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It has been the deadly assault of the events of October 7th, an event that shook world Jewry like no other occurrence following the establishment of Israel as a nation.

For Jews it was deeply traumatic. For the Israeli government, it was deeply humiliating. The whole Zionist movement was founded on the belief which held that Israel would ensure against such atrocities from ever happening again.

A response appeared unavoidable. Yet the chosen course Israel pursued – the widespread destruction of Gaza, the deaths and injuries of numerous non-combatants – represented a decision. This selected path complicated the perspective of many American Jews grappled with the initial assault that set it in motion, and presently makes difficult the community's commemoration of the day. In what way can people mourn and commemorate a horrific event affecting their nation in the midst of an atrocity being inflicted upon a different population attributed to their identity?

The Complexity of Mourning

The complexity surrounding remembrance exists because of the reality that no agreement exists about what any of this means. Actually, within US Jewish circles, this two-year period have witnessed the collapse of a decades-long agreement on Zionism itself.

The origins of a Zionist consensus across American Jewish populations can be traced to an early twentieth-century publication authored by an attorney subsequently appointed supreme court justice Justice Brandeis titled “The Jewish Problem; Finding Solutions”. Yet the unity really takes hold after the 1967 conflict during 1967. Before then, US Jewish communities maintained a vulnerable but enduring parallel existence between groups which maintained a range of views about the need for a Jewish nation – Zionists, non-Zionists and opponents.

Historical Context

Such cohabitation continued during the post-war decades, in remnants of Jewish socialism, through the non-aligned US Jewish group, in the anti-Zionist American Council for Judaism and comparable entities. In the view of Louis Finkelstein, the chancellor at JTS, pro-Israel ideology was primarily theological than political, and he prohibited the singing of the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah, at JTS ordinations during that period. Additionally, Zionist ideology the centerpiece for contemporary Orthodox communities before the 1967 conflict. Jewish identitarian alternatives coexisted.

However following Israel routed adjacent nations in the six-day war during that period, taking control of areas such as the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Jerusalem's eastern sector, US Jewish connection with the country changed dramatically. The triumphant outcome, combined with longstanding fears about another genocide, resulted in an increasing conviction regarding Israel's vital role for Jewish communities, and a source of pride in its resilience. Language concerning the extraordinary nature of the victory and the “liberation” of territory gave Zionism a theological, almost redemptive, importance. In that triumphant era, considerable the remaining ambivalence toward Israel dissipated. During the seventies, Publication editor Podhoretz stated: “Zionism unites us all.”

The Unity and Restrictions

The pro-Israel agreement left out strictly Orthodox communities – who typically thought Israel should only be ushered in via conventional understanding of the Messiah – yet included Reform Judaism, Conservative, contemporary Orthodox and most unaffiliated individuals. The common interpretation of this agreement, identified as progressive Zionism, was established on a belief regarding Israel as a liberal and free – though Jewish-centered – nation. Countless Jewish Americans viewed the occupation of local, Syrian and Egyptian lands following the war as not permanent, thinking that a resolution was imminent that would maintain a Jewish majority in Israel proper and Middle Eastern approval of Israel.

Multiple generations of US Jews were thus brought up with support for Israel an essential component of their identity as Jews. The nation became a central part within religious instruction. Israel’s Independence Day became a Jewish holiday. Israeli flags adorned religious institutions. Youth programs were permeated with national melodies and education of the language, with Israeli guests educating American youth Israeli customs. Trips to the nation increased and achieved record numbers with Birthright Israel in 1999, providing no-cost visits to Israel was offered to US Jewish youth. Israel permeated virtually all areas of US Jewish life.

Changing Dynamics

Ironically, during this period post-1967, American Jewry grew skilled at religious pluralism. Open-mindedness and communication between Jewish denominations expanded.

However regarding support for Israel – that represented tolerance ended. Individuals might align with a conservative supporter or a leftwing Zionist, yet backing Israel as a Jewish homeland was assumed, and questioning that position positioned you beyond accepted boundaries – outside the community, as a Jewish periodical termed it in an essay in 2021.

But now, amid of the devastation in Gaza, famine, young victims and anger over the denial of many fellow Jews who refuse to recognize their involvement, that consensus has collapsed. The centrist pro-Israel view {has lost|no longer