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It has been that mass murder of 7 October 2023, which profoundly impacted global Jewish populations more than any event since the founding of Israel as a nation.

For Jews it was shocking. For Israel as a nation, it was a profound disgrace. The whole Zionist movement had been established on the presumption that the Jewish state could stop similar tragedies repeating.

A response appeared unavoidable. Yet the chosen course Israel pursued – the widespread destruction of Gaza, the deaths and injuries of many thousands non-combatants – represented a decision. This selected path made more difficult the way numerous American Jews understood the attack that triggered it, and it now complicates the community's observance of that date. How does one honor and reflect on a tragedy targeting their community in the midst of a catastrophe done to other individuals attributed to their identity?

The Challenge of Grieving

The challenge surrounding remembrance exists because of the fact that no agreement exists regarding the implications of these developments. Indeed, for the American Jewish community, the last two years have experienced the disintegration of a half-century-old consensus regarding Zionism.

The beginnings of a Zionist consensus across American Jewish populations can be traced to writings from 1915 by the lawyer who would later become high court jurist Justice Brandeis named “The Jewish Problem; How to Solve it”. Yet the unity really takes hold following the six-day war during 1967. Previously, US Jewish communities housed a fragile but stable coexistence between groups holding different opinions regarding the necessity for a Jewish nation – Zionists, non-Zionists and opponents.

Background Information

This parallel existence endured through the post-war decades, through surviving aspects of Jewish socialism, in the non-Zionist American Jewish Committee, among the opposing American Council for Judaism and other organizations. For Louis Finkelstein, the leader of the theological institution, the Zionist movement was more spiritual instead of governmental, and he prohibited performance of Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem, during seminary ceremonies during that period. Nor were Zionist ideology the centerpiece for contemporary Orthodox communities before the six-day war. Alternative Jewish perspectives coexisted.

Yet after Israel overcame its neighbors during the 1967 conflict during that period, seizing land including the West Bank, Gaza, the Golan and Jerusalem's eastern sector, the American Jewish connection with the country underwent significant transformation. The triumphant outcome, coupled with longstanding fears about another genocide, led to a developing perspective about the nation's vital role for Jewish communities, and created pride in its resilience. Rhetoric concerning the “miraculous” nature of the success and the freeing of territory provided the Zionist project a spiritual, almost redemptive, importance. In that triumphant era, a significant portion of the remaining ambivalence toward Israel disappeared. In that decade, Writer the commentator stated: “We are all Zionists now.”

The Consensus and Restrictions

The pro-Israel agreement did not include Haredi Jews – who typically thought a nation should only be ushered in through traditional interpretation of the messiah – but united Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, contemporary Orthodox and most unaffiliated individuals. The common interpretation of the unified position, identified as progressive Zionism, was based on a belief regarding Israel as a liberal and liberal – though Jewish-centered – state. Countless Jewish Americans saw the administration of Palestinian, Syria's and Egypt's territories post-1967 as not permanent, assuming that an agreement was imminent that would guarantee Jewish population majority in Israel proper and neighbor recognition of Israel.

Several cohorts of US Jews grew up with Zionism an essential component of their Jewish identity. The state transformed into a central part of Jewish education. Israel’s Independence Day evolved into a religious observance. Blue and white banners adorned most synagogues. Youth programs were permeated with national melodies and learning of contemporary Hebrew, with Israeli guests instructing American teenagers Israeli culture. Visits to Israel increased and reached new heights through Birthright programs during that year, providing no-cost visits to Israel was offered to young American Jews. The state affected virtually all areas of US Jewish life.

Evolving Situation

Paradoxically, in these decades post-1967, American Jewry developed expertise in religious diversity. Acceptance and dialogue across various Jewish groups increased.

However regarding the Israeli situation – that represented tolerance ended. You could be a conservative supporter or a progressive supporter, but support for Israel as a Jewish homeland remained unquestioned, and challenging that perspective positioned you outside mainstream views – an “Un-Jew”, as Tablet magazine described it in writing recently.

But now, under the weight of the destruction within Gaza, food shortages, dead and orphaned children and anger over the denial within Jewish communities who decline to acknowledge their responsibility, that consensus has collapsed. The liberal Zionist “center” {has lost|no longer