As Tensions Continue to Flare Over the War in Gaza, the Upper East Side Is Divided

In the wake of October 7 , much of Manhattan ’s moneyed Jewish elite has doubled down on what is considered acceptable behavior and speech related to Jews , antisemitism, Israel , and the war in Gaza .

There is enormous pressure not to step out of line for reasons that are historically understandable but less defensible considering the right-wing takeover of Israel .

Some American Jews are understandably traumatized by what happened on October 7 , when Hamas killed nearly 1,200 people and took an Israeli army hostage.

Some Jews of this ilk, I’ve been told, view a ceasefire as a capitulation to Hamas that will put it back in power.

The Upper East Side is home to many master-of-the-universe types who, to some degree, create the weather.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations reported a 178 percent increase in anti-Muslim incidents for the last three months of 2023 .

The moment feels existential for worldwide Jewry . For many on the Upper East Side , the impulse has been to turn inward.

The mood among the moneyed and powerful class of Jews might be shifting.