"P Is for Palestine"

The Issue

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A new children’s book “P is for Palestine” written by Golbarg Bashi is anti-Israel propaganda that presenting a biased view of the complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The book promotes anti-Semitism and glorifies terrorism with entries like “I is for Intifada.”

The book was sponsored by Book Culture, a company that owns three stores on the Upper West Side. The book was endorsed by a number of anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic activists and organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Linda Sarsour.

On November 19, 2017 New York Post reported that the November 18th public reading of the book at the Book Culture’s store on Columbus Avenue infuriated many mothers in this heavily Jewish neighborhood. Numerous people expressed their outrage on social media. On Facebook Book Culture responded by deleting all the negative comments and disabled the commenting feature. Some local residents contacted Book Culture’s owners Chris Doeblin and Annie Hedrick directly.

The book has upset many local residents. Rabbi Hirsch of the local Stephen Wise Free Synagogue requested Book Culture to rescind their support for the book stating, “Of particular concern to me is the glorification of the Palestinian intifada — a cruel, murderous, and terroristic campaign that purposely targeted innocent Israelis, including children, in restaurants, buses, hospitals, schools and shopping malls. The book states that “I is for Intifada, Arabic for rising up for what is right, if you are a kid or grownup!” The illustration shows a child on her father’s back in front of a barbed wire. The intifada was not “a up for what is right.” It was a mass descent into immorality.”

Actions

Global Actions

Write reviews, comments and rate all of Book Culture's bookstores on social media (Facebook, Yelp, Google, etc.).
Email and call all the bookstores and ask them to stop selling the book or to expect to be boycotted.

Local Actions

Talk to your local community or religious leaders and ask them to endorse Rabbi Hirsch’s demand that the support for the book is rescinded.
Join the picket outside of Book Culture bookstores.

Who Is Involved

Goldbarg Bashi

Goldbarg Bashi is the author of this book. She received a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2010 and taught at Rutgers and Pace. She is a supporter of BDS. Goldbarg Bashi is married to Hamid Debashi a well-known anti-Israel professor who is fond of comparing Israelis to Nazis and promotes SJP and BDS.

Book Culture

Book Culture is a small chain of four bookstores in New York City. Currently there are three book stores on Upper West Side at 112th Street, Broadway, Columbus Avenue. The fourth bookstore is opening up in Long Island City.

Contact Details

Book Culture