🔗 Share this article

Marking two years after that horrific attack of 7 October 2023, which shook global Jewish populations more than any event following the establishment of the Jewish state.

For Jews the event proved profoundly disturbing. For the Israeli government, it was deeply humiliating. The entire Zionist endeavor rested on the presumption which held that the nation would ensure against similar tragedies from ever happening again.

A response was inevitable. But the response Israel pursued – the widespread destruction of the Gaza Strip, the deaths and injuries of numerous of civilians – constituted a specific policy. And this choice created complexity in the way numerous US Jewish community members processed the attack that triggered it, and it now complicates the community's remembrance of that date. How does one mourn and commemorate a horrific event targeting their community during a catastrophe experienced by another people in your name?

The Difficulty of Grieving

The complexity of mourning exists because of the fact that little unity prevails as to the significance of these events. Indeed, within US Jewish circles, the recent twenty-four months have witnessed the collapse of a decades-long unity about the Zionist movement.

The origins of pro-Israel unity within US Jewish communities dates back to a 1915 essay written by a legal scholar and then future supreme court justice Justice Brandeis named “The Jewish Question; How to Solve it”. Yet the unity truly solidified subsequent to the six-day war that year. Previously, Jewish Americans contained a fragile but stable cohabitation among different factions holding a range of views about the need for a Jewish nation – Zionists, neutral parties and opponents.

Historical Context

This parallel existence endured throughout the post-war decades, within remaining elements of leftist Jewish organizations, through the non-aligned US Jewish group, among the opposing Jewish organization and comparable entities. Regarding Chancellor Finkelstein, the leader of the theological institution, pro-Israel ideology was more spiritual rather than political, and he did not permit performance of Israel's anthem, the Israeli national anthem, at religious school events during that period. Additionally, support for Israel the central focus for contemporary Orthodox communities until after the 1967 conflict. Different Jewish identity models coexisted.

However following Israel overcame its neighbors in the six-day war in 1967, taking control of areas such as the West Bank, Gaza, the Golan and Jerusalem's eastern sector, US Jewish connection with the nation underwent significant transformation. The triumphant outcome, along with longstanding fears about another genocide, produced a developing perspective regarding Israel's vital role within Jewish identity, and generated admiration for its strength. Discourse regarding the “miraculous” quality of the success and the reclaiming of territory gave the movement a spiritual, potentially salvific, importance. During that enthusiastic period, a significant portion of previous uncertainty about Zionism disappeared. In the early 1970s, Writer Norman Podhoretz stated: “Zionism unites us all.”

The Consensus and Its Boundaries

The pro-Israel agreement left out the ultra-Orthodox – who generally maintained Israel should only be established via conventional understanding of redemption – but united Reform, Conservative Judaism, Modern Orthodox and the majority of unaffiliated individuals. The predominant version of the consensus, identified as left-leaning Zionism, was established on a belief about the nation as a democratic and democratic – though Jewish-centered – state. Numerous US Jews saw the occupation of local, Syrian and Egypt's territories after 1967 as not permanent, believing that a resolution was forthcoming that would ensure a Jewish majority in pre-1967 Israel and neighbor recognition of the state.

Several cohorts of US Jews were raised with pro-Israel ideology a fundamental aspect of their identity as Jews. Israel became an important element of Jewish education. Israel’s Independence Day became a Jewish holiday. National symbols adorned many temples. Youth programs integrated with Hebrew music and the study of contemporary Hebrew, with Israelis visiting educating US young people Israeli customs. Trips to the nation increased and peaked via educational trips during that year, offering complimentary travel to the nation was offered to US Jewish youth. Israel permeated virtually all areas of US Jewish life.

Changing Dynamics

Interestingly, throughout these years after 1967, Jewish Americans grew skilled at religious pluralism. Open-mindedness and discussion between Jewish denominations increased.

Yet concerning support for Israel – that represented diversity found its boundary. One could identify as a conservative supporter or a leftwing Zionist, yet backing Israel as a majority-Jewish country remained unquestioned, and criticizing that perspective categorized you beyond accepted boundaries – a non-conformist, as one publication termed it in writing in 2021.

But now, under the weight of the destruction of Gaza, starvation, dead and orphaned children and anger over the denial of many fellow Jews who avoid admitting their involvement, that agreement has disintegrated. The moderate Zionist position {has lost|no longer