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‘October 8’ Documentary on Eruption of Antisemitism, Hatred of Israel After Hamas Attack to Premiere in US
UC Santa Barbara student Tessa Veksler in the documentary “October 8.” Photo: Briarcliff Entertainment
More than 100 movie theaters across the United States will release on Friday a scathing documentary that examines how antisemitism exploded on college campuses, social media, and the streets across America starting the day after Hamas-led terrorists went on a deadly rampage across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
From Briarcliff Entertainment and award-winning filmmaker Wendy Sachs, “October 8” dives deep into the surge of antisemitism in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attacks, while Israel was still counting the number of people murdered and taken hostage by the terrorist group.
The documentary shows that on Oct. 8, 2023 — just one day after the largest massacre of Jews to take place since the Holocaust — people across the US were already trying to justify and celebrate the Hamas atrocities and use them as an excuse to spread hatred against Jews and Israel. It features footage from Time Square, New York, where less than 24 hours after the Hamas attack, thousands gathered to protest against Israel and applaud Hamas for murdering 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 hostages ranging in age from nine months to 93 years old.
“Rather than the outrage being directed against those slaughtering the Jews, the outrage was being directed at the Jews for objecting to being slaughtered,” says author and podcast host Dan Senor in the documentary.
After sharing harrowing footage from the Oct. 7 massacre and testimony by survivors, the documentary scrutinizes how Hamas has been celebrated as freedom fighters rather than terrorists for orchestrating the attack and exposes how the anti-Israel narrative promoted by the US-designated terrorist organization has become mainstream on college campuses through its numerous ties to student groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). It is estimated that SJP has roughly 200 branches on college campuses across the country.
Sachs was visiting her daughter at the University of Wisconsin on Oct. 7, 2023, and learned about the terrorist attack through the images and videos shared on television and social media. “It was horrifying and gutting,” she told The Algemeiner. “I think we all as the Jewish diaspora community felt completely gutted, as if a generational trauma had been unleashed.”
Seeing the immediate surge in hatred against Israel and Jews after the attack made her want to start filming the phenomenon and share it with the world, she explained. Sachs filmed the documentary “October 8” for 10 months around the world, including on college campuses, in Israel, London, and across the US.
“Really it was on October 8 when I saw the protest in Times Square, where they were celebrating Hamas as freedom fighters rather than as terrorists. And then on October 9 we saw that more than 30 student groups at Harvard had signed on to a letter blaming Israel for the attack on itself. And then we saw everything unfolding at all these college campuses and I realized that something epic was going on,” Sachs noted. “And as a journalist, documentary filmmaker, and a Jewish American, I knew there was a story here and I wanted to document what was happening.”
“It absolutely felt like this was a Kristallnacht, a pogrom, something that we never experienced before,” she added, referring to the infamous Nazi assault on the German Jewish community on Nov. 9-10, 1938. “And the reaction by universities, by what we were seeing in the streets of America, on social media, by the silence of so many people, was so shocking to me that I felt like I needed to document this moment and the explosion of antisemitism that we were seeing.”
The documentary largely focuses on pro-Hamas narratives that are flourishing on college campuses across the US with the help of SJP. One striking audio clip featured in the documentary is an FBI wiretap from 1993, when 25 senior members of Hamas held a meeting at a hotel in Pennsylvania to discuss strategy for how to expand the organization’s influence in North America through American media outlets, universities, and research centers. Viewers are also shown evidence proving that SJP’s tactics have direct links to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, and how the student organization is perpetuating violence and not doing anything to advance peace in the Middle East.
“To me what was most surprising and shocking was honestly what I discovered about SJP,” Sachs told The Algemeiner. “I think like most other people, you see SJP and you think it’s just another student group. What I didn’t understand was that it’s really connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, American Muslims for Palestine, and Hamas, and the tentacles lead back to Iran. I think that level of understanding of how sophisticated SJP is, and that it is not just a student group and that the messaging is coming from Hamas in America and Hamas abroad. And that revelation from that 1993 Marriot hotel room in Philadelphia where we have FBI wiretap of members of Hamas in America talk about how to make their messaging more palatable to an American audience and how when they’re speaking to people on the left, they’re going to speak in terms of social justice and apartheid. That understanding was really mind-blowing to me, my editors, and our production team. That was really a revelatory moment in making the film.”
