Vote for Your Vision of Israel

April 4, 2025 in Israel, Scroll

By Larry Sidman with Karen Benezra. 

At the first World Zionist Congress in November 1897, Theodor Herzl proclaimed his vision for the reestablishment of the State of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people. Fifty years later, on November 29, 1947, the United Nations voted to partition the mandate of Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state, paving the way for fulfillment of Herzl’s dream. Six months later, the modern State of Israel declared its independence.

Today, as we approach the 77th anniversary of Israel’s independence, global Jewry faces physical threats, psychological trauma, and philosophical and moral dilemmas reminiscent of the turbulent times that impelled Herzl to implore the first World Zionist Congress to act boldly. Israel faces an existential threat from Iran, which is on the verge of becoming a nuclear weapons state publicly committed to Israel’s destruction. Israel is fighting a nine-front war against Iran and its proxies, similarly committed to Israel’s annihilation.

Our Israeli brothers and sisters remain traumatized by Hamas’ barbaric attack on October 7, 2023, which killed more Jews in any one day than at any time since the Holocaust. Hostages still remaining captive in Gaza more than 500 days later. Jews in the United States and Europe confront a pincer movement of antizionism on the far left and more traditional antisemitism on the far right, manifesting itself in harassment, intimidation and violence, especially on university campuses. Israeli, American, and European Jews are deeply divided and profoundly concerned about the policies and direction of the current government in Israel.

Against this background, we are searching for ways to become more engaged with Israel and to have a voice in its present and its future. The World Zionist Congress, meeting every five years, affords us precisely that opportunity. We can vote right now until May 4 in the elections for the 39th World Zionist Congress that will convene at the end of October. By doing so, we can elect representatives reflecting our values, beliefs, and aspirations for the State of Israel and having real world impact on how more than $1 Billion USD will be allocated to Israeli institutions, NGOs, and supporting movements.

The upcoming World Zionist Congress will have 200 seats reserved for Israeli representatives, 152 seats for American Jewry and 173 for the rest of Diaspora Jewry. There are a record 22 slates running for election to represent American Jews. They span the religious and ideological spectrum from ultra-Orthodox, such as Eretz Hakodesh, to left leaning slates such as the AID Coalition and ANU, A New Union, focused on opposition to the Netanyahu government. The Conservative Movement, of which Congregation Beth El is a member, has its own slate, Mercaz, as does the Reform Movement.

Tammy Gottlieb speaks to a local gathering on March 18

“The Congress decides how funds are spent,” said Tammy Gottlieb, vice chair of Women of the Wall, and member of the World Zionist Organization Executive representing the global Conservative/Masorti Movement, at a local gathering on March 18. “Last year, the Conservative Movement received funding for Ramah camps and to increase Jewish and Zionist education at congregations in the US.”

Gottlieb, who has spent her career advocating for religious freedom and social action, noted that Herzl had always envisioned Israel as an “egalitarian, liberal” nation, and “as the Parliament of the Jewish people,” it is up to us to ensure it remains so going forward.

The views expressed in the World Zionist Congress will affect budgetary decisions of the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael) and the World Zionist organization. They will influence issues as central to Israel’s future as national security, religious pluralism, funding for Jewish education, settlement expansion, and Israel’s relationships with Diaspora Jews.

Voting in the World Zionist Congress elections is easy. It is open to any Jewish American who is 18 years or older, is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and who did not vote in the Knesset elections in November 2022. Voting is online, and there is a $5 dollar registration fee. Visit the website of the American Zionist Movement, https://azm.org/ for instructions on how to vote and information on all of the slates.

We all have been wondering what we can do to help our Israeli brothers and sisters in these trying times and how can we help shape Israel consistent with our values. We now have an answer: VOTE for the slate of your choice in the World Zionist Congress. You can use the QR code to the right or vote by going to zionistelection.org.

This article originally appeared in the April 2025 edition of the Scroll.