The World Zionist Organization and The World Zionist Congress

The World Zionist Congress (WZC) is a representative body of the world’s Jewish people.

Established by Theodor Herzl in 1897, the Zionist Congress (as it was originally known) was the legislative body of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), a non-governmental entity that promotes Zionism. Today, the two bodies are known respectively as the World Zionist Congress (WZC) and the World Zionist Organization (WZO).

The WZC, also known as the Parliament of the Jewish People, comprises 500 delegates and meets in Jerusalem every five years. It enables delegates to exert ideological influence on both Israeli society and the global Jewish agenda, as well as allocate financial and other resources to various organizations – including the Reform Movement – in Israel.

The 38th World Zionist Congress is scheduled to meet in Jerusalem from October 20-23, 2020; the elections will determine the size of the various delegations to the Congress and are scheduled to be held from January 21 to March 11, 2020 (MLK Day to Purim).

Currently, the United States has 145 delegates in the WZC, the largest single delegation outside Israel. Thanks to a robust turnout in the 2015 elections, 56 of the 145 delegates (39 percent) represent the Reform Movement and, as a result, have been able to ensure that more than $4 million a year ($20 million over five years) is being directed to the Israeli Reform Movement. By comparison, the Israeli government annually provides nearly 4 billion NIS ($1.1 billion) to Orthodox and Haredi institutions in Israel.

A strong election turnout among North America’s Reform Jews and our supporters and allies will ensure that financial resources will continue to flow to our Israeli movement – including Reform congregations and institutions. It also will allow us to fill leadership positions in some of Israel’s national institutions, including the World Zionist Organization (WZO), the Jewish Agency for Israel, and Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF).

A leadership role in KKL-JNF will enable us to ensure that decisions about government and public spending over the Green Line, including land purchases, reflect the Reform Movement’s values and positions. Only in this way can we continue to build a democratic society in Israel that truly reflects the Jewish values we hold dear: pluralism, equality, economic justice, and peace.

What\’s more, because JAFI and the WZO support programs of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), high voter turnout will provide support for WUPJ congregations and for Netzer Olami and Tamar, which offer programming for Progressive Jewish youth and young adults in communities around the world.

* The Jerusalem Program is the platform of the World Zionist Organization. A requirement for voting is acceptance of the program. It does not favor any specific organizational or political platform. It does not encourage Settlement activity across the Green line and simply tries to espouse the central principles of Zionism today. Please read the program on the link provided.

You can help mobilize voters in your community.

Mobilizing voters will be essential for the Reform Movement to achieve success in the WZC elections. Congregational captains will play a key role by identifying three to five leaders, including one staff member, within their synagogue community who will, in turn, mobilize congregants to vote. Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) leaders will keep congregational captains informed about the election and how their members should prepare for the voting period.

Designate a congregational captain

Voting will be quick and easy.

All voting will be completed online and will be accessible from mobile devices. It is a simple process and will take only a few minutes.

Learn more about the WZO, the WZC, and the upcoming elections. For questions or more information, email Alexandra Gilbert, WZC campaign director.

Our Representation:

Through our success in the past elections (2015), we were able to have the largest number of seats, 56 out of 145. We were then able to ensure that over $4,000,000 a year ($20 million over 5 years) of financial support goes to our Reform movement in Israel. In addition, we were able to appoint key professionals to carry out our Reform Jewish values within Israel’s National Institutions (including the Jewish Agency and Keren Kayemeth Lelsrael) that help implement Reform values such as Equality, Pluralism, and commitment to a Two-State Solution.

We also joined forces with Israeli political parties to influence Israeli society in matters of conversion, marriage and divorce, religious pluralism, gender rights, and combatting racism; as a result, we have passed key resolutions in the World Zionist Organization’s policy body for equality, transparency, and pluralism. Our faction currently includes the Meretz and Labor parties and will be subject to change after the next round of elections.

This year, in 2020 we hope to have an even stronger representation and look forward to all Reform Jews in the United States to stand up and be counted!