The children’s book “P is for Palestine” stoked controversy because of its entry “I is for Intifada.” Image by LaunchGood

By Aiden Pink November 19, 2017

A is for argument, which has been started

About a new kids’ book that only just charted.

It’s called “P is For Palestine,” and it’s been bought coast-to-coast

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

To the anger of Jewish moms found by the Post.

B is for book talk on the Upper West Side,

Which scribe Golbarg Bashi attempted with pride.

She posted on Facebook where she’d be appearing

But the book’s inside contents left many moms sneering.

“Omg. Crazy,” wrote someone who was mad.

Wrote another: “A children’s book on Palestine that doesn’t recognized the state of Israel…is very sad.”

Bashi wrote it for Palestinians who don’t have kids’ books of their own,

To help them take pride in their culture and feel less alone.

C is for crowdfunding, which got Bashi $15k

To publish her book in her own unique way.

“P is For Palestine” has endorsements, to be sure

From Rashid Khalidi and Linda Sarsour.

D is for drama, which we were bound to enter

Considering this entry in the book’s center:

“I is for Intifada, Intifada is Arabic for rising up

For what is right, if you are a kid or grownup!”

E is for error, which might here be a thing

Considering how many died in those two uprisings.

Though antipathy toward Israel might for Bashi be a trait

Since she once wrote that Israel “is a racial and religious apartheid state.”

F is for finish, which this poem will soon do.

I hope the dumb rhymes won’t stop you from reading the Forward, the best news source for the American Jew.

So here is a question so we can end pleasant:

Would you buy your kid this book for a Hanukkah present?

Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount