Paragraph 1: A Journalist’s Wake-Up Call
Before October 7, 2023, David Christopher Kaufman had spent much of his career navigating the fast-moving, often unforgiving world of American media. A former editor at the New York Post and the creator of the Counterintuitive newsletter on Substack, he was used to dissecting stories, challenging assumptions, and searching for the angles that others missed. But something shifted in the days after Hamas’s attack on Israel. As the scale of the massacre became clear, Kaufman expected at least a moment of universal pause—a breath of shared horror, a recognition of raw human tragedy. Instead, almost immediately, he saw something else: a rush of voices on American campuses and in city streets placing the blame for the attack squarely on Israel, even before Israeli forces had fully responded in Gaza. To him, it wasn’t just political disagreement. It felt like a deep and dangerous rewriting of reality. That moment became a turning point, a kind of personal and professional clarion call. He realized that the information ecosystem he had worked in for years was not only fractured—it was actively enabling a narrative that left many Jews and supporters of Israel feeling isolated, silenced, and afraid. Out of that realization, The Octagon Project was born. It is an educational initiative, scheduled to launch in the United States, with a deceptively simple but ambitious goal: to counter disinformation, encourage civic engagement, and help Jews and allies of Israel find the confidence to speak openly in public spaces again. Kaufman discussed the project in an interview with The Media Line, later published by The Jerusalem Post, and his words reveal both a sense of urgency and a deep frustration with how the conversation has been hijacked by a narrow but vocal set of activists.
Paragraph 2: The Spreading Fog of Disinformation
What troubled Kaufman most in the aftermath of October 7 was not just the tragedy itself, but how quickly and systematically the public discourse was flooded with distortions. He observed the intensification of what he calls false claims about “genocide” in Gaza, the enduring and misleading charge of “Israeli apartheid,” and a troubling narrative that antisemitism in the United States is either exaggerated or somehow less real than other forms of hatred. These ideas, repeated endlessly across social media, protest chants, and even some academic spaces, created a fog of disinformation that made it increasingly difficult for ordinary people to know what was true. But the damage, in Kaufman’s view, went deeper than confusion. It produced fear. He began hearing from Jews and supporters of Israel who were reluctant to attend public meetings, to speak up at work, or even to identify themselves in social settings. Parents worried about their children being targeted at school. University students feared for their grades and their futures if they expressed support for Israel. Professionals in journalism, academia, and the arts worried that stating a simple fact—like the legitimacy of Israel’s existence—would cost them their careers. This atmosphere of intimidation, Kaufman argues, is not organic. It is manufactured by a constellation of activists who are organized, loud, and relentless, and who have managed to create the impression that their views represent the mainstream. He rejects that assumption entirely. The public agenda in America, he believes, is being shaped by the most vocal and best-organized voices, not by the majority of Americans, who often hold more nuanced and moderate views. But because those moderate voices have been frightened into silence, the public square has been left to those who shout the loudest.
Paragraph 3: Giving People Back Their Voice
At the heart of The Octagon Project is a desire to do something more practical than simply complain about the state of discourse. Kaufman wants to help people who do not feel ready to openly state their views find the tools, the language, and the confidence to do so. This is not about telling people what to think. It is about helping them think clearly and speak bravely. The project aims to serve as a kind of training ground for civic participation, especially for those who have been made to feel that their pro-Israel perspective is somehow outside the bounds of acceptable opinion. For Kaufman, this is a matter of basic democratic health. If only one side feels empowered to speak, then public debate becomes a monologue, and policy decisions are made based on fear rather than truth. He wants to break that cycle by giving people a structured way to re-enter the conversation—through education, community building, and public advocacy. The initiative is designed not as a reactionary movement but as a proactive one, helping people understand that their voices matter and that they have every right to be heard. Kaufman’s approach is deliberately constructive. He does not ask people to adopt every policy position or to defend every action taken by the Israeli government. What he asks is that people reclaim their agency in public life. In a media environment where misinformation spreads faster than correction, and where social media rewards outrage over nuance, simply showing up with honesty and courage can feel revolutionary. The Octagon Project wants to make that courage more contagious.
