Content Warning: The following article contains subject matter pertaining to graphic violence. 

When I was a child and first learned about the Holocaust, what shocked me most was not only the atrocities, but the silence around the world as Jews were rounded up and slaughtered. This month, something even more shocking happened. Jews were rounded up and slaughtered, and “social justice” groups were not just silent; they rejoiced. 

On Oct. 7, Hamas unleashed sheer evil on the people of Israel. In the aftermath, burnt carcasses laid scattered across the Southern District of Israel. Bloodied and burnt corpses of children were discovered in cribs and 1,300 Jews lay dead, with numbers constantly rising. Social media is rife with horrifying videos of Jewish victims and their bodies being dragged through the streets of Gaza, bleeding from their extremities and genital regions. 

Saturday saw the greatest number of Jews killed in a single day since the Holocaust. While many organizations and world governments have been quick to condemn Hamas’s terrorism and to stand with Israel, several leftist organizations, including student-led campus groups at universities across the U.S., have come out in defense of Hamas terrorists, blaming Israel for the surprise attack.

This month’s horrors were unprecedented. Over 100 hostages had been taken by Hamas, many of them students and young adults attending a music festival near the Gazan border. This is the highest number of Israelis taken hostage in history by far. Among those missing include American, British, French, German, Nepali and Thai nationals.

Before the rubble had settled, and while the death toll continued to rise, leaders of student organizations at Harvard University rushed to publish a shocking joint letter, holding Israel “entirely responsible” for the atrocities committed and labeling the cruel acts of terrorism as justified resistance to occupation. This statement may seem shocking and outlandish to most, but to me, it was not the least bit surprising. Leftists and self-described “social justice groups” have long turned a blind eye to Hamas terrorism and ignored antisemitism and genocidal attacks against Jews in the Middle East. With each new wave of Hamas terror, a concurrent justification seeps forth from these so-called justice organizations, blaming Israel for its “oppression”and equating brutal terrorism with justified resistance. 

Harvard was not alone. Several U.S. schools and institutions experienced flare-ups of acts, marches, statements and rallies, many of which aimed to blame Israel for the attack. At New York University, the president of the student law group publicly cheered on Hamas’s attack in a letter to classmates, labeling them freedom fighters and urging people to “not condemn Palestinian resistance,” which cost them a job at a New York law firm after graduation. At Stanford University, an op-ed was published in the school’s newspaper, calling Hamas’s attack “a revolutionary movement.” Several “Palestinian liberation” organizations organized marches worldwide, in which chants like “gas the Jews” could be heard. 

Students for Justice in Palestine wrote several press releases at different universities where they called for a “national day of resistance and mobilization,” a national day to “mobilize” in support of genocidal terrorists. Then, on Oct. 13, Hamas and its allies called for a “global day of Jihad,” encouraging people to attack Jews and perceived enemies all across the world. Is that the sort of “Justice in Palestine” they seek?

I cannot think of a single terrorist attack in my lifetime where people blamed the victims. In no other conflict in my lifetime have people issued press releases defending rapists, murderers and terrorists. I wish there was another explanation, but the only difference this time is that the victims were Jews, living in a Jewish state.

The horrors of this month almost do not require a reaction. It should be so obvious to a society like ours that atrocities are reprehensible — I don’t feel every college, law firm or American company needs to come out with a statement condemning it. Everyone knew 9/11 was horrific; there was no need to say it. But statements supporting terrorism are nothing less than shocking, especially by groups that purport to be for equality, freedom and justice. 

For the last few years, we have heard the mantra over and over from social justice groups: anti-Zionism and antisemitism are not interconnected. That can no longer be said with a straight face. Those who associate with any groups that have come out in support of Hamas and failed to condemn their actions or suggest that these depraved, horrifying attacks were “provoked,” must ask themselves why they have a double standard when it comes to the brutal murders of helpless Jewish civilians. 

We must act in the same way we would when dealing with any other supporters of terrorism or genocide. Hatred and terrorism have no place in our society, and supporters of terrorism should be condemned and ostracized.