The Left Unsaid

How anti-bias education is weaponized to erase Palestinians

For this episode of The Left Unsaid, we sat down with Nora Lester Murad, a Jewish-American author, educator and activist who married a Palestinian Muslim and raised three daughters in the West Bank. Nora provides a clear-eyed view of the way in which organizations like the Anti-Defamation League misrepresent themselves as anti-bias or educational resources, weaponizing claims of antisemitism to push Zionist ideology and suppress Palestinian humanity. For 2 years, US policymakers have enabled genocidal violence in Gaza. For decades before that, they have supported occupation and apartheid in the West Bank and aggression elsewhere in the Middle East. Complicity in such slaughter is partly enabled by education that erases the humanity of Palestinians for our young people. You can join efforts such as “Drop the ADL from Schools” campaign [https://droptheadlfromschools.org/] and #DropTheADL [https://droptheadl.org/]. For more from Nora Lester Murad, we recommend checking out her collection of reflections on being a foreigner in Palestine, I Found Myself in Palestine [https://ifoundmyselfinpalestine.com/], and award-winning young adult novel, Ida in the Middle [https://idainthemiddle.com/]. She can be found on Instagram at @nora_lester_murad [https://www.instagram.com/nora_lester_murad] or through her blog at www.NoraLesterMurad.com [http://www.noralestermurad.com]. As always, join our mailing list and find more episodes at TheLeftUnsaid.net

Against Genocide Denialism: An Interview with State Senator Graig Meyer

This week, we bring you an interview from a few months ago, when high-schooler Finn McElwee sat down with North Carolina State Senator Graig Meyer to talk about his decision to oppose "genocide" in Gaza. A former educator, Senator Meyer emphasizes the importance of allowing classroom discussion of genocide against Palestinians alongside study of the Holocaust and other great crimes of the powerful. He also provides thoughtful analysis about the danger presented by President Trump's weaponization of accusations of antisemitism. This interview, conducted in July, remains relevant as we hope the ceasefire will hold and the past 2 years of Israel's genocidal violence against Gazans will finally end. In addition, in this episode, Meg and Patrick analyze a New York Times article that previews the ways in which pro-Israeli propaganda will be aimed at Americans, at substantial risk to our now obviously-fragile democracy. Both legacy news media like CBS and social media like TikTok are likely to be subject to even greater censorship. The struggle for Palestinian humanity is tied up with our fight for democracy in the US. Links: * NC State Senator Graig Meyer's op-ed: "Let's talk Gaza, antisemitism, and Trump's manipulation of it all" [https://cardinalpine.com/2025/06/18/opinion-lets-talk-gaza-antisemitism-and-trumps-manipulation-of-it-all/], June 18, 2025, Cardinal & Pine * New York Times article, " A Test Now for Israel: Can It Repair Its Ties to Americans? [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/world/middleeast/israel-us-polls-support.html?unlocked_article_code=1.t08.cGZp.ZTg5Xlh4I_1x&smid=url-share]", by David M. Halbfinger on Oct. 12, 2025

Banality of Evil, Biden Edition

This week, senior members of the Biden administration presented their defense before history, explaining or pointing fingers over their support for Israel’s assault on Gaza. In this episode, we pick that defense apart and compare it to earlier justifications of US imperial crimes. Read NPR’s article, sourced from a couple dozen senior Biden officials: “We Didn’t Do Enough” [https://www.npr.org/2025/08/28/nx-s1-5515620/israel-gaza-biden-famine] If we understand the failings of the establishment Democratic party, we empower ourselves to overcome them. And a rising crop of challengers aim to do just that, willing to name this moral collapse and oppose it. Plus, the enormous Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying aid to Gazans, gives us hope, even as US warships threaten Venezuela on the other side of the ocean. Come to theleftunsaid.net [http://theleftunsaid.net] to sign up for our new mailing list.

Sir, No Sir: GI Resistance in LA and DC

This episode features part two of our conversation with Catholic Worker organizers Lenore Yarger and Steve Woolford, and their son Quinn. From their rural North Carolina home base, they’ve spent 20 years running the GI Rights Hotline, an anonymous lifeline for soldiers looking to get out, resist, or simply not follow illegal orders. Their hotline blew up when Trump ordered National Guard deployments to Los Angeles. What happens when the empire turns inward? What kinds of calls do they get from soldiers at the breaking point? We also learn some history of resistance to right-wing, anti-immigrant nativism in Siler City, a small North Carolina town. Links: 1. GI RIGHTS HOTLINE: (877) 447-4487, girightshotline.org [https://girightshotline.org⁠] 2. A documentary recommendation from the Iraq War era: Sir, No Sir! [https://www.amazon.com/Sir-No-Michael-Alaimo/dp/B0010B9ALS] Support the show at theleftunsaid.net [https://theleftunsaid.net], and help us keep bringing you the stories official history leaves out.

A Better World is Possible: Lessons from the Catholic Worker Movement

This week, the tide may finally be starting to turn against genocide. A majority of Democratic Senators voted with Bernie to cut off some weapons to Israel. Not enough, but a major step forward. Zohran Mamdani polls overwhelmingly ahead in the New York mayoral race, including among Jewish voters. Over in the UK, Jeremy Corbyn launched a new leftist party and immediately matched Labour’s membership. Turns out “don’t fund a genocide” is a winning platform. But apparently, it's still a tough sell for some in Congress. And ambitious centrists seem to think they can run without strong moral opposition to forced starvation. From Roy Cooper's Senate ambitions here in North Carolina to Kamala’s resurrection tour, the "moderates" are scrambling to catch the cultural tide without getting too wet. Then, we turn to something radical in a whole other way. Patrick, Meg, and Finn are joined by friends and Catholic Worker organizers Lenore Yarger, Steve Woolford, and their son Quinn. They talk about anarchist Catholic hospitality, voluntary poverty, and raising kids while forging an alternative to the dominant US family culture. Part two of that conversation, on military resistance and Steve and Lenore's work with the GI Rights Hotline, is coming soon. ALSO IN THIS EPISODE: * The rise of Zohran social media clones with none of his substance * The European hornets that attacked Patrick LINKS: * * Join The Left Unsaid newsletter⁠⁠ [https://www.theleftunsaid.net/newsletter/] * The Labour Files [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elp18OvnNV0], a docuseries on Corbyn and the Labour Party * * Zeteo's parody [https://zeteo.com/p/meet-the-new-centrist-democrat-copying?utm_source=publication-search] of centrists copying Zohran * And Liam Elkind's real-life campaign video [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMu4erczuUN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MW1nZnVtdWk3ZTYzNQ==] parroting Zohran's style without the substance.