A Jewish cyclist was told she couldn’t speak at an International Women’s Day event in Ontario because she had served in the Israeli army decades ago.
Leah Goldstein, 55, is a professional cyclist born in Vancouver, Canada, to Israeli parents and raised in Israel.
Goldstein is known for being the first woman to win the overall solo division of the Race Across America in 2011.
The champion athlete was due to be the keynote speaker at the 2024 International Women’s Day event in Peterborough but was not invited due to her service in the Israeli army three decades ago.
‘I was hurt. I was angry. But most of all, I was heartbroken,” Goldstein wrote on her website.
A Jewish cyclist was told she couldn’t speak at an International Women’s Day event in Ontario because she had served in the Israeli army decades ago.
Leah Goldstein, 55, is a professional cyclist born in Vancouver, Canada, to Israeli parents and raised in Israel
Like most young Israelis, Goldstein served her time in the IDF due to Israel’s mandatory military service laws.
When she returned to Canada in the late 1990s, she also worked as a police officer Times of Israel reported.
Due to her time with IDF, the organizers, the INSPIRE group, decided to invite the cyclist to the role she accepted five months ago to ensure the event was a ‘safe space’.
“Our focus at INSPIRE has been and will always be creating safe spaces to honor, share and celebrate the remarkable stories of women and non-binary individuals,” the women’s empowerment group said in a statement.
‘In recognition of the current situation and the sensitivity of the conflict in the Middle East, the INSPIRE board will change our keynote speaker.’
Goldstein revealed that she doesn’t usually do that and didn’t plan to bring politics into her speech at the event.
She told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: “I have zero politics when I speak.
‘To be honest, there is nothing political about my presentation. I’m just talking about the shit I went through and the shit most women go through, and still do, and how I dealt with it.”
According to event organizers, other speakers had been “attacked” by pro-Palestinian activists over Goldstein’s role as keynote speaker.
The champion athlete (right) was due to be the keynote speaker at the 2024 International Women’s Day event in Peterborough, but was not invited due to her service in the Israeli army three decades ago
Goldstein is known for being the first woman to win the overall solo division of the Race Across America in 2011
“We are just as angry,” said INSPIRE founder Heather Doughty.
“We’re just a small nonprofit trying to do something nice, and we were literally attacked. We had speakers (of INSPIRE) verbally attacked. They went shopping and people came up and attacked them.”
Goldstein’s critics allegedly “demanded to know what Leah’s position was” on the war between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli cyclist said INSPIRE asked her to make a statement – which she said was “ridiculous.”
“If I were to make a statement, I would say that I am very proud of my training in the IDF because I am the first woman to train the commando soldiers,” she said.
“So yes, if they want such a statement, I’ll be happy to say so. But to expose Israel and say, it’s genocide, we’re killing 20,000 innocent children and women and whatnot – it’s a terrible war. That’s what happens.’
‘I didn’t want to go down that path because that’s not what I do. They didn’t hire me because I was an IDF soldier. They hired me because I inspire. I motivate.
“They’re making this political when it shouldn’t be. My presentation is not about the war. It’s about life.’
Goldstein revealed that she has noticed a slight decrease in the number of speaking engagements she has been able to book since the conflict in the Middle East began.
Now that Goldstein has been ousted, a female Canadian hockey player will take the keynote speaker position.
“This has been so traumatic for me,” Doughty said. “I just wanted to put on a really fun event for the women in this area, and it turned into something that I don’t even understand.”