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Two years have passed since the mass murder of October 7, 2023, which profoundly impacted Jewish communities worldwide unlike anything else following the creation of the Jewish state.

Among Jewish people it was profoundly disturbing. For Israel as a nation, it was deeply humiliating. The entire Zionist movement rested on the assumption which held that the nation would prevent such atrocities repeating.

Military action seemed necessary. However, the particular response that Israel implemented – the widespread destruction of the Gaza Strip, the casualties of numerous ordinary people – was a choice. This selected path created complexity in how many American Jews understood the initial assault that triggered it, and it now complicates their remembrance of the day. How can someone grieve and remember a horrific event affecting their nation while simultaneously an atrocity experienced by another people in your name?

The Complexity of Grieving

The complexity of mourning stems from the reality that no agreement exists as to the implications of these developments. In fact, among Jewish Americans, the last two years have seen the disintegration of a fifty-year consensus on Zionism itself.

The early development of a Zionist consensus among American Jewry can be traced to a 1915 essay written by a legal scholar subsequently appointed high court jurist Louis Brandeis titled “The Jewish Problem; Addressing the Challenge”. However, the agreement really takes hold following the 1967 conflict that year. Earlier, US Jewish communities contained a vulnerable but enduring cohabitation among different factions which maintained diverse perspectives regarding the need for a Jewish nation – pro-Israel advocates, non-Zionists and opponents.

Previous Developments

That coexistence continued throughout the 1950s and 60s, through surviving aspects of socialist Jewish movements, within the neutral American Jewish Committee, within the critical Jewish organization and other organizations. Regarding Chancellor Finkelstein, the chancellor of the theological institution, Zionism was more spiritual rather than political, and he did not permit singing Hatikvah, the national song, at religious school events in the early 1960s. Furthermore, support for Israel the central focus for contemporary Orthodox communities prior to that war. Alternative Jewish perspectives existed alongside.

But after Israel overcame adjacent nations in that war in 1967, occupying territories including Palestinian territories, Gaza, Golan Heights and Jerusalem's eastern sector, the American Jewish relationship to the nation changed dramatically. Israel’s victory, combined with persistent concerns of a “second Holocaust”, produced an increasing conviction in the country’s vital role within Jewish identity, and created pride regarding its endurance. Rhetoric concerning the remarkable nature of the outcome and the freeing of areas assigned the Zionist project a theological, potentially salvific, importance. During that enthusiastic period, much of previous uncertainty about Zionism dissipated. In that decade, Commentary magazine editor Podhoretz declared: “We are all Zionists now.”

The Unity and Its Boundaries

The unified position excluded Haredi Jews – who generally maintained a Jewish state should only be ushered in through traditional interpretation of the Messiah – yet included Reform, Conservative, Modern Orthodox and the majority of unaffiliated individuals. The common interpretation of this agreement, later termed left-leaning Zionism, was founded on a belief regarding Israel as a democratic and liberal – while majority-Jewish – state. Many American Jews viewed the occupation of Arab, Syria's and Egypt's territories post-1967 as temporary, thinking that a solution would soon emerge that would guarantee a Jewish majority within Israel's original borders and regional acceptance of the state.

Two generations of US Jews were raised with Zionism a fundamental aspect of their religious identity. Israel became a central part in Jewish learning. Israel’s Independence Day evolved into a religious observance. Blue and white banners were displayed in religious institutions. Seasonal activities became infused with Israeli songs and learning of the language, with visitors from Israel educating American teenagers national traditions. Visits to Israel expanded and reached new heights through Birthright programs in 1999, providing no-cost visits to the country became available to young American Jews. Israel permeated virtually all areas of US Jewish life.

Evolving Situation

Ironically, throughout these years following the war, American Jewry developed expertise regarding denominational coexistence. Open-mindedness and communication between Jewish denominations grew.

Except when it came to the Israeli situation – that represented diversity ended. One could identify as a conservative supporter or a progressive supporter, but support for Israel as a Jewish homeland was assumed, and challenging that position categorized you outside the consensus – an “Un-Jew”, as one publication described it in writing in 2021.

However currently, amid of the destruction of Gaza, food shortages, dead and orphaned children and anger regarding the refusal of many fellow Jews who refuse to recognize their involvement, that agreement has broken down. The centrist pro-Israel view {has lost|no longer