, and terrorizing Latinx Americans and abusing Latinx refugees. The cognitive dissonance here is really striking.
Anti-semitism is real. It is here. It is undeniable. It is a growing threat to the Jewish community and to all Americans. The time to educated and get involved is now. We will not be quiet. We are resolute. Stand with us.
The anniversary of Charlottesville is this week. Take a deep breath and remember that if you exclude Jews from the narrative of Charlottesville and of American White Supremacy, you shouldn’t be talking. You should be listening. We will raise our voices and we will be heard.
Thread. I am exhausted by progressives who treat our requests for accountability on Farrakhan with pivots to White Supremacists on the right. We do not have to qualify our desire to be treated with humanity. Progressives don't ask this of other historically marginalized groups
This is a thread about what happened at a DC Public school this week. Third graders were told that the Holocaust happened because "Jews ruined Christmas" and asked to reenact scenes the gas chambers.
I wrote this because I believe it is time to start a conversation about how white saviorism and neo- colonialist thinking affect how Americans talk about Israel and Palestine.
How to Talk About Israel and Palestine – Tablet Magazine tabletmag.com/jewish-news-an
Never ever assume an adult with a child of a different race is the child’s nanny/babysitter. Ever. No matter how confident you are. No matter how different their complexions may be. Treat all families with respect and assume nothing. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
It's devastating to me to watch antisemitic incidences surge across the globe. It's painful to watch footage from LA and New York of Jews facing physical violence. In this frightening moment, we must double-down and invest in fighting hate.
I truly believe that the dual pressure of the anti-semitism of the Trump Administration and the vitriolic anti-semitism of the American left will raise some of the most ferocious, kick ass, politically powerful Jewish women in history. We are rising to the occasion. Watch us.
My point is, dear gentile reader, the Holocaust May seem long ago. It may seem irrelevant. I want you to understand that it is deeply relevant in the lives and nightmares of the Jews you know. It is a part of us. It never goes away.
John Cusack's anti-semitic tweets matter because they deepen our fear and legitimize hatred against us. He chose to do this in a year with two synagogue shootings and record high levels of anti-semitic hate crimes. He made us more afraid today. We are already terrified.
I fundamentally disagree with Ilhan Omar on Israel and think she has used anti-Semitic trope that endanger my community. But nothing justifies these bigoted attacks in her. They endanger the entire Muslim American Community and a member of Congress. Shame on you, President Trump.
RBG’s death is a huge loss for America. For Jewish women, this loss is personal, this grief is intimate, darkening our sweetest of days, Rosh Hashanah. I’ll try to write more soon. For now I’ll just say, hold space for our grief please. Our mother has died.
As a working mother I feel seen. Honestly, this feels closer to my life than anything I have ever seen from a politician.
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.@KamalaHarris explaining how to brine a Thanksgiving turkey 
in the one minute before she has to go live on air is truly a gem to behold.
in the one minute before she has to go live on air is truly a gem to behold.
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Journalist erases Jews from our own story about bias against us.
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White actress announces boycott of Women's March unless its gets rid of the Palestinian-American woman and African-American woman who founded it, or until they recite from the script she demands. twitter.com/yashar/status/…
I feel awful for tweeting on Rosh Hashanah, but I needed space for all of this grief, rage and fear.
I recently had a miscarriage and made the difficult decision to write about it. If I had stayed quiet I would have been furthering the stigma and shame that stops women from getting the support they need. While I am sad, I am not ashamed.
This is what they told Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust on the St. Louis. Many of them perished in concentration camps.
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"Our country is full, can’t come, I’m sorry" Trump tells @rjc to scattered applause
It would be more than understandable if was offline given that his daughter just started chemo. Instead this mensch is standing up for the Jewish community and for more democratic, just and equitable America. Pray for his family wherever you worship.
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I hope someone can ask Trump why he promoted the white supremacist conspiracy "replacement" (white genocide) theory of George Soros, a Jewish American billionaire, funding an "invasion" of immigrants? Does he still believe it? Does he know the #Poway shooter also believes it?
American Jews don’t need you to explain to us that the far right is a greater threat to our safety. We know. We are living with those threats everyday. We DO need you to hear us when we say engaging in anti-Semitic rhetoric makes them stronger, endangering us all.
My husband and I have been married 5 years today. I don’t tweet about him a lot because he is a pretty private guy. This is just to say none of my work would be possible without his love and support. Especially the writing. Never would have happened without him. Thanks babe.
Last year I had a miscarriage. It left me devastated. In my grief, I decided to write about it to fight the stigma and shame.
Now imagine if I had faced an investigation and possible prosecution for having a miscarriage. That nightmare may soon be reality for millions of women.
I am deeply sympathetic to the idea that Freshman Members of Congress deserve the chance to atone for early mistakes. That said, I know of several people who privately and publicly have attempted to discuss repeated use of anti-Semitic tropes with Rep Omar, all were rebuffed.
There are many problems with how Women’s March Leaders have treated the Jewish community. What troubles me most is how they see themselves as gate keepers, consistently creating litmus tests for who is a Feminist or progressive that are designed to marginalize and exclude Jews.
I am an American Jew and I love Israel. Nothing this President could say or do on Israel policy would convince me to vote for him. I will not stomach his hatred and cruelty. Because he thinks so little of Jews he thinks he can convince us to forget his sins. Prove him wrong.
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Trump, speaking to the Israeli American Council: "We have to get the people of our country, of this country, to love Israel more ... because you have people that are Jewish people, that are great people -- they don't love Israel enough. You know that."
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I feel so much joy watching Israelis participate in democracy. For centuries, global Jewry was completely disempowered. Its such a beautiful thing to watch a Jewish state vote on who will lead them - and have the power to determine their own destinies.
I love being Jewish. I love our culture, our tribe, our faith, our furious debates, our drive for justice. I am always sad the last night of Chanukah when the candles burn out - but I know that light will shine on. That light will outlive me. I fight for that light everyday.
All gay men should be given free donuts.
Also we should change this bigoted and outdated policy.
This is a terrifying time for American Jews. We have seen murder in our synagogues. We have seen record breaking levels of hate crimes. Our community is frightened and angry. This is the context in which John Cusack chose to tweet out vile anti-semitism and refused to apologize.
Everyday I am sent stories of anti-semitism. Jews facing hate at work, on the street in campus and most devastating to me on the playground at elementary schools. We sound the alarm over and over but never seem to be heard
I am assuming he didn’t have a Toddler with him
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Just a reminder that when Shakespeare was quarantined because of the plague, he wrote King Lear.
All of these things can be true at once:
1. Rep. Tlaib's comments made many Jews feel angry, hurt and deeply offended
2. Trump lacks the moral standing to critique her
3. Refusal to hear Jewish voices explain their feelings is problematic
4. Tlaib faces Islamophobia and racism
I really want to see every major Jewish org thanking today. This article is so beautiful.
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/
If you don't understand why many American Jews, including Dems who hate McCain's policy stances, were happy to hear her tearful support of our community, than you don't understand how abandoned many American Jews feel by the social justice community during a time of great fear.
If you haven’t said a word about the rise in hate crimes against American Jews, don’t you dare come at us with your hot takes about what anti-semitism is and isn’t.
In the span of one week we have seen:
- An antisemitic terror attack in JC
- Break-in and defacement of a Persian Jewish shul in LA
- Alleged antisemitic attack at Indiana University
- An antisemitic attack on the NYC subway.
If you've been quiet, it's time to raise your voice
It’s Monday. Three different Jewish institutions have been victims of attempted Arson in two different cities over the past four days. What will you do to stand with American Jews this week? Ideas for action below: