April 18, 2024
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Why the World Zionist Organization — And Your Vote — Really Matter

Voices poking holes in America’s previously widespread, collective bipartisan support of Israel have been, in recent years, increasingly critical toward Israel in public fora, supportive of dangerous concessions to the Palestinians and in agreement with the appeasement of Iran.

To be quite frank, these voices, characterized by columnists like Peter Beinart and J-Street’s founder, Jeremy Ben-Ami, are extremely dangerous to Israel and the future of world Jewry.

Arguably aligned with those promoting the “post-Zionist narrative,” like IfNotNow, Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine—the Hatikvah slate—headed by Beinart and Ben-Ami, wants a seat at the Zionist table.

Make no mistake, progressives are seeking to use their election to the World Zionist Organization to effect a worldwide change of Jewish priorities. This should concern all of us.

Diaspora Jewry has until Shushan Purim to elect those who will hold seats in the World Zionist Congress (WZC), the legislative body that determines the policies of the world’s leading Jewish organizations: the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency of Israel, the Jewish National Fund and Keren Hayesod.

The congress awards major funding, and thus impacts major policy decisions that affect the future of Zionism, aliyah and absorption, Israeli advocacy worldwide, Jewish education, physical security, the war against anti-Semitism and settlements in Israel.

Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) and other progressive voices have been largely out of power in Israel for many years now, ostensibly because Israeli Jews now understand that appeasement of the Palestinians doesn’t work and the Palestinians simply want to eliminate the Jewish state and do not want to negotiate on this point. But the progressive voice has the potential to get much bigger if the Hatikvah slate succeeds within the WZC, due to their increasing alignment with the liberal Diaspora Jewish community, such as the slates of Vote Mercaz (the voice of Conservative/Masorti Judaism) and Vote Reform (ARZA representing the Reform Movement and Reconstructing Judaism).

This means that every single vote counts in an election open to all Jews above the age of 18. There’s a minimal cost, but it’s worth it. Vote now here: https://azm.org/elections

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