Report | World Zionist Congress, Day 1

Report by David Roytenberg, MERCAZ Olami Delegate at the 39th Zionist Congress

The 39th World Zionist Congress officially started Tuesday morning with greetings from the Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, Yaakov Hagoel, and the chair of the Congress, Rabbi Lea Mulstein. The message was one of unity. While the factions differ on many issues, and the upcoming debates may be heated, we were reminded that everyone at the Zionist Congress shares a love of Israel and the Jewish people.
A lunch of street food was followed by breakout sessions. We attended a panel discussion with progressive Jewish participants, addressing the line between criticism of Israel and antisemitism on the left. The panel members were Jews from academia, social action and the arts, who had experienced incidents since the war where it became clear that they were not encountering a reasoned critique of Israel or Zionism, but rather manifestations of irrational hatred. As progressives, they were discussing where the line is between antisemitism and legitimate criticism of Israel, what is the is a future for progressive Jews, and how to deal with former allies who have turned on them.

The panel included Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwarz, the Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, the institution, in New York City, which trains Masorti/Conservative rabbis. She told us that they run an undergraduate program jointly with Cornell, and all of their students were experiencing the hostile atmosphere prevailing on American university campuses. She also said that other university presidents came to her for advice on what to do about the upheaval happening on their campuses, and its impact on Jewish faculty and students. (We couldn’t help noting that this advice did not seem to have been helpful, whether for protecting Jews on their campuses from harassment and abuse, or in helping them to manage the crisis well enough to keep their jobs).

Another panelist was Michal Bar-Asher, VP for international affairs at Ben Gurion University of the Negev. For her the blindfold came off when the international women’s NGO’s took months to acknowledge that the October 7 invaders had engaged in sexual crimes during their attacks. She recognized then that this was not a stance critical of Israel but rather a form of hatred. She did assign some blame to the Israeli government, for the success of the anti-Israel left in advancing their anti-Israel agenda, citing statements by Police Minister Ben Gvir.

The third panel member was Jeremy Liebler, President of the Zionist Federation of Australia. He said that the line between antisemitism and criticism of Israel could be clearly delineated using Sharansky’s “three D’s”. (Double standards, demonization and delegitimization). In response to Michal Bar-Asher’s remarks about Ben-Gvir, he cautioned that it is possible to be critical of the Israeli government without crossing the line into victim blaming.

Evening Program: Address from the President of Israel

In the evening we were privileged to hear a fiery address by State President Herzog in which he celebrated the achievements of Zionism, and said several times that the Zionist movement is not a historical phenomenon, but a vital part of contemporary Jewish life. The job of upbuilding the land is not complete he said, and the presence of numerous young people at the conference from all over the world underscored his point about the ongoing vitality of the Zionist movement and its importance for the continuing development of the state.

He spoke about the new antisemitism, for which the word “Zios” is the new epithet of derision. We are those “Zios” who are smeared on university campuses and street demonstrations throughout the world. He recounted the many accomplishments for which the Zionist movement should be proud, ironically using the word “Zios” to describe the pioneers who built up the land, defended it, and continue to contribute to science and the arts, making Israel a blessing to the whole world.

President Herzog’s remarks were followed by an address from Gusti Yehoshua-Braverman. Gusti has worked for decades in the Office for Diaspora Affairs at the World Zionist Organization. Part of her role was organizing the present World Zionist Congress. She spoke passionately about the need for the Zionist movement to step up in support of Israel in a new climate of international opprobrium and the corresponding increase in violence and hostility to Jews around the world.

While we were listening, the leadership of the Zionist movement, including the Israeli parties and the factions from the diaspora were meeting to work out the balance of power at the national institutions over the next five years. The Congress is responsible for appointing the leadership of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), the Jewish National Fund (JNF-KKL) and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), as well as the Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal. We wrote in our previous article about the WZO, the JNF-KKL and the JAFI.

Keren Haysod is the fundraising arm of the Zionist movement. Here is how Keren Hayesod describes their mission on their website:

Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal is the preeminent worldwide fundraising arm for the people of Israel. Since its establishment in 1920, Keren Hayesod has been at the forefront of strengthening Israeli society, promoting Aliyah, and enriching the Jewish Diaspora.

We have over a century’s track record cementing the bond between the people of Israel, Diaspora Jewry, and friends of Israel worldwide. Already in our early days, we funded the establishment of over 900 urban and rural communities in Israel and helped develop the country’s economic, educational, and industrial infrastructure. We have financed national and public organizations such as the national airline El Al, the Israeli Philharmonic, and the Hebrew University. Today, we operate 57 campaigns across 45 countries, speaking nine languages and serving in close partnership with numerous Jewish and non-Jewish partners alike.

We, as a national institution and our counterparts, the World Zionist Organization, The Jewish Agency for Israel, and the Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), comprise the four pillar national institutions of the State of Israel, all of which enjoy a special protected legal status.

Negotiation toward this agreement continued throughout the congress. It was necessary for the parties to agree so that they could bring a slate for approval by the delegates before the Congress adjourned.

Preparing for Day 2

During the first day, factions prepared for work on resolutions to be decided on day 2. The various groups propose resolutions which are reviewed by committees representing all parties. Committee membership reflects the proportion of each faction in the Congress The committees can amend the resolutions as they see fit, and then vote on whether to advance each of them for consideration by the Congress as a whole. Those resolutions that are passed by the committees are then presented to the Congress plenum for approval. We will write in our next article about the resolutions that were presented to the congress and how they were received.

In addition to the formal proceedings, much of the time at the Congress is spent meeting Zionists from all over the world. Forty countries were represented at this year’s congress. Listening to the stories of these leaders from far flung places reminds us that we are one people, with a common goal, wherever we may live in the world, and whatever our views on the particular issues in contention at the Congress.

Originally published on Exploring Judaism

Photo: Canadian delegation at the 39th World Zionist Congress. Credit: Yossi Zeliger