By Sophia Madeb, Staff Writer
Life is a continuous clock. Time pushes towards a predictable future, whether society is ready or not. However, on the dreadful day of October 7, 2023, it felt like the whole world hit pause. A moment that became frozen in fear, shivering up the spines of those who endured it, chilling the rest of the world in its path. Nonetheless, time did go on, moving forwards while dragging along outdated ideologies.
The hard-hitting documentary October H8te, released on March 14 explores the international shock of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, while also reflecting the impact it had on Jews worldwide.
October H8te captures the devastating aftermath of Oct. 7, yet the film goes deeper than the mainstream media. It confronts uncomfortable questions that are often avoided in discussions, presenting Oct. 7 not merely as an assault on Zionism, but as an expression of antisemitic hatred rooted in generations of persecution. It reveals the alarming questions about the future for the Jewish people and their beloved nation.
The film extensively captures a wide range of perspectives, including survivors, students, activists and everyday Jews, each one dealing with the aftereffects of the attack in their own way. October H8te highlights a powerful parallel between a physical war in the East, fought by 18 to 21-year-olds in uniform, and a battle in the West. Young Jewish students on college campuses fight a different kind of war; a battle against hate and isolation.
However, whether they are on the physical frontlines of attack or fighting antisemitism on college campuses, all their experiences point to one heartbreaking truth; Oct. 7 was not only an act of terror, but a clear message of hatred towards the Jewish people.
Take Tessa Veksler, a recent Jewish graduate from University of South California, Santa Barbara. She was the student body president, expected to represent everyone and make sure that their voices are heard. However, when she stood up for her own identity, she was silenced, targeted and harassed. No one respected her background. Her story mirrors the experiences of so many whose families once fled antisemitism to find safety in America. Only to watch that safety crumble.
The film reinforces the feelings of being singled out for being Jewish, and points out that it is not a new problem. It recalls the days leading up to World War II, a fearful moment in time when Jewish students were denied access to education and saw their books thrown into fires. Today, similar chaos is unfolding as students set up encampments on campuses and block Jewish students from entering spaces they have every right to feel safe and included in. The same hate from the past, just in different clothing.
The film calls out universities for failing their Jewish students. Schools are supposed to be places of safety, respect and intellectual growth. Everyone should be treated equally with respect towards each other’s identity and opinions. However, on the days following Oct. 7, universities fell silent. They failed to show their Jewish students there are places where they can go to reach out. They failed to offer real support. Most importantly, they failed to protect the students who needed them most, just like the world once failed to protect Jews before the Holocaust.
October H8te addresses today’s blessing and curse of the role of social media. Social media was beautifully explained in the film as a place where most of the new generation gets their information. While it can readily spread crucial information, it’s also where people blindly post support for groups they do not fully grasp. In this case, supporting organizations officially designated as terrorist groups. The film touches on the idea that it is easier to hit repost than read a lengthy article. People chase likes and views without realizing they are fueling hate. However this is not a game. These are real issues creating real consequences.
Young people from this generation, particularly college students, are desperate to be a part of something. They desire the feeling to create change. However, shouting phrases in Arabic without understanding what they truly mean, or calling for intifadas and one-state solutions is not creating change. It creates fear instead. Jews become afraid to walk through the doors of the very universities they pay to attend. This generation wants to stop the oppression, but they have become the oppressors.
A powerful voice in the film is Noa Fay, a recent graduate from Barnard College of Columbia University. She eloquently speaks about the gaps in media narratives and public awareness. Many people still assume all Jews are white and from Poland, ignoring the global and multicultural roots of the Jewish people. As a proud Black and Native American Jew, Noa points out how her school celebrates diversity, yet to the exclusion of Jews.
October Ha8te makes it painfully clear that throughout history, it has always been easy to stand for every group, unless they are Jews. Where were the celebrities using their voices to raise awareness for the innocent women sexually assaulted on Oct 7? Where were the politicians when women’s bodies were brutally violated? The world once said “never again,” but where was the world on the days following Oct. 7? If this promise was truly real, why are American Jews now wondering which of their friends would hide them, as if it is 1941 all over again? This fear, the intergenerational trauma, is real. It lives in every Jew.
October H8te raises alarming questions about the international current events of the days following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack. However, it also presents an uplifting sense of hope. The world might be seeing a wave of rising hate, however, it is also seeing a new generation of Jews who are strong, beautiful, resilient and unafraid to speak out. A generation that refuses to be silenced. A generation that will constantly stand on their mistakes, failures and successes. Pridefully remembering the victories of their past, such as the War of Independence in 1948, the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur war in 1973. The Jewish people and nation have faced darkness before and still found the light. They have tried to wipe out the Jews, but they have failed, and they will fail again.
Therefore, I do recommend this film with a warning. It is most definitely not an easy watch, but it is crucial to better understand the connection between past antisemitism and the challenges Jews and Zionists face today. It is a film that will leave viewers in tears out of concern for the state of the world, but also out of hope for what this generation has the power to do.
Photo Caption: The memorial at the site of the Nova music festival
Photo Credit: Chloe Baker