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(JNS) Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) demanded answers on Monday from a cinema in his district after it refused to screen “October 8,” a documentary about the rise of antisemitism in the United States after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, N.Y., declined to screen the film, according to a spokesperson for the film’s studio, but is screening “No Other Land”—a controversial, Oscar-winning film co-directed by an Israeli-Palestinian collective showing Palestinian activists protecting their homes from demolition by the Israeli military.
While Lawler expressed his disappointment in the choice, he specifically questioned the center’s recent hiring of Eric Hynes—who holds anti-Israel views and accused the Jewish State of genocide, according to Lawler—as its director of film curation and programming. The congressman called the decision “a complete slap in the face to the Jewish community in the Hudson Valley.” (Many of the tweets Lawler linked as evidence of Hynes’ views could not be attributed to Hynes)
“Unfortunately, this hiring decision has reared its ugly head in the biased choice to refuse screening of ‘October 8,’ a critical film that highlights the challenges faced by Jews in the U.S. following the horrific Oct. 7 attacks,” Lawler stated. “Given Mr. Hynes’ praise for the antisemitic protests at Columbia University and at CUNY, one doesn’t have to wonder if his personal anti-Israel bias factored into his decision to refuse screening this important film.”
“The choice to screen ‘No Other Land,’ while simultaneously denying screening of ‘October 8,’ calls directly into question Mr. Hynes’ intent, and given his long track record of being anti-Israel and supporting antisemitic protests, I fear the worst,” he continued. “The Jacob Burns Film Center should reflect on its choices and step in to ensure that there is a balanced set of films,” rather than “one worldview pushed by someone with an axe to grind.”
Comparing the theater’s refusal to play what clearly stated is an Israeli propaganda film and comparing it with “No Other Land,” the winner of this year’s Oscar for the “best documentary,” is chutzpah at its highest level which will, no doubt, lead to protests by the local Jewish community and donations to Lawler’s next campaign, w hereas “No Other Land,” despite its winning an Oscar, has yet to find a national distributor while, in the meantime, the Palestian co-director was arrested and badly beaten by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.
No Other Land is Islamist Propaganda , we do not care if it won an “Oscar”, it is blood libel, and we hope people take note and voice it to the anti Jewish theater. People canceling their membershp would be just fine. You can watch the Islamist propaganda all you want, have fun. The Oscar mean nothing.
So let’s see: if the shoe were on the other foot, the target of Leftwing outrage would be attacked ad hominem by mobs of drones, have his livelihood ruined by sneaky phone calls from hysterical women to his employers, be accused of rape, get doxed, have his family doxed, ‘swatted’ (if you don’t know what that means, look it up and learn something new today) and then perhaps an assassination attempt or just an assassination… instead the right takes the high road, nobly wondering where the balance went…
According to the website for “October 8,” there are about 20 theaters showing the film in the NYC/NJ area. Most of them are AMC theaters. One of them is in West Nyack, NY–Mike Lawler’s congressional district.
Certainly Lawler can find a theater where he can see the film. (It is even showing in Baltimore, if he is inclined to take a short trip from DC.) He could probably even arrange for a screening for Congress. Maybe he is too busy finding movie houses where it isn’t showing and bashing the proprietors?
Aside from all that, Congressman Lawler, what did you think of the film?