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It has been that deadly assault of 7 October 2023, which deeply affected world Jewry more than any event following the creation of the state of Israel.

Among Jewish people the event proved profoundly disturbing. For the Israeli government, the situation represented a significant embarrassment. The entire Zionist endeavor had been established on the presumption which held that the Jewish state could stop things like this from ever happening again.

Some form of retaliation seemed necessary. Yet the chosen course undertaken by Israel – the comprehensive devastation of the Gaza Strip, the killing and maiming of tens of thousands non-combatants – was a choice. This selected path made more difficult how many Jewish Americans grappled with the October 7th events that set it in motion, and presently makes difficult the community's remembrance of the anniversary. How can someone mourn and commemorate an atrocity targeting their community while simultaneously a catastrophe experienced by another people connected to their community?

The Complexity of Mourning

The complexity of mourning lies in the fact that no agreement exists as to what any of this means. Indeed, within US Jewish circles, the last two years have experienced the disintegration of a decades-long agreement on Zionism itself.

The early development of Zionist agreement across American Jewish populations can be traced to writings from 1915 by the lawyer who would later become supreme court justice Justice Brandeis called “The Jewish Question; Finding Solutions”. Yet the unity really takes hold following the 1967 conflict during 1967. Before then, US Jewish communities housed a fragile but stable coexistence across various segments holding diverse perspectives about the requirement for Israel – pro-Israel advocates, non-Zionists and opponents.

Historical Context

That coexistence endured during the 1950s and 60s, through surviving aspects of leftist Jewish organizations, through the non-aligned US Jewish group, in the anti-Zionist American Council for Judaism and similar institutions. In the view of Louis Finkelstein, the leader at JTS, pro-Israel ideology was more spiritual than political, and he prohibited singing the Israeli national anthem, the Israeli national anthem, at religious school events during that period. Furthermore, Zionist ideology the main element for contemporary Orthodox communities until after the 1967 conflict. Jewish identitarian alternatives coexisted.

However following Israel routed adjacent nations during the 1967 conflict that year, taking control of areas comprising Palestinian territories, Gaza, Golan Heights and Jerusalem's eastern sector, US Jewish perspective on the nation changed dramatically. The triumphant outcome, along with persistent concerns regarding repeated persecution, led to a growing belief regarding Israel's essential significance to the Jewish people, and created pride for its strength. Rhetoric regarding the extraordinary aspect of the outcome and the freeing of land gave the movement a religious, almost redemptive, importance. In those heady years, much of the remaining ambivalence about Zionism dissipated. In the early 1970s, Commentary magazine editor Norman Podhoretz stated: “We are all Zionists now.”

The Consensus and Restrictions

The Zionist consensus did not include the ultra-Orthodox – who typically thought Israel should only emerge by a traditional rendering of redemption – yet included Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Modern Orthodox and most non-affiliated Jews. The common interpretation of the consensus, later termed progressive Zionism, was established on the conviction in Israel as a liberal and liberal – albeit ethnocentric – country. Many American Jews viewed the control of Palestinian, Syrian and Egypt's territories post-1967 as provisional, assuming that a solution was forthcoming that would guarantee a Jewish majority in pre-1967 Israel and neighbor recognition of the state.

Two generations of American Jews were thus brought up with support for Israel a fundamental aspect of their identity as Jews. Israel became a key component in Jewish learning. Israeli national day evolved into a religious observance. Israeli flags decorated many temples. Summer camps were permeated with Hebrew music and the study of the language, with visitors from Israel educating American teenagers Israeli customs. Travel to Israel expanded and reached new heights via educational trips by 1999, offering complimentary travel to the country became available to young American Jews. Israel permeated virtually all areas of US Jewish life.

Shifting Landscape

Paradoxically, in these decades following the war, US Jewish communities developed expertise regarding denominational coexistence. Tolerance and dialogue across various Jewish groups expanded.

Except when it came to the Israeli situation – there existed tolerance ended. You could be a right-leaning advocate or a liberal advocate, but support for Israel as a Jewish homeland remained unquestioned, and criticizing that perspective categorized you outside mainstream views – outside the community, as Tablet magazine termed it in an essay in 2021.

However currently, during of the destruction within Gaza, famine, dead and orphaned children and anger regarding the refusal by numerous Jewish individuals who avoid admitting their involvement, that consensus has broken down. The moderate Zionist position {has lost|no longer