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It has been that horrific attack of the events of October 7th, an event that profoundly impacted global Jewish populations unlike anything else following the creation of the state of Israel.

Within Jewish communities the event proved shocking. For the Israeli government, the situation represented deeply humiliating. The whole Zionist project rested on the presumption which held that the Jewish state could stop things like this occurring in the future.

A response appeared unavoidable. However, the particular response undertaken by Israel – the obliteration of Gaza, the deaths and injuries of numerous ordinary people – was a choice. This selected path created complexity in how many American Jews processed the attack that precipitated the response, and currently challenges the community's commemoration of that date. How can someone honor and reflect on a horrific event against your people during a catastrophe experienced by a different population in your name?

The Complexity of Grieving

The difficulty in grieving exists because of the circumstance where there is no consensus as to the implications of these developments. Actually, within US Jewish circles, the recent twenty-four months have witnessed the disintegration of a decades-long unity regarding Zionism.

The beginnings of pro-Israel unity within US Jewish communities extends as far back as writings from 1915 authored by an attorney and then future high court jurist Louis Brandeis titled “Jewish Issues; Finding Solutions”. Yet the unity really takes hold following the Six-Day War in 1967. Earlier, US Jewish communities housed a fragile but stable coexistence among different factions which maintained diverse perspectives regarding the necessity of a Jewish state – Zionists, neutral parties and opponents.

Background Information

This parallel existence continued through the post-war decades, through surviving aspects of leftist Jewish organizations, within the neutral Jewish communal organization, among the opposing religious group and similar institutions. Regarding Chancellor Finkelstein, the leader at JTS, the Zionist movement was more spiritual instead of governmental, and he did not permit singing Hatikvah, the national song, during seminary ceremonies during that period. Additionally, support for Israel the main element for contemporary Orthodox communities before the six-day war. Jewish identitarian alternatives existed alongside.

But after Israel routed neighboring countries in that war that year, taking control of areas such as the West Bank, Gaza, the Golan and East Jerusalem, the American Jewish relationship to Israel changed dramatically. Israel’s victory, coupled with enduring anxieties about another genocide, resulted in a growing belief regarding Israel's vital role to the Jewish people, and created pride in its resilience. Rhetoric regarding the extraordinary aspect of the victory and the reclaiming of land provided the Zionist project a spiritual, almost redemptive, meaning. In those heady years, much of the remaining ambivalence about Zionism dissipated. In that decade, Publication editor the commentator stated: “Zionism unites us all.”

The Consensus and Its Limits

The pro-Israel agreement left out Haredi Jews – who typically thought Israel should only be ushered in via conventional understanding of the Messiah – yet included Reform, Conservative Judaism, Modern Orthodox and nearly all unaffiliated individuals. The predominant version of the consensus, identified as left-leaning Zionism, was founded on the conviction in Israel as a liberal and democratic – while majority-Jewish – state. Many American Jews considered the occupation of Palestinian, Syrian and Egypt's territories following the war as provisional, believing that an agreement was imminent that would maintain Jewish population majority in Israel proper and regional acceptance of the state.

Several cohorts of US Jews were thus brought up with pro-Israel ideology an essential component of their Jewish identity. The nation became a key component in Jewish learning. Israel’s Independence Day evolved into a religious observance. Israeli flags adorned religious institutions. Seasonal activities integrated with Israeli songs and the study of modern Hebrew, with visitors from Israel educating US young people Israeli customs. Visits to Israel expanded and peaked through Birthright programs by 1999, offering complimentary travel to Israel was offered to Jewish young adults. The state affected virtually all areas of US Jewish life.

Evolving Situation

Paradoxically, during this period following the war, Jewish Americans developed expertise at religious pluralism. Acceptance and discussion among different Jewish movements grew.

However regarding Zionism and Israel – that’s where tolerance ended. You could be a conservative supporter or a leftwing Zionist, yet backing Israel as a Jewish homeland was a given, and criticizing that narrative categorized you outside the consensus – outside the community, as one publication termed it in a piece recently.

Yet presently, under the weight of the devastation within Gaza, famine, young victims and outrage regarding the refusal by numerous Jewish individuals who refuse to recognize their complicity, that consensus has collapsed. The moderate Zionist position {has lost|no longer