Kaufman to launch anti-disinformation project in US — Jerusalem Post

American journalist David Christopher Kaufman is preparing to launch The Octagon Project educational initiative in the United States. It is intended to counter disinformation, encourage civic engagement, and help Jews and supporters of Israel speak out more confidently in public. Kaufman said this in an interview with The Media Line, published by the Jerusalem Post .

Kaufman is a former editor at the New York Post and the founder of the Counterintuitive on the Substack platform. He said that the reaction of some American activists to Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, became a turning point for him. According to him, as early as the following day, he saw statements on US campuses and in cities placing responsibility for the events on Israel before Israeli forces had deployed in Gaza.

Countering fear and disinformation

The journalist claims that after October 7, the spread intensified of what he calls false claims “genocide,” “Israeli apartheid,” and the absence of antisemitism in the United States. In his view, this increases fear and reluctance among Jews and supporters of Israel to take part in public discussions.

Kaufman named supporting people who do not feel ready to openly state their views as one of The Octagon Project's tasks. He believes that the public agenda in the United States is largely shaped by the loudest and best-organized activists, whom he characterizes as anti-Israel, although, in his view, they do not reflect the position of the majority of Americans.

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Views on politics and Israel

Kaufman spoke critically the Democratic Socialists of America organization. He stated that candidates affiliated with it allegedly face demands regarding Israel and Zionism that are not made of other countries or ideologies. He also said that he would not vote for politicians who have publicly called the war in Gaza genocide.

At the same time, Kaufman stressed that supporting Israel does not mean justifying every decision of the Israeli authorities. In his view, Israel should be criticized for mistakes and inequality, including with regard to Arab citizens, but such criticism should be aimed at strengthening the democratic state rather than denying its right to exist.

The initiative also plans to seek new coalitions among Jews of different backgrounds, LGBT Jews and feminists, as well as, in Kaufman's view, among Zionist groups of Black people, Latinos, Hindus, and Christians. He seeks to help Jews who fear for their children, jobs, or academic careers find their own voice in the public sphere.