OCTOBER 8 

Film Viewing and Discussion

Wednesday, July 2, 6:30 pm

At the request of congregants, Temple Sinai will be offering a viewing and discussion of the documentary film, OCTOBER 8, by director Wendy Sachs.  The film focuses on the explosion of antisemitism on college campuses, social media and in the streets of America beginning the day after the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas.  The film also builds a case that over decades, Hamas and its sponsors built and funded sophisticated networks in America to permeate U.S. institutions and mastered disinformation campaigns with the purpose of dividing American society.

The film is very effective at tracing the interconnection of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic actors, but it is not attempting to be a balanced look at the issue.  For example, the film was completed before the Trump Presidency, so the recent attacks on higher education are not included.  In our discussion afterwards, we will have the chance to reflect on the films strengths and flaws to help us gain a better understanding of the way antisemitism is functioning in America today, particularly in progressive political spaces. 

The film features interviews with Debra Messing, Michael Rapaport, Mosab Yousef (son of Hamas's co-founder), Sheryl Sandberg, Scott Galloway, US Rep. Ritchie Torres, US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, US Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, Dan Senor, Noa Tishby, Bari Weiss, and a survivor from Nir Oz.