"Who Killed Alex Odeh?" documents the 1985 bombing death of Alexander Michel Odeh, West Coast Regional Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. The film, directed by Jason Osder and William Youmans, argues that the case was solved within days. All three primary suspects, members of the Jewish Defense League, fled to Israel and have never faced prosecution or extradition. One has since returned to the United States.
Odeh was killed on October 11, 1985, at the California office where he worked. He left behind his wife Norma and three daughters: Helena, Samya, and Susan. The case remains officially unsolved despite the identities of the presumptive killers being known.
The documentary uses Odeh's murder to examine the militarization of Jewish extremism and how terrorism has been framed as exclusively Muslim practice in American discourse. It also documents how Israel welcomed the alleged killers and how President Reagan refused to recognize the severity of the crime, never sending condolences to Odeh's widow. According to the film, Mossad and the U.S. State Department allegedly combined to shut down the investigation.
Osder and Youmans conduct undercover interviews with one of the alleged killers, Baruch Ben-Yosef, who dismisses the case when Odeh's name is mentioned. Born in Palestine but displaced to Egypt as a child after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Odeh worked to combat discrimination against Arabs in America and sought dialogue with the local Jewish community. The film shows archival footage of his television appearances, including a debate with a JDL member on "Newsline."
The documentary is now playing in theaters.