Joseph Hillyard (He/Him)
@josephhillyard.bsky.social
Lifelong disgruntled New Yorker and History Nerd. #multiracial (Black, Jewish, etc). Writer, jazz lover, and many other things. NYU 2026 Opinions my own. Dialogue is welcome, bigotry is not. 🏳️🌈🇺🇦🇵🇸🇮🇱🕊
Graham Platner is a dilettante adventurer reaping the benefits of both a privileged upbringing and his (unearned) image as an average working class man. I wrote about how these converge to grant him impunity www.liberalcurrents.com/graham-platn...
Graham Platner and the Class Politics of Impunity
Solidarity with working class women never seems to enter into it.
liberalcurrents.com
I wrote about the sadly underseen gem that is Is God Is for my first stab at Substack. Please share. iliketheislandmanhattan.substack.com/p/is-god-is-...
Is God Is Review
Alesha Harris thrillingly adapts her own play for the screen
iliketheislandmanhattan.substack.com
The AOC-MTG spat wasn't about coalitions or tactics. It was about two fundamentally different visions for the future of the American left. I wrote about it. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Two Futures for the American Left
The dustup over Marjorie Taylor Greene isn’t really about tactical coalitions. It’s about values.
theatlantic.com
"The liberal tradition and the socialist tradition are sisters, and daughters of the Enlightenment. A project that sought to undermine entrenched power, and sought to assert that power fundamentally belongs to the people." www.liberalcurrents.com/socialism-an...
Socialism and Liberalism: A Path Towards Estrangement’s End
Thinkers in both “camps” have not only challenged the underlying idea of the split but created theory that unified both liberal and socialist principles.
liberalcurrents.com
SCOTUS issued a disgraceful & unjust decision gutting #votingrights. It gave politicians a “discriminate to win an election free” by claiming partisan map-rigging. This is a dark day but tomorrow is a new day. This isn’t over. We will fight for our rights & to our future @civilrightsorg.bsky.social
“Today I am here [at the Israeli-Palestinian joint memorial ceremony] because this is where hope is,” said Liora Eilon, 73, a survivor of the Kfar Aza massacre whose son Tal was killed in the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023. edition.cnn.com/2026/04/21/m...
‘Blood only brings more blood’: Israelis and Palestinians share grief under veil of secrecy | CNN
The location of the ceremony was kept secret until the last moment. Additional screening sites were disclosed only to registered participants, for fear of violence and harassment. It was, organizers s...
edition.cnn.com
Just in time for Shabbat/weekend - the latest issue of our e-zine! Read it at www.progressiveisrael.org/wp-content/u... With all-new pieces by our president Paul Scham, board member R' Ariel Naveh, Raluca Ganea of Zazim , our ED R' @mhughesrob.bsky.social, @josephhillyard.bsky.social, and more.
On 4/21 from 3-5pm I am moderating a conversation with NYU professor @lilacb.bsky.social about her work with the @nexusproject.bsky.social to reject the weaponization of antisemitism. Event is open to any NYU affiliated people. RSVP link below. Please share! docs.google.com/forms/d/11hg...
My attempt to put words to my own Gen Z cynicism and unofficial recommendation to read Doris Kearns Goodwin's memoir for @liberalcurrents.com
Liberal Currents@liberalcurrents.com · 4mo ago“Young people are not indifferent to what is going on, nor has online culture completely drained our attention. Instead, Nyhan identifies a much larger problem: ingrained cynicism.” Read @josephhillyard.bsky.social today www.liberalcurrents.com/overcoming-i...
As a former intern at @nyjewishagenda.bsky.social I can testify that Phylisa is a thoughtful and extremely dedicated leader that I am lucky enough to have in my orbit. I wish her the best in her new role.
Jacob Kornbluh@jacobkornbluh.bsky.social · 6mo ago🚨 SCOOP🚨: NYC Mayor Mamdani appoints Phylisa Wisdom, progressive Jewish leader, to run the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism. forward.com/fast-forward...
“Liberalism is not merely tolerance alone or some conciliatory centrism. This form of politics offered by the consultant class is a suicide pact.” www.liberalcurrents.com/fdrs-four-fr...
FDR’s Four Freedoms and the Second Bill of Rights
The social welfare state, winning World War II, and building the liberal order after Trump
liberalcurrents.com
Thank you PPI for publishing my piece "We Must Continue," please also consider reading the rest of the magazine which features critical analysis of the situation in I/P. PPI helps connect Americans with activists from the I-P to build a stronger coalition for peace, please consider supporting them!
Partners for Progressive Israel@partners4israel.bsky.social · 8mo agoYour #Shabbat + end of #Hanukkah reading! In our e-zine's December 2025 issue: * Maya Garfinkel eulogizes Awdah Hathaleen * @jeremybenami.bsky.social (J Street) & Mariana Temido Cohen (WUPZ) each discuss the importance of World Zionist Congress elections www.progressiveisrael.org/wp-content/u... 1/
What a great piece! This just gets better and better as you read. prospect.org/2025/12/11/s...