Paragraph 4: A Sharp Critique of Political Extremes
Kaufman is not shy about naming the forces he believes are driving this problem. He speaks critically, for example, of the Democratic Socialists of America, an organization he sees as having become a hub for anti-Israel activism within American progressive politics. In his view, candidates associated with that movement are often subjected to demands and litmus tests regarding Israel and Zionism that are not applied to any other country or ideology. They are asked to denounce Israel’s existence, to separate themselves from Jewish self-determination, and to treat Zionism as a toxic brand—all while similar scrutiny is absent when it comes to other nations with complex histories and imperfect records. This double standard, Kaufman argues, is not accidental. It reflects a deeply embedded prejudice that has found polite and politically acceptable clothing. He is equally direct when it comes to voting. He says he will not vote for any politician who has publicly called the war in Gaza a genocide. For Kaufman, that particular accusation is not merely a policy disagreement; it is a fundamental denial of Israel’s right to defend itself and an erasure of the reality that Israel was attacked brutally, with civilians targeted in their homes, at a music festival, and in their communities. By drawing this line, he hopes to send a message that there are consequences for abandoning nuance and truth. But he is careful to distinguish between rejecting inflammatory rhetoric and refusing to criticize Israel altogether. He makes clear that supporting Israel does not mean endorsing every decision made by its leaders. In his view, thoughtful criticism is not only acceptable—it is necessary.
Paragraph 5: The Case for Honest, Loving Criticism of Israel
One of the most important parts of Kaufman’s message is his insistence on nuance. He emphasizes that a genuine commitment to Israel’s future requires honesty about its flaws. He mentions mistakes and inequality, including the treatment of Arab citizens within Israel, and argues that such issues should be addressed openly and constructively. The goal of criticism, he says, should be to strengthen Israel as a democratic state, not to undermine its right to exist. Too often, in the current climate, any criticism of Israel is either shelved out of fear or weaponized by those who want to delegitimize the country entirely. Kaufman tries to find a third path—one that is honest, grounded, and deeply loyal to the ideal of a thriving Jewish and democratic state. He wants to create space for people who love Israel to also ask hard questions, because that is what love sometimes means. It means caring enough to want things to be better. It means refusing to turn a blind eye to injustice while also refusing to let that injustice be exploited by enemies. This balanced perspective is meant to be a refuge for those who feel caught between two camps: on one side, activists who see Israel as the source of all conflict and, on the other, defenders who reject any criticism as treasonous. Kaufman’s position is more demanding than either extreme. He asks people to think for themselves, to hold multiple truths in their minds at once, and to speak honestly from that complicated place.
Paragraph 6: Building Unlikely Alliances for the Future
Looking ahead, Kaufman sees The Octagon Project as a coalition-building effort that reaches far beyond the traditional boundaries of Jewish communal life. He wants to bring together Jews of different backgrounds and levels of observance, as well as LGBT Jews and feminists who have sometimes felt alienated from mainstream pro-Israel advocacy. He also envisions partnerships with Zionist groups among Black, Latino, Hindu, and Christian communities, recognizing that support for Israel is not the exclusive province of any single ethnic or religious group. By building these unlikely alliances, the project hopes to demonstrate that the fight against disinformation and intimidation is not a niche cause but a shared civic obligation. Many of the people he hopes to reach are not activists by nature. They are mothers and fathers, students and teachers, small business owners and artists—people who simply want to live their lives without being harassed for their beliefs. They fear for their children, their jobs, and their academic careers. Kaufman wants to reassure them that they are not alone and that their silence, however understandable, carries a cost. When good people stay quiet, he argues, the world is left to the loudest, not the wisest. The Octagon Project is his attempt to change that equation. It is still early, and the work is just beginning, but the vision is clear: a public square where Jews and supporters of Israel can stand with confidence, where truth has a fighting chance, and where the deeply human desire to be heard is met with courage, community, and hope.