Birthright? Travelogue of an American Radical in Israel/Palestine

In 2013, author-activist Nani Ferreira-Mathews participated in a popular free ten-day “birthright” trip to Israel offered by the Taglit-Birthright organization in an effort to explore and reconnect with her Jewish heritage. This day- to-day account of the daily programs, activities, and dating games—as well as the tour guides’ stubborn refusal to discuss or even acknowledge Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories—reveals an agenda animated by racism, heterosexism, colonialism, and militaristic nationalism.

Drawing upon her experience as a person of both indigenous Hawaiian and Jewish heritage, Ferreira-Mathews interrogates the meaning of “birthright” within a settler-colonialist nation where national identity is so fundamentally invested in the systematic displacement of native peoples.