“They’re not taking about a two-state solution and they’re not talking about peace,” she continued, blasting SJP. “I was filming at Columbia University and they’re talking about one state, we want it all we want it all. That to me was also really shocking because I think so many of us just assume that they’re protesting a war or a situation. But they’re protesting that Israel exists. Let’s start with that. They’re protesting that there is a Jewish state of Israel and until we understand that — it’s fundamental to any conversation of lack of conversation that we can have about the issue. They’re not talking about peace. They say it for themselves.”
“October 8” profiles several college students — including the student body president of the University of California, Santa Barbara – who have been targeted with antisemitic abuse and are trying to counter anti-Israel hatred at their schools, such as Columbia University, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania. The film includes footage from the 2023 congressional testimony of three university presidents who had a hard time answering questions about their failed to protect Jewish students from harassment on campus and if calls for the genocide of Jews violated their school’s code of conduct.
Other topics examined in the documentary include the demonization of Israel by human rights groups and the media – such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and UN Women — the publishing of false news about Israel, and the normalization of violence against Jews online. The documentary also condemns the widespread silence by celebrities about the Oct. 7 attack and Hamas’s hostage-taking, in comparison to the public outrage expressed after schoolgirls in Nigeria were abducted by Boko Haram in 2014.
“I felt completely betrayed by Hollywood,” actress Debra Messing says in the film.
Sachs conducted more than 80 interviews for the documentary and spoke to college students and professors, politicians, social media experts, antisemitism experts, journalists, academics, and celebrities.
Filming for “October 8” was completed in October 2024, when there were still 101 hostages being held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. There are currently 59 Israeli hostages still held captive in Gaza and at least 35 are dead.
Sachs told The Algemeiner one thing she hopes viewers realize after seeing “October 8” is that “anti-Zionism is antisemitism today. There is no gray anymore.”
“And that the exceptionalizing of Israel has really led to this moment,” she added. “We see it in the bias that we see in the media. We see it from NGOs, like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and the propaganda being fed to young people. It is the perfect storm that has led to this moment, where this irrational obsessive hate of Israel has led to Hamas being celebrated as freedom fighters rather than as terrorists. And that’s really what I want people to walk away with — to understanding that when they see ‘Zionists Not Allowed’ [signs], that means ‘Jews Not Allowed.’”
“October 8” will have a week-long nationwide theatrical release at AMC theaters starting on Friday. Advance tickets are now available.
The post ‘October 8’ Documentary on Eruption of Antisemitism, Hatred of Israel After Hamas Attack to Premiere in US first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Colorado Attack Suspect Charged with Assault, Use of Explosives
FILE PHOTO: Boulder attack suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman poses for a jail booking photograph after his arrest in Boulder, Colorado, U.S. June 2, 2025. Photo: Boulder Police Department/Handout via REUTERS
A suspect in an attack on a pro-Israeli rally in Colorado that injured eight people was being held on Monday on an array of charges, including assault and the use of explosives, in lieu of a $10-million bail, according to Boulder County records.
The posted list of felony charges against suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, in the attack on Sunday also includes charges of murder in the first degree, although police in the city of Boulder have said on social media that no victims died in the attack. Authorities could not be reached immediately to clarify.
Witnesses reported the suspect used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd. He was heard to yell “Free Palestine” during the attack, according to the FBI, in what the agency called a “targeted terror attack.”
Four women and four men between 52 and 88 years of age were transported to hospitals after the attack, Boulder Police said.
The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district near the University of Colorado, during an event organized by Run for Their Lives, an organization devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel.
Rabbi Yisroel Wilhelm, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado, Boulder, told CBS Colorado that the 88-year-old victim was a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Soliman had entered the country in August 2022 on a tourist visa that expired in February 2023. He filed for asylum in September 2022. “The suspect, Mohamed Soliman, is illegally in our country,” the spokesperson said.
The FBI raided and searched Soliman’s home in El Paso County, Colorado, the agency said on social media. “As this is an ongoing investigation, no additional information is available at this time.”
