The next elections to the World Zionist Congress are coming soon. Voting for MERCAZ is voting to help Israel heal and rebuild after October 7th, support Masorti/Conservative communities in Israel and worldwide, and promote democracy and pluralism in the Jewish state.
At this pivotal moment in Israel’s history, it’s critical that our voices as Diaspora Jews who care about Israel’s future are heard. The World Zionist Congress (WZC), founded by Herzl in 1897, is the only democratic body with representatives of all of world Jewry: all countries, all streams. Here, Diaspora Jews not only have a voice, but a vote!
Elections to the WZC – open to all Jews – are held online every five years. The results of these elections determine who controls the boards of the Jewish Agency, KKL/JNF, & Keren Hayesod, which together allocate billions every year. What these bodies do and how this money is spent depends on your vote!
Would you give five minutes and five dollars to help keep Israel strong, safe, and democratic for years to come?
Elections for the World Zionist Congress are coming. What’s at stake? Control over the Jewish Agency, KKL-JNF, and their billions of dollars, including tens of millions Masorti/Conservative synagogues, Ramah, USY, NOAM, and more rely on.
Learn more about the national institutions and how your vote for MERCAZ makes a difference.
Zionist Congress Shows Strong Push for a Liberal, Democratic and Pluralistic Israel, But the Fight is Not Over
The impact of voting Mercaz in the World Zionist Congress elections
Zionist Congress Shows Strong Push for a Liberal, Democratic and Pluralistic Israel, But the Fight is Not Over
Why is it so critical to vote for MERCAZ in elections for the World Zionist Congress?
Make sure those hardest hit on October 7th get resources they need to heal and rebuild.
Give our communities the resources they need to stand up for Israel, combat antisemitism, and educate the next generation.
Protect democracy in Israel.
Unite the Jewish people and make sure all streams of Judaism receive funding and fair treatment in Israel.
Why is it so critical to vote for MERCAZ in elections for the World Zionist Congress?
When you don’t vote, all these billions and all this influence go to those who do. Not voting is voting:
MERCAZ is running in elections for the Zionist Congress in over a dozen countries around the world. Find yours below and click to support MERCAZ.
At this moment so many of our communities need resources to stand up for Israel, educate our next generation, and combat antisemitism: winning more seats at the Congress means we can secure more funds for these important priorities. MERCAZ’s representation at the World Zionist Congress determines Conservative/Masorti representation on the boards of the Jewish Agency and KKL/JNF, which together allocate over $2 billion annually. Funds our communities rely on are at stake! Voting MERCAZ helps secure $25 million for programs in your community as well as for Camp Ramah, youth groups like USY & NOAM, Sisterhoods & Men’s Clubs and more including:
$1.5 million in grants for Israel delegations or programs in Conservative/Masorti communities like yours
Funding for Ramah, USY, NOAM, and other Conservative/Masorti programs that educate the next generation.
– $1 million annually for Masorti/Conservative institutions in Israel, including the Masorti Movement Schechter Institutes, Fuchsberg Center, and more
$1 million annually for “Masorti Olami”, the umbrella organization of Masorti Judaism worldwide: funds which have been crucial in supporting thousands of Ukrainian Jews amidst the war as well as the Abayudaya Jewish community in Uganda.
MERCAZ represents Conservative/Masorti interests at the Jewish Agency’s Shlichim programs, sending hundreds of mishlachat to Ramah camps annually as well as shlichim and shinshinim to so many of our communities.
Funding for programming to prepare the next generation of Jewish leaders and educators at Conservative/Masorti seminaries, as well as for programs, conferences, and Israel delegations for Sisterhoods, Men’s Clubs, the RA, CA, NAASE, and more.
Not only funding for our communities, but for promoting our values is stake, including $50 million that MERCAZ representatives helped secure in KKL/JNF’s budget to combat climate change.
Israel faces major challenges after October 7th, from rebuilding the south to healing a fractured society. However, allies of extremists like Ben Gvir and ultra-Orthodox extremists who helped drive Israelis apart and the country into the abyss in 2023, now want to redirect billions at the Zionist Congress’s disposal from urgent rebuilding projects to promoting their extreme political agenda, like money for Yeshivot that discourage army service and other controversial projects. Voting MERCAZ makes sure these funds are spent supporting those in Israel who need it most. Our representatives have already helped secure hundreds of millions through KKL/JNF to help Israelis rebuild and are fighting for transparency and accountability in the distribution of funds. Plus, with the WZO now responsible for managing the Israeli government’s official efforts to support our hostages and their families, MERCAZ’s representatives are working to make sure they receive the best possible care and support.
A vote for MERCAZ USA is a vote to make sure the World Zionist Congress and its affiliates use their significant influence and resources to protect democracy and democratic values like gender equality and LGBTQ rights in Israel. We’ve helped secure funding for key civil society organizations that are on the frontlines of the struggle for democracy, pluralism, and equality in Israel, and prevented funding for extremists that would use this money as a piggy bank for their political pet projects. We’ve led the charge to pass pro-democracy resolutions at the World Zionist Congress, including Spring 2023’s resolution that put world Jewry on record against the government’s unilateral push for “judicial reform”. We’ve also passed resolutions to promote LGBTQ rights in Israel as well as to ensure equal representation of women in the national institutions. These resolutions have not only helped shape the vital work of the institutions the Congress controls, but have had major influence on the public discourse in Israel. Because when the Israeli government and Israeli society think about the Diaspora’s voice, they look to the World Zionist Congress and the national institutions under its auspices. MERCAZ’s work ensures the Diaspora’s voice before the Israeli government and people is one that believes in pluralism and Israel as a Jewish AND democratic state.
Now more than ever, the Jewish people need to be united, and real unity means every Jew having an equal seat at the table. Voting MERCAZ not only helps secure millions for Masorti/Conservative Judaism in Israel – including the Masorti Movement, the Schechter Institutes, the Fuchsberg Center/Conservative Yeshiva, and TALI, a unique program which teaches tens of thousands of Israeli students Judaism through a pluralistic lens each year. Voting MERCAZ helps us fight the ultra-Orthodox monopoly, impact policy on matters of religion and state, and promote pluralism and equality in the Jewish state. Today, ultra-Orthodox extremists want to use their influence over the Jewish Agency’s aliyah programs and bureaucracy to institute a silent “shadow reform” of the Law of Return, endangering Conservative/Masorti Jews ability to make aliyah. The same extremists want to use their growing numbers on KKL/JNF’s board of directors to try and direct millions towards their Yeshivot which already receive hundreds of millions from the Israeli government, all while trying to block funding to Conservative/Masorti institutions that get nothing from the government. Your vote for MERCAZ USA prevents this and promotes REAL unity where EVERY Jew from EVERY stream receives a fair shake and a fair share in the Jewish state.
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