Victims of antisemitism speak out on discrimination as 'October 8 film' delves into growth of anti-Israel sentiment in US

Sky News AU

14-05-2025

Two prominent campaigners against antisemitism have spoken out on their fight against discrimination as they reflected on the release of the film October 8.
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."