The American Zionist Movement held elections for the World Zionist Congress from March 10 to May 4 this year. Now, a month after the conclusion of voting, the results are in. After a tumultuous voting season rife with accusations of underhanded tactics and violations, the two big winners are the Reform movement’s VOTE REFORM slate and a spread of Orthodox parties.
Record Setting Votes
The Reform movement came away with a record-setting 47,887 votes out of a total of 230,257 (~20.8%), the highest number of votes for a single slate in the history of the US delegate election, which is held every five years. That means the largest single party chunk of the 152 American delegates to the 39th World Zionist Congress will be representing the Reform movement’s interests in the upcoming convening in Jerusalem from October 28 to 30.
Noah Simon, who is both on the slate and a member of the youth delegation, says he’s “very proud of Vote Reform’s performance in the election! With such a clear victory, we have made it clear that the plurality of American Jews support an Israel guided by visions of equality, democracy, and freedom, not by fear, fundamentalism, or domination.”
Sizable Gains
Meanwhile, the Orthodox bloc demonstrated sizable gains for the second year in a row, with approximately 40% of the total vote going to various Orthodox parties. Among them are names familiar to any who follows Israeli politics, such as United Torah Judaism’s Eretz Hakodesh party, which secured 29,159 votes.
A new party, Am Yisrael Chai, also made an impact in second place as the biggest party with 31,765 votes. These parties, along with OIC-Mizrachi (the 5th largest with 26,975) and several smaller parties, have set a new watershed mark for the influence of Orthodox-aligned movements in the WZC.
A Controversy
But this rise to power did not come without controversy. Nearly 19,000 votes for the above parties were thrown out by the Congress’s oversight authorities. This came after allegations of election fraud through falsified or absentee registrations were reviewed. The US elections are held online, with voters needing only to provide a name, address, email, and a $5 administration fee.
Orthodox demographics, particularly Haredim (or “Ultra-Orthodox”), have historically had low turnout for the WZC elections as a result of ideological fissures that prevent them from formally participating in the Zionist movement. Leading rabbis such as Aaron Teitelbaum of the Satmar Hasidim and Dov Landau of the Slabodka Yeshiva in Bnei Brak have instructed their communities against participation in formal Zionist organizations like the WZC, considering them heretical and antithetical to their values.
Low Voter Turnout
On the other hand, turnout is low across the board. While the Reform movement’s record-setting vote count is notable, the number means only a tiny fraction of the movement’s million and a half members across the United States chose to vote. To that end, leaders in congregations have pushed hard for participation this year.
Sara Frankel of Rockdale Temple worked as one of the captains for Rockdale’s WZC election initiative. When asked on the matter of participation, she says, “Without having specific numbers on [election] involvement by our synagogue, that is a hard question to answer. People seemed interested.” She says the community can continue to increase voter engagement by continuing to “get the word out.”
Delegate Responsibilities
The World Zionist Congress comprises 525 delegates from around the world, with 152 representing American Jewry. The Congress will be responsible for disbursing over $1 billion annually to support Jewish interests. Those funds are critical for the development of various Jewish and Israeli community programs and initiatives in Israel, America, and around the world.
