OpinionAt Beth El, a New Jersey Synagogue, a Deep Divide Over Israel:
Disagreements about Gaza and Zionism have divided the congregation—and many others ...
newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/06/at-synagogues-tensions-are-boiling-over
Photo: newyorker.com · view article
Divisions and Dialogue on Israel in American SynagoguesSince October 2023, Gaza war tensions have fractured NJ’s Beth El synagogue, involving over 50 members in debates on Zionism and humanitarian concerns.
Key FactsMar 31, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: newyorker.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: newyorker.com
- The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack deeply divided Beth El in New Jersey, sparking heated debates over Zionism and Gaza’s humanitarian crisis within the congregation.
- Members like Felder oppose the synagogue’s pro-Israel sign due to Gaza’s blockade, while others stress solidarity and call for unified community support.
- New factions formed within Beth El reflect a spectrum of views from staunch Zionism to anti-Zionism, challenging the congregation’s shared identity.
- Synagogue leaders have facilitated dialogue and Israel trips to bridge divides, yet mistrust and tensions among members persist.
Saying ‘I Stand with Israel’ means ‘I believe in Israel, what Israel is, and what Israel can be—the Israel I dream of,’” he proclaimed.— Jesse Olitzky, Beth El’s senior rabbi, during a Yom Kippur sermon
Similar to This
Previous
OpinionUK Green motion on Zionism: Why we need to change the conversation: The fallout from the UK Green Party passing a motion declaring that Zionism is a form of ...
middleeasteye.net/opinion/uk-green-motion-zionism-why-we-need-change-conversation
OpinionWhat’s shameful is that no party before the Greens called Zionism racist: It is not shameful that the Green Party adopted a motion equating Zionism with racism ...
middleeasteye.net/opinion/whats-shameful-no-party-greens-called-zionism-racist
British support for Israel is shattering: There is not a single member of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office who believes that Israel, under any leadership ...
middleeasteye.net/opinion/miliband-british-support-israel-shattering
The Globe and Mail Sep 26
Say its name: Canada’s leaders need to denounce not just the crime but the ideology behind antisemitic attacks
theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-say-its-name/
I was on a paid 'mission' to firebomb Montreal synagogue, arsonist testifies: Mohamed Ilyess Akodad tells a judge at his sentencing hearing that he was high as a ...
montrealgazette.com/news/local-crime/sentencing-firebombing-ddo-synagogue-beth-tikvah/
OpinionAt Beth El, a New Jersey Synagogue, a Deep Divide Over Israel: Disagreements about Gaza and Zionism have divided the congregation—and many others ...
newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/06/at-synagogues-tensions-are-boiling-over
2 young people arrested in alleged plot to attack Houston synagogue: Two young people have been arrested in an alleged plot to attack a Texas synagogue that ...
npr.org/2026/04/24/g-s1-118590/2-arrested-in-plot-to-attack-houston-synagogue
RNS Apr 22
An Iranian yeshiva bought a major Reform temple. It could be a blessing.: (RNS) — A storied New York Reform synagogue sold its property to an Iranian yeshiva ...
religionnews.com/2026/04/22/an-iranian-yeshiva-bought-a-major-reform-temple-its-exactly-the-jewish-innovation-we-need/
OpinionAt Beth El, a New Jersey Synagogue, a Deep Divide Over Israel: Disagreements about Gaza and Zionism have divided the congregation—and many others ...
newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/06/at-synagogues-tensions-are-boiling-over
Many children killed in the Holocaust had no one to say Kaddish for them. South Florida Jews have stepped up.
sun-sentinel.com/2026/04/16/many-children-killed-in-the-holocaust-had-no-one-to-say-kaddish-for-them-south-florida-jews-have-stepped-up/
OpinionAt Beth El, a New Jersey Synagogue, a Deep Divide Over Israel: Disagreements about Gaza and Zionism have divided the congregation—and many others ...
newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/06/at-synagogues-tensions-are-boiling-over
RNS Feb 23
In Boston, US Jews envision a Judaism beyond Zionism: At a ‘Jewish Left’ conference, attendees set out to build new institutions that they consider more ...
religionnews.com/2026/02/19/a-judaism-beyond-zionism-rises-in-boston/
'Does history change?': Jackson synagogue burns again, nearly 60 years after Klan bombing
ynetnews.com/jewish-world/article/ryvvwtnh11l
WARMINGTON: Cops investigating after man filmed video outside Beth Tikvah Synagogue
torontosun.com/news/local-news/warmington-cops-investigating-after-man-filmed-video-outside-beth-tikvah-synagogue
OpinionIsrael's violent expansion is never done, yet it still cannot 'finish the job'
middleeasteye.net/opinion/israels-settler-colonial-expansion-never-done-yet-it-still-cannot-finish-job
'A platform to kosherize himself': Mamdani's invite to New York synagogue for community discussion spurs prot
haaretz.com/jewish/diaspora/2025-10-13/ty-article/.premium/mamdanis-invite-to-new-york-synagogue-for-community-discussion-spurs-protest/00000199-dd34-d7e9-adfd-df77b2d30000
Peter Beinart on “Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza” & Trump’s Call for Ethnic Cleansing
democracynow.org/2025/2/6/peter_beinart_being_jewish_gaza_book
Israeli historian Ilan Pappe: ‘This is the last phase of Zionism’: Pappe talks to Al Jazeera on ‘neo-Zionism’, ceasefire talks, the second coming of Trump and ...
aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/14/israeli-historian-ilan-pappe-this-is-the-last-phase-of-zionism
Next