Former B.C. professional cyclist Leah Goldstein removed from event because of past Israel Defence Force service

Former pro cyclist Leah Goldstein, who lives in Vernon, B.C, will no longer be the keynote speaker at an International Women’s Day event in Peterborough, On., in March, apparently because of her time spent working for the IDF. In September, she was offered the role and she accepted. However, in January, she was told she was being removed from the role.

Born in Canada, moved to Israel as a teenager

Goldstein, 54, was born in Canada to Israeli parents. At 17, she moved to Israel, where she spent several years, and served her mandatory military service. In 1989, she was world bantamweight kickboxing champion. After an injury, she began cycling, riding for teams such as the Canadian squad, Symmetrics Pro Cycling. After her career in road cycling, she then began ultra-endurance cycling. In 2011, Goldstein took the victory in the women’s solo category of the Race Across America. Notably, she attained second place in the women’s group and fifth overall in 2019. However, it was in 2021 that she etched her name in history by winning the overall solo division, beating not just all the women, but men too.

On Thursday, after the decision began to circulate on social media the organization put out a formal statement saying that she would no longer be involved with the event, amid the Israel/Gaza war.

“Our focus at INSPIRE has been and will always be to create safe spaces to honour, share, and celebrate the remarkable stories of women and non-binary individuals,” the statement read.“In recognition of the current situation and the sensitivity of the conflict in the Middle East, the Board of INSPIRE will be changing our keynote speaker.”

Statement about the decision

Upon hearing the news that she would be removed as keynote speaker, she put out a statement of her own about her disappointment with the decision.

“It has taken me a while to wrap my head around your decision to remove me as INSPIRE’s International Women’s Day ‘Inspire Inclusion’ keynote speaker. I was hurt. I was angry. But most of all I was heartbroken,” she said. “I’ve been a speaker for nearly 10 years and have told my story in front of real estate agents, business managers, garbage collectors, CEOs, motorbike dealers, government agencies and many diverse women’s groups. Not once has someone (to my face, to the organizers, nor anonymously) ever claimed to have been offended by my presentation. Not once.”

Speeches positive, never poltiical

During her speeches as a motivational speaker, Goldstein, frequently recounts how her mental resilience enabled her to triumph over injury, discrimination, and bullying in various arenas, including sports and her service in Israel. She proudly states her distinction as the inaugural female elite commando instructor in the IDF, alongside her tenure as an undercover police officer in Israel. However, she says her presentations are never political.

“I am zero political when I speak,” she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.“Honestly, there is nothing political about my presentation. I just talk about the crap that I went through and the crap that most women go through, and they still do, and how I handled it.”

Goldstein added she would never have a problem if a Palestinian woman spoke at a similar event.

“As a Jewish woman, I would never be offended if a Palestinian woman were to speak about her obstacles and life journey,” she aded. “I thought that’s what women were supposed to do for each other – listen and support!”

Despite her frustration with the removal, she says she will try and do her best to move on and remain optimistic. “I will not pursue legal action, although I have been advised to do so. That’s not who I am. Right now, I am sad. I’m mad, and I am so disappointed,” she said. “For now, I can only live in hope. I hope for peace. I hope that humans can learn to treat each other with respect and love. And I hope the future includes brave women who understand the fragile thread holding all of us together.