I just got back from watching a movie called October 8, a documentary about how rampant antisemitism around the world, especially on school campuses was exposed in the days and weeks after the horrific attacks in Israel on October 7th, 2023. I’m ashamed to say, I only found out about this movie by chance, when looking for another movie. I watched in a movie theater, alone. I really wish the movie had gotten the press it deserved.

The movie starts with footage and commentary on the horrific events of October 8th, 2023, when Hamas murdered, raped, and kidnapped Israelis along the Gaza border. The Israelis and the Jewish community were expecting universal, widespread condemnation of the attacks. Instead, what they got was awakened to the ugly reality of rampant antisemitism. People were actually cheering the terrorist attackers. People actually took to the streets to protest in favor of Palestinian aggression. The response by the UN, colleges, even human-rights groups was tepid at best.

The movie explains the connection between Hamas and the “grassroots” organizations on college campuses. The fall and winter of 2023 saw many a college campus besieged by pro-Hamas demonstrations, so much so that Jewish students lived in fear of attack while their school administrators watched on ineffectually. Some members of the faculty actually took part in the pro-Palestine, anti-Zionist protests.

This movie as objectively as possible, uncovers once latent, now active, anti-Israel, anti-Jewish sentiment that has infected the universities, media, and other public institutions. It shows what will be a dark spot on American and world history, not unlike the rise of antisemitism that led to the Holocaust in the 20th Century. It also shows that there is wide support for Israel, something that should not be lost on the audience.

Please, see this movie while it’s in theaters. If you can’t please seek it out online whenever and wherever it becomes available.