One of us held management positions in the Orthodox community. The other did the same in the reform movement. Despite this difference, we join the encouragement of all Jews in the United States to vote in the next world election in the Zionist Congress, which will take place between March 10 and May 4. We do it because we are unified in our conviction that Jews across our country are responsible for voting for the future of Israel.
Every five years, the Zionist World Congress summons various voices and Jewish districts around the world to support the dynamism of Zionism. For this year’s elections, a record of 21 slates, representing a mosaic of political convictions, religious confessions and cultural traditions, will compete to determine the composition of the 152 American representatives of the Congress. The diversity of our slates reflects the diversity of our Jewish community.
The Zionist World Congress in Jerusalem in April 2023.
The first Zionist congress, summoned by Theodor Herzl in 1897, was the genesis of the modern Zionist movement. During this meeting, great minds and Jewish world leaders jointly proclaimed that the Jewish people should have their own state. This year’s election for the 39th World Zion Congress continues this heritage.
The seismic crises of the last five years since the 2020 World Zionist Congress have raised the issues at their highest level in the history of the relationship between the American Jewish community and Israel. Starting with the cocovio-19 cocovid pandemic and extending today’s continuous trauma of terrorist attacks on October 7 and the war in progress against Hamas, the fault lines threaten to divide the Jewish people.
As leaders of the American Zionist movement – the American Zionist Federation which administers the world elections of the Zionist Congress in the United States – we understand the importance of this election as a tangible way of showing its support for Israel and a commitment to questions that make such support more crucial than ever.
Voting in the elections is the most powerful opportunity of the Zionists to make our voice heard in Israel and to have an impact on Jewish communities around the world. The 152 representatives who must be elected from the United States – approximately one third of the Congress total – will make key decisions concerning the allocation of more than a billion dollars per year.
Consider the sampling according to current needs and how their urgency has been amplified since October 7:
- Reconstructing the devastated communities in the south and northern Israel, as well as taking care of the well-being of the hundreds of thousands of Israelis moved by the attacks and the war that resulted in
- Provide continuous emotional support for hostage families and hostages that have been returned
- Empower and protect Jewish students so that they are able to proudly express their Jewish identity without fear and strengthen security in Jewish institutions in the United States and around the world in the midst of anti-Semitism that increases
This election is more than addressing the crises of the present. This is the future – the future of Israel, the American Jewish community and the link between them.
On October 7, all the Jewish future has Israel in its center. The increase in anti-Semitism, as well as the constant flow of criticisms perceived in Israel, make too easy to feel a feeling of isolation as Zionist these days. According to the latest global survey 100, almost half of all people around the world have high levels of anti -Semitic attitudes.
But we also know that the Jewish community in the world is linked. It is now up to us to do our best to maintain and develop the inextricable link between Israel and the American Jewish community through initiatives like shlight (Israeli emissaries), partnerships of the sister city and Zionist education in the schools of the Jewish and additional day. When participants in the world elections of the Zionist congress vote for representatives who will favor these needs, they record their vote for the future of Israel. It is imperative that your vote is included.
Some slates will emerge with more seats than others. It is the reality of an election. However, this is an extremely important opportunity for all Jews over 18 who maintain their main residence in the United States and who accept the principles of Zionism to ensure that their values, opinions and posts are represented at the Zionist World Congress, which will be held in Jerusalem in October. The greater the American electoral participation, the more the American voice will be heard in Jerusalem.
This is our opportunity to make our voices heard. We cannot and will not abandon our responsibility towards Israel and the Jewish people.
Deborah Isaac is president of the American Zionist Movement (AZM) and Michael H. LAUFER is president of the National Council of AZM. Find out more about the election of this year’s world Zionist congress for the organization of the Zionistlelection (DOT).
