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Two years have passed since the horrific attack of the events of October 7th, which shook global Jewish populations like no other occurrence following the founding of the Jewish state.

Within Jewish communities the event proved deeply traumatic. For the state of Israel, it was a significant embarrassment. The entire Zionist movement had been established on the presumption which held that Israel would prevent similar tragedies occurring in the future.

Some form of retaliation appeared unavoidable. But the response that Israel implemented – the widespread destruction of the Gaza Strip, the casualties of many thousands of civilians – was a choice. And this choice created complexity in the perspective of many Jewish Americans processed the October 7th events that set it in motion, and it now complicates the community's observance of the day. How does one honor and reflect on a tragedy affecting their nation during devastation done to other individuals connected to their community?

The Complexity of Mourning

The difficulty surrounding remembrance exists because of the reality that no agreement exists as to the significance of these events. In fact, among Jewish Americans, the last two years have witnessed the breakdown of a half-century-old unity about the Zionist movement.

The beginnings of pro-Israel unity within US Jewish communities can be traced to writings from 1915 authored by an attorney subsequently appointed Supreme Court judge Louis D. Brandeis called “The Jewish Problem; Addressing the Challenge”. However, the agreement became firmly established following the six-day war during 1967. Before then, American Jewry maintained a delicate yet functioning parallel existence across various segments that had diverse perspectives about the need of a Jewish state – pro-Israel advocates, neutral parties and opponents.

Previous Developments

This parallel existence persisted throughout the post-war decades, in remnants of Jewish socialism, through the non-aligned US Jewish group, in the anti-Zionist Jewish organization and similar institutions. Regarding Chancellor Finkelstein, the head of the Jewish Theological Seminary, pro-Israel ideology had greater religious significance than political, and he forbade the singing of Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem, at religious school events in those years. Additionally, support for Israel the main element within modern Orthodox Judaism until after the six-day war. Different Jewish identity models remained present.

However following Israel defeated adjacent nations during the 1967 conflict in 1967, seizing land including the West Bank, Gaza, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, US Jewish relationship to Israel changed dramatically. The military success, combined with persistent concerns of a “second Holocaust”, produced an increasing conviction in the country’s critical importance within Jewish identity, and created pride regarding its endurance. Rhetoric about the extraordinary quality of the outcome and the reclaiming of land provided Zionism a religious, potentially salvific, significance. In those heady years, a significant portion of the remaining ambivalence toward Israel vanished. During the seventies, Commentary magazine editor the commentator stated: “Zionism unites us all.”

The Unity and Its Boundaries

The Zionist consensus left out the ultra-Orthodox – who typically thought Israel should only be ushered in through traditional interpretation of the Messiah – however joined Reform, Conservative Judaism, contemporary Orthodox and nearly all secular Jews. The most popular form of the unified position, what became known as left-leaning Zionism, was established on the conviction regarding Israel as a liberal and democratic – though Jewish-centered – country. Countless Jewish Americans saw the administration of local, Syrian and Egyptian lands following the war as temporary, believing that a solution would soon emerge that would ensure Jewish population majority in pre-1967 Israel and Middle Eastern approval of Israel.

Several cohorts of American Jews grew up with pro-Israel ideology a fundamental aspect of their identity as Jews. The nation became a central part in Jewish learning. Israel’s Independence Day evolved into a religious observance. Blue and white banners were displayed in most synagogues. Youth programs were permeated with Israeli songs and education of modern Hebrew, with Israeli guests educating American youth Israeli culture. Travel to Israel expanded and achieved record numbers via educational trips in 1999, offering complimentary travel to the country was provided to young American Jews. The state affected virtually all areas of the American Jewish experience.

Changing Dynamics

Interestingly, throughout these years following the war, American Jewry developed expertise regarding denominational coexistence. Open-mindedness and discussion across various Jewish groups grew.

Yet concerning the Israeli situation – that’s where diversity reached its limit. Individuals might align with a conservative supporter or a leftwing Zionist, yet backing Israel as a majority-Jewish country remained unquestioned, and questioning that position positioned you outside mainstream views – outside the community, as a Jewish periodical labeled it in writing in 2021.

However currently, during of the destruction in Gaza, famine, young victims and frustration regarding the refusal within Jewish communities who refuse to recognize their responsibility, that consensus has collapsed. The liberal Zionist “center” {has lost|no longer