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Two years have passed since that mass murder of October 7, 2023, an event that profoundly impacted world Jewry like no other occurrence since the establishment of the Jewish state.

For Jews it was profoundly disturbing. For Israel as a nation, it was a profound disgrace. The whole Zionist project had been established on the assumption which held that the Jewish state would ensure against things like this from ever happening again.

A response seemed necessary. However, the particular response undertaken by Israel – the comprehensive devastation of the Gaza Strip, the deaths and injuries of numerous of civilians – represented a decision. And this choice complicated the way numerous Jewish Americans grappled with the initial assault that triggered it, and currently challenges the community's observance of that date. How does one mourn and commemorate an atrocity affecting their nation during devastation experienced by a different population connected to their community?

The Challenge of Grieving

The challenge in grieving lies in the circumstance where little unity prevails as to the implications of these developments. Actually, for the American Jewish community, the last two years have seen the collapse of a decades-long unity about the Zionist movement.

The early development of pro-Israel unity among American Jewry dates back to a 1915 essay by the lawyer subsequently appointed Supreme Court judge Louis Brandeis titled “Jewish Issues; How to Solve it”. Yet the unity became firmly established following the six-day war that year. Earlier, American Jewry contained a vulnerable but enduring cohabitation between groups holding diverse perspectives about the need for Israel – Zionists, non-Zionists and opponents.

Previous Developments

That coexistence persisted during the post-war decades, through surviving aspects of Jewish socialism, in the non-Zionist American Jewish Committee, within the critical religious group and other organizations. In the view of Louis Finkelstein, the leader at JTS, pro-Israel ideology was primarily theological instead of governmental, and he forbade singing Israel's anthem, the national song, during seminary ceremonies in the early 1960s. Furthermore, Zionism and pro-Israelism the main element for contemporary Orthodox communities prior to the six-day war. Different Jewish identity models coexisted.

But after Israel overcame adjacent nations in that war that year, seizing land comprising the West Bank, Gaza, Golan Heights and Jerusalem's eastern sector, US Jewish connection with the nation underwent significant transformation. The triumphant outcome, combined with enduring anxieties regarding repeated persecution, resulted in a growing belief regarding Israel's essential significance to the Jewish people, and created pride in its resilience. Discourse concerning the extraordinary aspect of the victory and the reclaiming of land assigned Zionism a religious, almost redemptive, importance. During that enthusiastic period, much of previous uncertainty about Zionism dissipated. In the early 1970s, Publication editor the commentator declared: “Everyone supports Zionism today.”

The Consensus and Its Limits

The unified position left out Haredi Jews – who typically thought Israel should only emerge by a traditional rendering of the messiah – however joined Reform Judaism, Conservative, contemporary Orthodox and the majority of non-affiliated Jews. The most popular form of this agreement, what became known as progressive Zionism, was established on the idea regarding Israel as a democratic and free – though Jewish-centered – state. Many American Jews saw the control of Palestinian, Syrian and Egypt's territories post-1967 as provisional, assuming that an agreement was imminent that would guarantee Jewish demographic dominance in pre-1967 Israel and Middle Eastern approval of the nation.

Two generations of Jewish Americans grew up with Zionism a fundamental aspect of their identity as Jews. The state transformed into a central part of Jewish education. Israeli national day turned into a celebration. Israeli flags adorned most synagogues. Summer camps were permeated with national melodies and learning of modern Hebrew, with Israeli guests educating American teenagers national traditions. Trips to the nation increased and achieved record numbers through Birthright programs in 1999, offering complimentary travel to Israel was provided to Jewish young adults. The nation influenced almost the entirety of US Jewish life.

Evolving Situation

Paradoxically, during this period following the war, US Jewish communities grew skilled regarding denominational coexistence. Tolerance and discussion across various Jewish groups expanded.

Yet concerning support for Israel – that represented diversity reached its limit. Individuals might align with a conservative supporter or a leftwing Zionist, but support for Israel as a majority-Jewish country remained unquestioned, and challenging that position positioned you outside the consensus – a non-conformist, as Tablet magazine described it in an essay recently.

However currently, amid of the devastation in Gaza, food shortages, dead and orphaned children and outrage over the denial by numerous Jewish individuals who refuse to recognize their involvement, that consensus has collapsed. The centrist pro-Israel view {has lost|no longer