The attack in Boulder was the latest act of violence aimed at Jewish Americans linked to outrage over Israel’s escalating military offensive in Gaza. It followed the fatal shooting of two Israel Embassy aides that took place outside Washington’s Capital Jewish Museum last month.
Ron Halber, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, said after the shooting there was a question of how far security perimeters outside Jewish institutions should extend.
Boulder Police said they would hold a press conference later on Monday to discuss details of the Colorado attack.
The Denver office of the FBI, which is handling the case, did not immediately respond to emails or phone calls seeking clarification on the homicide charges or other details in the case.
Officials from the Boulder County Jail, Boulder Police and Boulder County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to inquiries.
The post Colorado Attack Suspect Charged with Assault, Use of Explosives first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Poised to Dismiss US Nuclear Proposal, Iranian Diplomat Says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran is poised to reject a US proposal to end a decades-old nuclear dispute, an Iranian diplomat said on Monday, dismissing it as a “non-starter” that fails to address Tehran’s interests or soften Washington’s stance on uranium enrichment.
“Iran is drafting a negative response to the US proposal, which could be interpreted as a rejection of the US offer,” the senior diplomat, who is close to Iran’s negotiating team, told Reuters.
The US proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who was on a short visit to Tehran and has been mediating talks between Tehran and Washington.
After five rounds of discussions between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, several obstacles remain.
Among them are Iran’s rejection of a US demand that it commit to scrapping uranium enrichment and its refusal to ship abroad its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium – possible raw material for nuclear bombs.
Tehran says it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied accusations by Western powers that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
“In this proposal, the US stance on enrichment on Iranian soil remains unchanged, and there is no clear explanation regarding the lifting of sanctions,” said the diplomat, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Araqchi said Tehran would formally respond to the proposal soon.
Tehran demands the immediate removal of all US-imposed curbs that impair its oil-based economy. But the US says nuclear-related sanctions should be removed in phases.
Dozens of institutions vital to Iran’s economy, including its central bank and national oil company, have been blacklisted since 2018 for, according to Washington, “supporting terrorism or weapons proliferation.”
Trump’s revival of “maximum pressure” against Tehran since his return to the White House in January has included tightening sanctions and threatening to bomb Iran if the negotiations yield no deal.
During his first term in 2018, Trump ditched Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy. Iran responded by escalating enrichment far beyond the pact’s limits.
Under the deal, Iran had until 2018 curbed its sensitive nuclear work in return for relief from US, EU and U.N. economic sanctions.
The diplomat said the assessment of “Iran’s nuclear negotiations committee,” under the supervision of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was that the US proposal was “completely one-sided” and could not serve Tehran’s interests.
Therefore, the diplomat said, Tehran considers this proposal a “non-starter” and believes it unilaterally attempts to impose a “bad deal” on Iran through excessive demands.
NUCLEAR STANDOFF RAISES MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS
The stakes are high for both sides. Trump wants to curtail Tehran’s potential to produce a nuclear weapon that could trigger a regional nuclear arms race and perhaps threaten Israel. Iran’s clerical establishment, for its part, wants to be rid of the devastating sanctions.
Iran says it is ready to accept some limits on enrichment, but needs watertight guarantees that Washington would not renege on a future nuclear accord.
Two Iranian officials told Reuters last week that Iran could pause uranium enrichment if the US released frozen Iranian funds and recognized Tehran’s right to refine uranium for civilian use under a “political deal” that could lead to a broader nuclear accord.
Iran’s arch-foe Israel sees Iran’s nuclear program as an existential threat and says it would never allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons.
Araqchi, in a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo, said: “I do not think Israel will commit such a mistake as to attack Iran.”
Tehran’s regional influence has meanwhile been diminished by military setbacks suffered by its forces and those of its allies in the Shi’ite-dominated “Axis of Resistance,” which include Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iraqi militias.
In April, Saudi Arabia’s defence minister delivered a blunt message to Iranian officials to take Trump’s offer of a new deal seriously as a way to avoid the risk of war with Israel.
