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Two years have passed since the horrific attack of October 7, 2023, which deeply affected global Jewish populations unlike anything else since the creation of the Jewish state.

Among Jewish people the event proved profoundly disturbing. For Israel as a nation, it was deeply humiliating. The whole Zionist endeavor had been established on the presumption that the nation could stop such atrocities repeating.

A response was inevitable. But the response undertaken by Israel – the obliteration of Gaza, the killing and maiming of numerous of civilians – was a choice. And this choice created complexity in the way numerous Jewish Americans understood the initial assault that set it in motion, and presently makes difficult the community's observance of the anniversary. In what way can people mourn and commemorate an atrocity targeting their community in the midst of devastation being inflicted upon a different population connected to their community?

The Difficulty of Grieving

The complexity of mourning stems from the fact that there is no consensus about the implications of these developments. Indeed, within US Jewish circles, the last two years have seen the breakdown of a half-century-old unity about the Zionist movement.

The origins of pro-Israel unity among American Jewry extends as far back as writings from 1915 written by a legal scholar who would later become supreme court justice Louis D. Brandeis named “The Jewish Problem; Addressing the Challenge”. But the consensus truly solidified subsequent to the 1967 conflict that year. Earlier, American Jewry maintained a fragile but stable cohabitation between groups which maintained a range of views concerning the need for Israel – pro-Israel advocates, neutral parties and anti-Zionists.

Historical Context

This parallel existence endured through the mid-twentieth century, through surviving aspects of socialist Jewish movements, within the neutral Jewish communal organization, in the anti-Zionist religious group and other organizations. In the view of Louis Finkelstein, the chancellor at JTS, the Zionist movement was primarily theological than political, and he prohibited the singing of Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem, at JTS ordinations in those years. Furthermore, Zionism and pro-Israelism the main element within modern Orthodox Judaism prior to the 1967 conflict. Jewish identitarian alternatives remained present.

However following Israel overcame neighboring countries in that war in 1967, seizing land comprising the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, US Jewish connection with the nation underwent significant transformation. Israel’s victory, combined with persistent concerns about another genocide, produced a developing perspective in the country’s essential significance for Jewish communities, and created pride regarding its endurance. Discourse regarding the “miraculous” aspect of the outcome and the freeing of areas gave the movement a religious, potentially salvific, importance. In that triumphant era, a significant portion of previous uncertainty about Zionism vanished. During the seventies, Commentary magazine editor Podhoretz stated: “We are all Zionists now.”

The Consensus and Restrictions

The pro-Israel agreement excluded Haredi Jews – who generally maintained Israel should only be ushered in by a traditional rendering of the Messiah – but united Reform Judaism, Conservative, Modern Orthodox and the majority of unaffiliated individuals. The common interpretation of the unified position, identified as left-leaning Zionism, was based on a belief in Israel as a liberal and democratic – albeit ethnocentric – state. Many American Jews viewed the occupation of Arab, Syrian and Egyptian lands after 1967 as not permanent, believing that a solution would soon emerge that would guarantee a Jewish majority in Israel proper and Middle Eastern approval of the state.

Multiple generations of American Jews grew up with Zionism an essential component of their religious identity. The state transformed into a key component in Jewish learning. Israeli national day became a Jewish holiday. National symbols adorned religious institutions. Summer camps were permeated with Israeli songs and learning of the language, with Israelis visiting and teaching American teenagers Israeli customs. Visits to Israel increased and achieved record numbers through Birthright programs by 1999, providing no-cost visits to the country became available to young American Jews. The state affected nearly every aspect of US Jewish life.

Changing Dynamics

Interestingly, throughout these years following the war, American Jewry developed expertise in religious diversity. Open-mindedness and dialogue between Jewish denominations grew.

However regarding Zionism and Israel – there existed tolerance reached its limit. You could be a right-leaning advocate or a liberal advocate, but support for Israel as a majority-Jewish country remained unquestioned, and criticizing that narrative placed you outside the consensus – an “Un-Jew”, as a Jewish periodical labeled it in writing recently.

However currently, during of the devastation in Gaza, starvation, young victims and outrage regarding the refusal within Jewish communities who refuse to recognize their responsibility, that agreement has broken down. The liberal Zionist “center” {has lost|no longer