Blindness: October 7 and the Left: Jewish Quarterly 256

‘October 7 was horrific. Then came October 8, and that's when Jews understood how hated they really are.’

After October 7, many on the left justified, dismissed or even championed acts they otherwise view as unconscionable. It has been a disturbing phenomenon, in which a fanatical form of denial, obfuscation and hatred has been propagated by those who claim to be champions of justice. During a devastating war, it has left Jews in the Diaspora, regardless of their politics, feeling isolated, shocked and – many for the first time – fearful.

In Blindness, author and columnist Hadley Freeman explores the willingness of progressives to abandon values they purport to represent. With bitter clarity she outlines the equivocations, contortions and hypocrisy displayed by elements of the left, including many who were unable to acknowledge or condemn the atrocities of Hamas. And she examines the beliefs that have swept across liberal sectors such as universities and the arts with a fervour that blinds adherents to the immense complexities of history and justice.