Honorary Chairman of The Algemeiner Dovid Efune speaking at the The Algemeiner’s 10th annual J100 gala in New York, Oct. 25, 2023. Photo: Screenshot

Honorary Chairman of The Algemeiner Dovid Efune said on Wednesday that the battle over truth and information in the media is central to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, and that everyone has a role to play.

“There is the raging battle for truth, on the frontlines of which The Algemeiner stands,” Efune told attendees at The Algemeiner‘s 10th annual J100 gala in New York. “We … are soldiers in this battle for truth.”

Efune, the publisher of The New York Sun and The Algemeiner’s former editor-in-chief, outlined how lawmakers, prominent news outlets, and international organizations are spreading lies and misinformation about the war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that massacred 1,400 people, mostly civilians, during its pogrom through southern Israel on Oct. 7. In such a climate, he argued, media coverage of the war that sheds light on the truth is essential.

“Today, our obligation is to fight with everything we have,” he said. “We must fight with every report and headline; on the trenches of Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok; and in every dark corner in the great battleground of ideas.”

Efune argued that while Israeli soldiers are doing the most important fighting in Israel and Gaza, there are other battle fronts in politics, diplomacy, and academia that play a key role. He also explained the importance of maintaining one’s Jewish identity even amid rising antisemitism due to the Middle Eastern conflict.

“The decision today to wear a kippah in public or a Star of David, to attend a synagogue, or keep a Jewish school open requires courage,” he said. “We must not give one inch in the battle for Jewish identity.”