By Dr. Yizhar Hess | Dr. Yizhar Hess is the Vice Chair of the World Zionist Organization and the senior representative of MERCAZ in the World Zionist Congress.
Theodor Herzl was not the first Zionist. In fact, the First Zionist Congress, which he convened in Basel in 1897, came 15 years after the first wave of Zionist aliyah to the Land of Israel. But Herzl’s genius was recognizing that solving a political problem – achieving statehood – required a political approach. And in order to build a broad-based movement with any chance for success in a Jewish world that was so diverse and decentralized, Zionism would need a democratic political approach, one that enabled as many Jews as possible to be invested in its success.
And so Herzl set about politicizing and, indeed, democratizing the Zionist movement by mandating that there be democratic elections for delegates by just the Second Zionist Congress. Indeed, Zionism is one of the few political movements that was democratic from the very beginning, with democratically-elected leaders as well as the full participation of women. Ultimately, one cannot argue with the results of the approach Herzl initiated in the few short years of his leading the Zionist Movement prior to his death: it took only five decades for the State of Israel to be established.
With the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement had achieved its goal. But its institutions lived on and shifted into a new role. After all, the Zionist movement had, by definition, been shaped outside of Israel. Jews around the world were stakeholders in its success. And so, these institutions took on two new missions. The first was serving as a bridge between Jews in Israel and those in countries around the world. The second was managing assets that belonged to the Jewish people as a whole – not only Israelis. For decades, it was Jews around the world who had purchased land in Israel through the Jewish National Fund (JNF – or in Hebrew, Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael – KKL) by placing money into the “Little Blue Box.” Such land, therefore, doesn’t belong to the State of Israel or Israelis alone. It belongs to all Jews everywhere, and the way we manage these assets democratically together is through elections to the World Zionist Congress.
Every five years, Jews around the world choose delegates to the World Zionist Congress – the parliament of the Jewish people. The Congress is the only democratic body with representation of Jews from everywhere: Israel and the Diaspora, all streams, all ideologies. The political makeup of the Congress determines who serves in the leadership of its subsidiaries, namely the Jewish Agency and KKL/JNF. When you vote for a slate that shares your values and vision for Israel in elections for the Zionist Congress, you make sure your voice is reflected in the policies and in the allocation of billions of dollars in funding by these organizations. When you don’t vote, you let others who don’t share your values and vision for Israel make these decisions for you.
Tangible consequences
Now more than ever, your vote has real, tangible consequences. Take just a few examples. Given the Israeli government’s lack of recognition of non-Orthodox Judaism in the Jewish state, the Jewish Agency has for years been one of the main sources of millions for non-Orthodox denominations in Israel. But if the Conservative slate MERCAZ, which I represent, and our Reform partners at Arzeinu don’t win enough seats in the Congress, ultra-Orthodox extremists are already saying they will target that funding for elimination. These same extremists could also change the Jewish Agency’s approach to who is considered a Jew, which would have major ramifications for who can make aliyah and have access to its programs.
While we believe the largest organizations in the Jewish world should focus on helping Israel rebuild after October 7th and combating antisemitism, extremists at KKL/JNF associated with Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have made it clear their goal is to transform what is the largest NGO in the Jewish world – with an annual budget approaching US$2 billion earned as profit from its massive land holdings in Israel – into a means of funding their radical vision for Israeli society. Simply put, not voting in these elections is voting: It’s voting to hand influence and billions over to divisive extremists at a moment when unity is so important for Israel’s future.
Polls are open online in the United States at ZionistElection.org and will remain open through May 4th. Elections in numerous other countries around the world will follow soon. Voting takes just five minutes and costs five dollars in administrative costs – in the spirit the “Zionist Shekel” created by Herzl, symbolizing buy-in to the Zionist Movement. Any Jew who resides permanently in America, doesn’t identify with another religion, is over 18, and didn’t vote in the last Knesset election is eligible to vote. Voting is a “one-stop shop” – no preregistration or organizational membership of any kind is required.
Last time, only about 2% of American Jews – about 125,000 Jews – took advantage of this democratic chance to make their voices heard. And as often happens in politics, when only a small minority participates, it amplifies the voices of those on the extremes. The vast majority of American Jews believe in a Jewish and democratic Israel that welcomes every Jew – and all its citizens. This year, with the immense challenges facing Israel and the Jewish world, this Jewish majority needs to make its voice heard. We in Israel who are fighting to make sure a stronger, more unified Israel emerges in the aftermath of October 7th need your help. We need your vote.
