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Two years have passed since that horrific attack of 7 October 2023, which shook world Jewry like no other occurrence following the founding of Israel as a nation.

For Jews the event proved deeply traumatic. For the state of Israel, it was a profound disgrace. The whole Zionist movement had been established on the belief that the nation would ensure against things like this occurring in the future.

Military action was inevitable. But the response undertaken by Israel – the widespread destruction of the Gaza Strip, the casualties of many thousands of civilians – represented a decision. And this choice complicated the perspective of many American Jews grappled with the October 7th events that set it in motion, and presently makes difficult their remembrance of that date. How does one mourn and commemorate a horrific event against your people in the midst of a catastrophe experienced by another people in your name?

The Difficulty of Grieving

The challenge of mourning exists because of the fact that no agreement exists as to the implications of these developments. Actually, for the American Jewish community, the last two years have witnessed the disintegration of a half-century-old consensus about the Zionist movement.

The beginnings of a Zionist consensus among American Jewry can be traced to writings from 1915 authored by an attorney who would later become high court jurist Louis Brandeis titled “Jewish Issues; Finding Solutions”. However, the agreement truly solidified subsequent to the six-day war in 1967. Previously, US Jewish communities maintained a delicate yet functioning cohabitation across various segments that had a range of views concerning the need for Israel – pro-Israel advocates, neutral parties and opponents.

Background Information

That coexistence continued through the 1950s and 60s, through surviving aspects of socialist Jewish movements, through the non-aligned Jewish communal organization, among the opposing religious group and similar institutions. For Louis Finkelstein, the head at JTS, the Zionist movement was primarily theological instead of governmental, and he prohibited performance of the Israeli national anthem, the national song, during seminary ceremonies during that period. Nor were Zionist ideology the central focus within modern Orthodox Judaism before the six-day war. Alternative Jewish perspectives coexisted.

Yet after Israel defeated neighboring countries during the 1967 conflict that year, taking control of areas comprising Palestinian territories, Gaza, the Golan and East Jerusalem, US Jewish perspective on Israel evolved considerably. Israel’s victory, along with persistent concerns of a “second Holocaust”, resulted in an increasing conviction about the nation's vital role to the Jewish people, and created pride for its strength. Discourse concerning the extraordinary quality of the outcome and the freeing of areas gave the movement a spiritual, almost redemptive, meaning. In those heady years, considerable previous uncertainty toward Israel dissipated. During the seventies, Publication editor Podhoretz stated: “Everyone supports Zionism today.”

The Unity and Its Boundaries

The pro-Israel agreement excluded Haredi Jews – who largely believed Israel should only be established via conventional understanding of the Messiah – but united Reform, Conservative, Modern Orthodox and most non-affiliated Jews. The most popular form of the unified position, later termed progressive Zionism, was established on the idea in Israel as a democratic and democratic – albeit ethnocentric – nation. Many American Jews saw the administration of Palestinian, Syrian and Egyptian lands post-1967 as temporary, assuming that a resolution was forthcoming that would maintain a Jewish majority in Israel proper and regional acceptance of Israel.

Multiple generations of Jewish Americans grew up with pro-Israel ideology a fundamental aspect of their religious identity. The state transformed into a key component of Jewish education. Yom Ha'atzmaut became a Jewish holiday. Blue and white banners were displayed in many temples. Youth programs integrated with Israeli songs and the study of contemporary Hebrew, with Israeli guests and teaching American teenagers national traditions. Trips to the nation increased and achieved record numbers with Birthright Israel in 1999, when a free trip to the country was provided to US Jewish youth. Israel permeated nearly every aspect of US Jewish life.

Changing Dynamics

Ironically, throughout these years after 1967, US Jewish communities grew skilled regarding denominational coexistence. Open-mindedness and discussion between Jewish denominations expanded.

Yet concerning support for Israel – that’s where tolerance ended. One could identify as a right-leaning advocate or a progressive supporter, but support for Israel as a Jewish homeland was a given, and challenging that position placed you beyond accepted boundaries – an “Un-Jew”, as one publication described it in an essay recently.

But now, under the weight of the devastation of Gaza, food shortages, young victims and frustration over the denial within Jewish communities who refuse to recognize their responsibility, that consensus has broken down. The centrist pro-Israel view {has lost|no longer