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It has been the horrific attack of the events of October 7th, an event that profoundly impacted world Jewry unlike anything else since the establishment of the Jewish state.

For Jews the event proved deeply traumatic. For the Israeli government, it was a significant embarrassment. The whole Zionist endeavor was founded on the assumption which held that the nation could stop similar tragedies from ever happening again.

Some form of retaliation appeared unavoidable. However, the particular response undertaken by Israel – the widespread destruction of Gaza, the deaths and injuries of numerous ordinary people – represented a decision. And this choice complicated the way numerous Jewish Americans understood the October 7th events that set it in motion, and it now complicates their commemoration of the day. How can someone honor and reflect on a tragedy against your people in the midst of an atrocity being inflicted upon other individuals connected to their community?

The Challenge of Mourning

The complexity in grieving lies in the reality that no agreement exists as to the significance of these events. Indeed, among Jewish Americans, the last two years have seen the breakdown of a decades-long agreement on Zionism itself.

The beginnings of pro-Israel unity within US Jewish communities dates back to a 1915 essay by the lawyer who would later become high court jurist Justice Brandeis named “The Jewish Problem; Finding Solutions”. But the consensus really takes hold following the Six-Day War that year. Earlier, Jewish Americans contained a vulnerable but enduring cohabitation among different factions which maintained different opinions about the necessity for a Jewish nation – pro-Israel advocates, neutral parties and anti-Zionists.

Historical Context

This parallel existence persisted throughout the 1950s and 60s, through surviving aspects of socialist Jewish movements, in the non-Zionist US Jewish group, within the critical Jewish organization and other organizations. Regarding Chancellor Finkelstein, the head at JTS, pro-Israel ideology had greater religious significance instead of governmental, and he prohibited singing Hatikvah, the national song, during seminary ceremonies during that period. Nor were Zionism and pro-Israelism the main element within modern Orthodox Judaism before that war. Jewish identitarian alternatives remained present.

Yet after Israel defeated neighboring countries during the 1967 conflict in 1967, taking control of areas including the West Bank, Gaza, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, US Jewish connection with the nation underwent significant transformation. The military success, combined with persistent concerns regarding repeated persecution, produced a growing belief regarding Israel's vital role for Jewish communities, and generated admiration for its strength. Rhetoric about the extraordinary nature of the success and the freeing of areas assigned the movement a theological, potentially salvific, significance. During that enthusiastic period, considerable existing hesitation about Zionism dissipated. During the seventies, Publication editor Norman Podhoretz declared: “Everyone supports Zionism today.”

The Consensus and Its Limits

The unified position excluded Haredi Jews – who largely believed Israel should only be ushered in by a traditional rendering of redemption – but united Reform Judaism, Conservative, contemporary Orthodox and most unaffiliated individuals. The predominant version of the consensus, later termed progressive Zionism, was based on a belief about the nation as a liberal and free – while majority-Jewish – nation. Numerous US Jews saw the occupation of Arab, Syria's and Egypt's territories post-1967 as temporary, assuming that an agreement was forthcoming that would guarantee a Jewish majority within Israel's original borders and neighbor recognition of the state.

Multiple generations of American Jews were thus brought up with pro-Israel ideology a core part of their Jewish identity. Israel became an important element in Jewish learning. Israeli national day turned into a celebration. National symbols were displayed in many temples. Youth programs were permeated with Israeli songs and the study of modern Hebrew, with Israeli guests instructing American teenagers national traditions. Travel to Israel grew and reached new heights with Birthright Israel during that year, providing no-cost visits to Israel became available to Jewish young adults. The nation influenced almost the entirety of US Jewish life.

Changing Dynamics

Paradoxically, in these decades after 1967, US Jewish communities became adept in religious diversity. Open-mindedness and dialogue between Jewish denominations expanded.

Except when it came to support for Israel – that’s where pluralism found its boundary. You could be a conservative supporter or a liberal advocate, however endorsement of the nation as a Jewish homeland was assumed, and challenging that narrative positioned you beyond accepted boundaries – outside the community, as a Jewish periodical labeled it in a piece recently.

But now, amid of the devastation of Gaza, food shortages, dead and orphaned children and outrage regarding the refusal of many fellow Jews who avoid admitting their responsibility, that agreement has disintegrated. The liberal Zionist “center” {has lost|no longer