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Two years have passed since the mass murder of 7 October 2023, which deeply affected global Jewish populations more than any event since the establishment of the state of Israel.

For Jews it was deeply traumatic. For the state of Israel, the situation represented a significant embarrassment. The whole Zionist endeavor rested on the presumption that the nation would prevent similar tragedies from ever happening again.

Some form of retaliation appeared unavoidable. Yet the chosen course Israel pursued – the obliteration of the Gaza Strip, the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands non-combatants – represented a decision. And this choice created complexity in how many American Jews grappled with the initial assault that triggered it, and presently makes difficult the community's observance of that date. How does one grieve and remember a tragedy against your people in the midst of a catastrophe done to other individuals in your name?

The Difficulty of Grieving

The complexity surrounding remembrance stems from the reality that little unity prevails as to the significance of these events. Actually, for the American Jewish community, the last two years have witnessed the breakdown of a half-century-old agreement regarding Zionism.

The beginnings of pro-Israel unity within US Jewish communities dates back to writings from 1915 by the lawyer and then future high court jurist Louis D. Brandeis called “The Jewish Question; How to Solve it”. Yet the unity truly solidified subsequent to the Six-Day War in 1967. Earlier, American Jewry maintained a vulnerable but enduring parallel existence across various segments holding diverse perspectives regarding the necessity of a Jewish state – pro-Israel advocates, neutral parties and opponents.

Historical Context

That coexistence continued during the post-war decades, through surviving aspects of socialist Jewish movements, in the non-Zionist US Jewish group, in the anti-Zionist American Council for Judaism and comparable entities. In the view of Louis Finkelstein, the leader of the theological institution, pro-Israel ideology was more spiritual instead of governmental, and he did not permit the singing of Israel's anthem, the Israeli national anthem, at JTS ordinations in those years. Additionally, support for Israel the main element of Modern Orthodoxy until after that war. Different Jewish identity models remained present.

Yet after Israel defeated adjacent nations in the six-day war that year, taking control of areas such as the West Bank, Gaza Strip, the Golan and East Jerusalem, US Jewish perspective on the country underwent significant transformation. Israel’s victory, coupled with enduring anxieties about another genocide, resulted in a developing perspective in the country’s vital role for Jewish communities, and created pride in its resilience. Discourse regarding the “miraculous” quality of the victory and the freeing of territory provided Zionism a theological, potentially salvific, significance. In those heady years, a significant portion of existing hesitation about Zionism vanished. During the seventies, Publication editor the commentator declared: “We are all Zionists now.”

The Unity and Its Boundaries

The Zionist consensus did not include strictly Orthodox communities – who generally maintained Israel should only emerge through traditional interpretation of the Messiah – but united Reform Judaism, Conservative, contemporary Orthodox and nearly all unaffiliated individuals. The predominant version of this agreement, later termed liberal Zionism, was established on a belief about the nation as a democratic and democratic – albeit ethnocentric – nation. Many American Jews considered the control of Palestinian, Syrian and Egypt's territories post-1967 as temporary, assuming that a solution was imminent that would ensure a Jewish majority in Israel proper and regional acceptance of Israel.

Multiple generations of US Jews grew up with pro-Israel ideology an essential component of their religious identity. The state transformed into a central part of Jewish education. Israeli national day became a Jewish holiday. Blue and white banners adorned many temples. Youth programs became infused with Israeli songs and education of contemporary Hebrew, with visitors from Israel and teaching US young people Israeli culture. Trips to the nation increased and reached new heights via educational trips by 1999, when a free trip to the country was provided to young American Jews. Israel permeated virtually all areas of Jewish American identity.

Evolving Situation

Ironically, throughout these years following the war, US Jewish communities developed expertise regarding denominational coexistence. Acceptance and discussion between Jewish denominations grew.

Yet concerning the Israeli situation – that represented tolerance found its boundary. Individuals might align with a rightwing Zionist or a leftwing Zionist, yet backing Israel as a Jewish homeland was assumed, and questioning that narrative placed you beyond accepted boundaries – outside the community, as one publication labeled it in writing in 2021.

Yet presently, during of the devastation in Gaza, famine, young victims and anger about the rejection by numerous Jewish individuals who refuse to recognize their responsibility, that consensus has disintegrated. The moderate Zionist position {has lost|no longer