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Marking two years after that horrific attack of 7 October 2023, an event that deeply affected global Jewish populations more than any event since the establishment of Israel as a nation.

For Jews the event proved shocking. For Israel as a nation, it was a profound disgrace. The entire Zionist movement was founded on the belief that the nation would prevent things like this repeating.

A response seemed necessary. Yet the chosen course undertaken by Israel – the widespread destruction of Gaza, the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands of civilians – represented a decision. This selected path created complexity in how many US Jewish community members processed the October 7th events that precipitated the response, and it now complicates their commemoration of the day. How can someone mourn and commemorate a horrific event against your people while simultaneously a catastrophe experienced by a different population connected to their community?

The Complexity of Remembrance

The complexity of mourning lies in the fact that little unity prevails about what any of this means. Actually, within US Jewish circles, this two-year period have witnessed the collapse of a fifty-year unity regarding Zionism.

The early development of pro-Israel unity across American Jewish populations extends as far back as writings from 1915 by the lawyer who would later become Supreme Court judge Justice Brandeis named “The Jewish Problem; Finding Solutions”. Yet the unity became firmly established following the Six-Day War in 1967. Previously, American Jewry contained a fragile but stable parallel existence across various segments which maintained diverse perspectives concerning the necessity for Israel – pro-Israel advocates, neutral parties and anti-Zionists.

Historical Context

That coexistence persisted throughout the post-war decades, through surviving aspects of socialist Jewish movements, within the neutral American Jewish Committee, in the anti-Zionist Jewish organization and other organizations. Regarding Chancellor Finkelstein, the head of the Jewish Theological Seminary, pro-Israel ideology had greater religious significance rather than political, and he did not permit performance of Hatikvah, the national song, at JTS ordinations in those years. Nor were support for Israel the main element for contemporary Orthodox communities before the six-day war. Jewish identitarian alternatives coexisted.

However following Israel routed adjacent nations during the 1967 conflict in 1967, taking control of areas comprising Palestinian territories, Gaza, the Golan and Jerusalem's eastern sector, US Jewish perspective on Israel underwent significant transformation. The triumphant outcome, combined with longstanding fears about another genocide, led to a growing belief regarding Israel's essential significance for Jewish communities, and a source of pride in its resilience. Language concerning the remarkable nature of the victory and the reclaiming of territory provided Zionism a theological, potentially salvific, significance. During that enthusiastic period, much of the remaining ambivalence about Zionism disappeared. In the early 1970s, Commentary magazine editor Norman Podhoretz famously proclaimed: “Zionism unites us all.”

The Agreement and Restrictions

The unified position did not include the ultra-Orthodox – who largely believed a Jewish state should only emerge through traditional interpretation of redemption – however joined Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, contemporary Orthodox and most unaffiliated individuals. The predominant version of the consensus, later termed liberal Zionism, was based on a belief about the nation as a liberal and liberal – albeit ethnocentric – state. Many American Jews viewed the control of Arab, Syrian and Egypt's territories following the war as not permanent, assuming that an agreement was imminent that would maintain Jewish demographic dominance in Israel proper and neighbor recognition of Israel.

Several cohorts of American Jews grew up with pro-Israel ideology an essential component of their identity as Jews. The nation became an important element of Jewish education. Israel’s Independence Day turned into a celebration. Blue and white banners adorned most synagogues. Summer camps integrated with national melodies and the study of contemporary Hebrew, with Israelis visiting and teaching American teenagers Israeli culture. Travel to Israel increased and reached new heights via educational trips in 1999, providing no-cost visits to the nation became available to Jewish young adults. The state affected virtually all areas of US Jewish life.

Evolving Situation

Interestingly, throughout these years following the war, Jewish Americans became adept regarding denominational coexistence. Tolerance and discussion between Jewish denominations increased.

Except when it came to Zionism and Israel – there existed tolerance ended. You could be a rightwing Zionist or a liberal advocate, however endorsement of the nation as a Jewish state was assumed, and challenging that perspective positioned you outside the consensus – a non-conformist, as Tablet magazine labeled it in writing in 2021.

But now, under the weight of the destruction within Gaza, famine, dead and orphaned children and frustration over the denial of many fellow Jews who avoid admitting their responsibility, that consensus has broken down. The moderate Zionist position {has lost|no longer