New Octagon Project promotes civic engagement in response to ‘erosion of truth’ following October 7

David Christopher Kaufman, a Jewish, Black, and gay journalist and former New York Post editor, launches The Octagon Project, an education initiative to counter disinformation and encourage civic engagement among Jews and Israel supporters. He describes being radicalized not by the October 7 attack itself but by the anti-Israel response on October 8, which he saw as an organized campaign of blame and intimidation. The project aims to help people find their voice amid what he calls the erosion of truth.

David Christopher Kaufman, a Jewish, Black, and gay journalist and former New York Post editor, is launching The Octagon Project, a new education initiative intended to counter disinformation, encourage civic engagement, and help Jews and other supporters of Israel speak publicly with greater confidence. Kaufman describes being radicalized not by the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault itself but by the anti-Israel response he witnessed on October 8 across American campuses and city streets. He says the language used by organizations claiming to speak for marginalized people made the moment personal, as he refused to have his identity weaponized against his own community. Kaufman points to what he calls the lie of genocide, the lie of Israeli apartheid, and the lie that antisemitism is not a problem in the US. He argues that the public narrative has been seized by an organized and amplified minority, and that Jews fear the specter of cancellation, violence, and the mob. The Octagon Project aims to help those people find their own voice. Kaufman also expresses concern about the Democratic Socialists of America, arguing that candidates backed by the DSA face ideological tests disproportionately focused on Israel and Zionism, which he calls a double standard that constitutes antisemitism. He cites a New York congressional race where a Democratic Socialist presumptive nominee won by 2,000 votes in a district of more than 750,000 people as an example of how quickly such candidates have advanced. Kaufman says he will not vote for any politician who has used the genocide libel, even if that means not voting for a Democratic presidential nominee in 2028.