Victims of antisemitism speak out on discrimination as 'October 8 film' delves into growth of anti-Israel sentiment in US
The film was directed by Wendy Sachs and co-produced with Will and Grace star Debra Messing - who comes from a Jewish family.
It delves into incidents of antisemitism on college campuses and social media in the United States which erupted in the wake of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The documentary, which was released on March 14, 2025, has received mainly positive reviews and now Talia Khan and Tessa Veksler are continuing the fight to educate others and ward off antisemitism and hate speech.
Ms Khan, a graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), delivered a testimony to Congress in December 2023 to bring to their attention the "extremely toxic atmosphere" that had developed at the college and to advocate for the safety of Jewish students.
On Wednesday, she and Ms Veksler, fellow campaigner for Jewish people, joined Sky News' Chris Kenny to discuss the film and the alarming levels of discrimination they had been subjected to.
"I think that one of the biggest benefits of this film and the way that the story was told is that it shows very clearly that the things that were happening on campus that happened to Tessa, that happened me, and all the other Jewish students on campus... it wasn't about politics or policy, it wasn't about whether or not you agree with (Israeli PM Benjamin) Netanyahu or not," Ms Khan told Kenny.
"It was really just bullying and hatred and support for terror."
She also said she would make an effort to speak with people who took part in pro-Palestine encampments on campus, but that she would be turned away due to them having a "non-conversation policy with Zionists".
"They're not even allowed to talk to us. Many of them wouldn't look us in the eye. So it was very clear that it wasn't about having an environment of intellectual curiosity or rigorous debate about the policy issues. It was just about hatred and promotion of terror," she said.
Ms Veksler, who survived a recall vote to remain head of the student body at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said one of the biggest challenges had been people who she thought she was close to turning on her.
"I think that was a really painful thing that people who you thought were your allies were so quick to change their minds... and there are these striking similarities between what we went through on our campuses and what's happening here in Australia and on university campuses, and so it's pretty universal from what I'm seeing," she said.
When asked about how the world could overturn hatred and ignorance, Ms Veksler said it had to start with people agreeing "what this is about".
"First and foremost, this is a fight for Western values and for humanity against hatred of all kinds. The thing that people really don't understand is that it starts with the Jews, it never ends with us," she said.
"So if we care about the free world and we can all agree on that, it will help us unite against this form of hatred."
Ms Khan agreed, describing Jews as "the canary in the coal mine".
"This is a battle against Western values, against democracy, against women's rights, et cetera," she said.
"We need to make that not just Jews are standing up and speaking out against us, that we have allies who are also standing up and speaking up against this kind of hate and this kind, you know, revelling in terror."
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ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
Gazan university students restart their lives in Australia with support to study in Western Sydney
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SBS Australia
6 hours ago
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Australia may be called on to help with a Palestinian state, but how would it function?
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"It's just made it very hard for the Palestinian Authority to exercise any real control and to build popular support," he says. No influence in Gaza The PA currently has no authority in Gaza and its administrative centre is based in Ramallah City in the West Bank. Israel pulled out of occupying Gaza in 2005 — the same year Abbas won the presidential election, but the militant political group Hamas won legislative elections in 2006. Fatah, the party that leads the PA, fought a war with Hamas between 2006 and 2007, after failing to reach a power-sharing deal and agreement over control of border crossings. It led to Hamas taking over the Gaza Strip in 2007, which Barton says has meant Fatah leaders and other members of the PA face a degree of persecution in the area. A map showing Gaza, Israel and the West Bank. Credit: SBS News According to the global Islamic politics expert, Hamas had been running Gaza similar to a mafia state before October 7. "They were controlling the economy, intimidating anyone who threatened them, carrying out summary punishment — public executions of people who oppose them — terrifying the population [and] getting people to inform on their neighbours," Barton says. When asked whether Hamas, which is also opposed to a two-state solution, still holds influence over the Palestinian people, Shahin said most of its senior leaders had been targeted and assassinated by Israel, and the rest are most likely outside Gaza. "When people see a change, when people see a move towards peace, when people see a move towards a better life, I think the whole situation will change," she said. There has been widespread destruction in Gaza since a terrorist attack on October 7, 2023 saw Israel engage in an ongoing war with Hamas. Source: Getty / Salah Malkawi Shahin said the PA has no direct contact with Hamas' senior leaders that she knows of. "But I think there are numerous contacts between other intermediaries. Egypt speaks with Hamas, Qatar speaks with Hamas, Türkiye speaks with Hamas, so we have discussions through other entities," she said. Former Australian ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma, who is now a Liberal senator for NSW, tells SBS News he also doesn't think Hamas has any official communication channels with Israel. "To the extent, [that] diplomatic channels exist, it's through intermediaries like the Egyptians or the Qataris," he says. The importance of other nations Barton says there's a chance the PA can emerge as an authoritative representative of the Palestinian people, but it isn't going to happen "organically" and help is needed. He says the PA could be remade "to bring in new leaders and to build capacity, and bring in accountability mechanisms and turn it into something that's viable". The smartest thing for Abbas to do would be to support a leadership transition rather than oppose it, he says. Barton points to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the massive scale of work that will be required in the aftermath of the war. "It would be with Saudi Arabia, and perhaps with the UAE, and with the support of Jordan and Egypt and with Qatar and possibly Türkiye," he says. That would also require support from Europeans and others, including potentially Australia. Shahin acknowledges the long road ahead to rebuild Gaza. "What is needed in Gaza in 'the day after' is just mind-boggling," she said. "We cannot even begin to imagine the enormity of the need, given the destruction and the devastation, so the more support, the better. "That support will be very much needed in terms of financial support, and in terms of technical support, and in terms of political support in the international arena." Who's going to defend Palestinian state? If a Palestinian state does emerge that is not occupied by the Israel Defence Forces, Rothwell points out, it will also be defenceless. 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A turning point Barton says the good intentions of the Oslo process have so far been stymied, but it's possible the world is at an inflection point. "The international community is now at a point where it says we can't allow the Israeli government just to do whatever it wants [even if it's in response to October 7]," he says. "Rebuilding the Gaza Strip is a pressing need." He also points to a statement from the Arab League — including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt — that calls for Hamas to disarm and relinquish power in the Gaza Strip. This is the first time we've seen such concerted agreement to speak critically of Hamas and recognise that Hamas has no future role to play in Palestine. "That's the first time we've come to this point." Barton says the UN assembly meeting next month will be critical. "Despite the failure for decades [to] bring about change, now might be the beginning in which things begin to change." While the conflict might seem intractable, Barton says there are historical examples of former enemy states, such as Egypt and Jordan, now working together. "It's not as hopeless as it might sound. "There are challenges but they're not insurmountable."
Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Perth Now
Israel in talks to resettle Palestinians in South Sudan
South Sudan and Israel are discussing a deal to resettle Palestinians from war-torn Gaza in the troubled African nation - a plan quickly dismissed as unacceptable by Palestinian leaders. Three sources, who have knowledge of the matter but spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters no agreement had been reached but talks between South Sudan and Israel were ongoing. The plan, if carried further, would envisage people moving from an enclave shattered by almost two years of war with Israel to a nation in the heart of Africa riven by years of political and ethnically-driven violence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the information from the three sources. A spokesperson for the US State Department said, "we do not speak to private diplomatic conversations," when asked about the plan and if the United States supported the idea. Netanyahu said this month he intends to extend military control in Gaza, and this week repeated suggestions that Palestinians should leave the territory voluntarily. Arab and world leaders have rejected the idea of moving Gaza's population to any country. Palestinians say that would be like another "Nakba" (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. The three sources said the prospect of resettling Palestinians in South Sudan was raised during meetings between Israeli officials and South Sudanese Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba when he visited the country last month. Their account appeared to contradict South Sudan's foreign ministry, which on Wednesday dismissed earlier reports on the plan as "baseless". The ministry was not immediately available to respond to the sources' assertions on Friday. News of the discussions was first reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday, citing six people with knowledge of the matter. Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, said the Palestinian leadership and people "reject any plan or idea to displace any of our people to South Sudan or to any other place". His statement echoed a statement from the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday. Hamas, which is fighting Israel in Gaza, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, who visited the South Sudanese capital Juba this week, told reporters that those discussions had not focused on relocation. "This is not what the discussions were about," she said when asked if any such plan had been discussed. "The discussions were about foreign policy, about multilateral organisations, about the humanitarian crisis, the real humanitarian crisis happening in South Sudan, and about the war," she said, referring to her talks with Juba officials. Netanyahu, who met Kumba last month, has said Israel is in touch with a few countries to find a destination for Palestinians who want to leave Gaza. He has consistently declined to provide further details.