The Hit Hollywood Didn’t Want - The American Prospect
Ryan Coogler’s bloodsucker blockbuster is all about Black creative freedom. No wonder the industry saw it as a threat.
prospect.org
I wrote about one of my political heroes for @liberalcurrents.com and what we can learn from her legacy as we face this new generation of authoritarianism. (Please consider supporting their startup fund to help the publication grow and support more emerging writers)
Liberal Currents@liberalcurrents.com · 8mo ago"While her husband preached the Four Freedoms, she built relationships with Black civil rights leaders, such as Mary McLeod Bethune and A. Phillip Randolph, to ensure these freedoms applied to all Americans." www.liberalcurrents.com/no-ordinary-...
Read @josephhillyard.bsky.social on Eleanor Roosevelt today, and then become a patron or chip it to our fundraiser if you like what you read! gofund.me/2464432e6
Donate to The Liberal Currents Startup Fund, organized by Adam Gurri
To fight fascism we need opposition media with a backbone. Liberal Currents is that. Help… Adam Gurri needs your support for The Liberal Currents Startup Fund
gofund.me
Liberal Currents@liberalcurrents.com · 8mo ago"While her husband preached the Four Freedoms, she built relationships with Black civil rights leaders, such as Mary McLeod Bethune and A. Phillip Randolph, to ensure these freedoms applied to all Americans." www.liberalcurrents.com/no-ordinary-...
Earlier this year @liberalcurrents.com was kind enough to publish my piece about Hazel Scott and the Blacklist. One of reasons I submitted to them is because their robust defense of liberal democratic norms in the face of authoritarianism felt right at home with the piece. Please consider donating.
Liberal Currents@liberalcurrents.com · 8mo ago"If we are to build a new America fit for the 21st century, we must reforge our institutions." Samantha Hancox-Li wrote those words in 𝘓𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 six months ago. This week, we are working a bit on reforging the American media. Help us fight the implementation of reactionary authoritarianism.
In April I rewatched the dark comedy The Death of Stalin for my 21st birthday and was struck by how the film still manages to be so funny while holding up a dark mirror to our current moment. I wrote about it for @youngwritersforda.bsky.social. writersforda.substack.com/p/my-birthda...
My Birthday With Stalin
By Joseph Hillyard
writersforda.substack.com
I am so proud of my fellow @hatikvahslate.bsky.social members. Keep up the good work!!!
Rabbi Margo Hughes-Robinson@mhughesrob.bsky.social · 9mo agoWe just prevented the World Zionist Organization from funding any Israeli settlement in Gaza. The Meretz-backed union at the World Zionist Congress ran this resolution, and I’m beyond proud of @partners4israel.bsky.social and @hatikvahslate.bsky.social right now! THIS is why we stay in the room.
As a student of history I often look back at our past to help make sense of our chaotic present. I wrote about Hazel Scott, the Blacklist and modern censorship for @liberalcurrents.com (If you're not already familiar with Ms. Scott, please take some time to rectify that) youtu.be/RkrV30ekwv4?...
Liberal Currents@liberalcurrents.com · 10mo ago“Against the backdrop of the Trump administration's efforts to erase Black achievements, keeping these stories alive and visible takes on a renewed importance.” www.liberalcurrents.com/the-second-v...
A different future here is not only possible, it’s crucial — our lives depend on it. And we won’t stop fighting until we achieve it.
Today is not an easy day for me that comes with lots of painful reminders. This is my attempt to pay tribute to the Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders who have been a source of strength to me since 10/7. @jstreetdotorg.bsky.social 📸: @giligetz.bsky.social nyunews.com/ops/guestess...
Guest Essay: On this grim anniversary, we must turn to Jewish-Arab organizations - Washington Square News
The week of the United Nations General Assembly, I found myself in a familiar place. Alongside a group of Israeli expats, I stood across the street from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hotel as we...
nyunews.com
At the Battle of Cable Street on 4 October 1936, at least 100,000 people, including Jewish residents, Irish dock workers, Communists and Labour Party members prevented a march by Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists (BUF) from passing through the East End...
Instead we must fight for true Israeli-Palestinian peace. A Palestinian state alongside Israel. Safety, justice, and freedom for everyone and independence for both peoples. Now is the time for peace, for an end to the violence, for life. (3/3)
Yesterday a diverse coalition of people and organizations came together to support Palestinian peace activist Mohsen Mahdawi as he continues to be targeted by ICE for exercising his right to free speech. We mustn't let up the fight. #freespeechforall @mhughesrob.bsky.social @giligetz.bsky.social
“I just can’t bleed out onto the page as some people do.” Zadie Smith writes about her preference for impersonal essays, and the tried-and-true method she uses to write them.
The Art of the Impersonal Essay, by Zadie Smith
In my experience, every kind of writing requires some kind of self-soothing Jedi mind trick, and, when it comes to essay composition, the rectangle is mine.
newyorker.com
Another day, another opportunity to show that Bibi is a disgrace to us all. BRING THEM HOME🤝LET GAZA LIVE
Voice4Justice@voices4justice.bsky.social · 10mo ago🚨 Unable to ignore the horrors of hostage captivity and the war in Gaza, we, determined Israelis lined up outside Netanyahu’s NYC hotel to “unwelcome” the murderer-in-chief: traitor!!!!#PersonaNonGrata
Rula Hardal & May Pundak are leaders w/A Land for All — a Palestinian/Israeli initiative grounded in shared human values & lived reality. As we close out 5785, they joined us today to cry out against the destruction of Gaza, and to imagine, despite everything, a shared future. www.2s1h.org/en