The post Iran Poised to Dismiss US Nuclear Proposal, Iranian Diplomat Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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The Islamist Crescent: A New Syrian Danger
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool
The dramatic fall of the Assad regime in Syria has undeniably reshaped the Middle East, yet the emerging power dynamics, particularly the alignment between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, warrant profound scrutiny from those committed to American and Israeli security. While superficially presented as a united front against Iranian influence, this new Sunni axis carries a dangerous undercurrent of Islamism and regional ambition that could ultimately undermine, rather than serve, the long-term interests of Washington and Jerusalem.
For too long, Syria under Bashar al-Assad served as a critical conduit for Iran’s destabilizing agenda, facilitating arms transfers to Hezbollah and projecting Tehran’s power across the Levant. The removal of this linchpin is, on the surface, a strategic victory. However, the nature of the new Syrian government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa — a figure Israeli officials continue to view with deep suspicion due to his past as a former Al-Qaeda-linked commander — raises immediate red flags. This is not merely a change of guard; it is a shift that introduces a new set of complex challenges, particularly given Turkey’s historical support for the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization deemed a terror group by Saudi Arabia and many other regional states.
Israel’s strategic calculus in Syria has always been clear: to degrade Iran’s military presence, prevent Hezbollah from acquiring advanced weaponry, and maintain operational freedom in Syrian airspace. Crucially, Israel has historically thought it best to have a decentralized, weak, and fragmented Syria, with reports that it has actively worked against the resurgence of a robust central authority. This preference stems from a pragmatic understanding that a strong, unified Syria, especially one under the tutelage of an ambitious regional power like Turkey, could pose much more of a threat than the Assad regime ever did. Indeed, Israeli defense officials privately express concern at Turkey’s assertive moves, accusing Ankara of attempting to transform post-war Syria into a Turkish protectorate under Islamist tutelage. This concern is not unfounded; Turkey’s ambitious, arguably expansionist, objectives — and its perceived undue dominance in Arab lands — are viewed by Israel as warily as Iran’s previous influence.
The notion that an “Ottoman Crescent” is now replacing the “Shiite Crescent” should not be celebrated as a net positive. While it may diminish Iranian power, it introduces a new form of regional hegemony, one driven by an ideology that has historically been antithetical to Western values and stability. The European Union’s recent imposition of sanctions on Turkish-backed Syrian army commanders for human rights abuses, including arbitrary killings and torture, further underscores the problematic nature of some elements within this new Syrian landscape. The fact that al-Sharaa has allowed such individuals to operate with impunity and even promoted them to high-ranking positions should give Washington pause.
From an American perspective, while the Trump administration has pragmatically engaged with the new Syrian government, lifting sanctions and urging normalization with Israel, this engagement must be tempered with extreme caution. The core American interests in the Middle East — counterterrorism, containment of Iran, and regional stability — are not served by empowering Islamist-leaning factions or by enabling a regional power, like Turkey, whose actions have sometimes undermined the broader fight against ISIS. Washington must demand that Damascus demonstrate a genuine commitment to taking over the counter-ISIS mission and managing detention facilities, and unequivocally insist that Turkey cease actions that risk an ISIS resurgence.
The argument that Saudi Arabia and Turkey, despite their own complex internal dynamics, are simply pragmatic actors countering Iran overlooks the ideological underpinnings that concern many conservatives. Turkey’s ruling party, rooted in political Islam, and its historical ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, present a fundamental challenge to the vision of a stable, secular, and pro-Western Middle East. While Saudi Arabia has designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, its alignment with Turkey in Syria, and its own internal human rights record, means that this “new front” is far from a clean solution.
The Saudi-Turkey alignment in Syria is a double-edged sword. While it may indeed serve to counter Iran’s immediate regional ambitions, it simultaneously risks empowering actors whose long-term objectives and ideological leanings are deeply problematic for American, Israeli, and Western interests. Washington and Jerusalem must approach this new dynamic with extreme vigilance, prioritizing the containment of all forms of radicalism — whether Shiite or Sunni — and ensuring that any strategic gains against Iran do not inadvertently pave the way for a new, equally dangerous, Islamist crescent to rise in the heart of the Levant.
Amine Ayoub, a fellow at the Middle East Forum, is a policy analyst and writer based in Morocco. Follow him on X: @amineayoubx
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