iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ro (Phoenix) Bersten @phoenix-ember.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

Enjoying the graffiti wall at T-Gen Gyms today, especially the exhortation to have a cute day resisting empire and savouring joy. So here for that.

A chalkboard wall covered in colourful joyous phrases written by trans gym participants including “gain mass, don’t pass”, “the kids at school told me to grow a pair — so I did!” and “my pronouns are he/slay”.

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Ro (Phoenix) Bersten @phoenix-ember.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

Needed BDS-compliant gluten-free matzah. Decided to make my own! Chag sameach, everyone. Next year in a free Palestine!

Uncooked matzah dough on a tray lined with baking paper

Delicious-looking home-made gluten-free matzah squares on a navy blue plate

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Ro (Phoenix) Bersten @phoenix-ember.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

I haven’t played pool in 10 years but thanks to Basem Kerbage being an aggressive wingman, I just played against an incredibly stylish opponent and managed not to embarrass myself.

Me, a white-passing person in a blue t-shirt with dark hair and teal glasses, leaning over a pool table with a pool cue trying to look like I know what I’m doing.

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Ro (Phoenix) Bersten @phoenix-ember.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

I’m zooming in to Rabbi Richard Lampert’s minyan (one of my early mentors in social justice). I was thinking I didn’t have a book to follow along and then remembered I do indeed have my childhood siddur from NSTE. During the amidah, I randomly opened it and encountered this. Feels appropriate.

Lord our God and God of ages past, grant that none may hate us, and let hatred for others never enter our hearts.

Unite us in the reverence of Your name; keep us far from the things You hate, and draw us near to the things You love; and treat us with compassion for Your name's sake.

The same words appear in Hebrew but the iPhone won’t let me select that text to paste here.

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Ro (Phoenix) Bersten @phoenix-ember.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

Guess I had a busy Sunday! Stop 1: Loud Jew Collective at the Naarm Palestine rally Stop 2: Jewish Greens door knock Balaclava in support of Sonya Semmens for Macnamara 💚 #FreePalestine #YourVoteIsPowerful #OutfitChange

Me with a bunch of fabulous Loud Jew Collective folks and the “Jews in Solidarity: Palestine will be free” banner

Me with a bunch of fabulous Jewish Greens folks after a door knock for Sonya Semmens.

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Ro (Phoenix) Bersten @phoenix-ember.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Congratulations Basel Adra & Yuval Abraham on this incredible film, No Other Land, & this brave speech. No one is free until we’re all free #FreePalestine #Oscars2025 [reposting because I slightly misquoted Yuval the first time. Apologies for my poor Canva skills. I still want this on a T-shirt!

“Can’t you see that we are intertwined? That my people are truly safe when Basel’s people are truly free and safe? There is another way.” — Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham
accepting the Academy Award for Best Documentary
alongside his co-director,
Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra

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Ro (Phoenix) Bersten @phoenix-ember.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

I want this on a T-shirt. (Apologies for my terrible Canva skills). Congratulations Basel Adra & Yuval Abraham on this incredible film and brave speech. No one is free until we’re all free. #FreePalestine

An image of Basel Adra & Yuval Abraham accepting the Academy Award for Best Documentary for No Other Land. The text reads: “My people are not truly safe until his people are truly free.” — Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham accepting the Academy Award for Best Documentary alongside his co-director, Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra

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Ro (Phoenix) Bersten @phoenix-ember.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

Proud to be one of more than 500+ Jewish Australians standing up against ethnic cleansing in the SMH and The Age today. #OzJewsSayNO #No2ethniccleansing #NO2TrumpsGazaPlan (I’m fourth from the bottom in column one.)

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Ro (Phoenix) Bersten @phoenix-ember.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

I live on stolen Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung lands. Sovereignty was never ceded. #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #AboriginalLand #InvasionDay2025

Aboriginal flag flying over the Victorian parliament

Loud Jews Collective members holding a hand-painted banner that reads “Jews Against Settler-Colonialism. Treaty now!” The aboriginal flag is in the left-hand corner. The Torres Strait Islander flag is in the right-hand corner. Another sign to the side says “Jews for liberation” and has an Aboriginal flag and a Palestinian flag.

Protest sign that reads “camp sovereignty, land back”

Protest sign that reads “indigenous lands in indigenous hands. Land back now. Displacement is genocide. Condemn the eviction of BKI.”

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Ro (Phoenix) Bersten @phoenix-ember.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Dear @australianopen.bsky.social, please get a human captioner again. This is supposed to say “game, Sonega”. No idea what “noodles” is supposed to be. #a11y #disability #LiveCaptioning #AIFail

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Ro (Phoenix) Bersten @phoenix-ember.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Happy Midsumma! No one is free until we’re all free. #QueerLiberation not rainbow capitalism. #FreePalestine #EndTheOccupation

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Ro (Phoenix) Bersten @phoenix-ember.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

Gee, thanks, poetry app. Have you been listening in to my thoughts? (This was the result of my first random spin for 2025, I swear… happy new year, I guess?) #poetry #random #boredom #aging

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