US Jewish voting surges in Zionist election, with ballots open through May 4

(JTA) — At a time of heightened antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment, American Jews have been voting in record numbers in an election that will help determine how billions of dollars in Israel-related funding will be spent. 

The election for the World Zionist Congress, held every five years, provides the only democratic mechanism that gives Diaspora Jews a voice in determining the leadership and priorities of four main Zionist entities: the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemet åLeIsrael, The Jewish Agency for Israel and Keren Hayesod.

Together, those groups will allocate some $5 billion in spending over five years, with the money going to Zionist initiatives both within Israel and in the Diaspora. The primary sources for the funding are Israeli taxpayers, Jewish federations and private philanthropy.

The election being held March 10-May 4 will determine the American delegation to the World Zionist Congress — a convention scheduled for late October that’s often referred to as the “parliament of the Jewish people.” 

American Jews 18 and older are eligible to vote, so long as they affirm their acceptance of the Zionist movement platform known as the Jerusalem Program.

So far, nearly 124,000 ballots have been cast by U.S. Jews, surpassing the 123,575 total votes in the last election, in 2020, even though the voting period is far from over. The number of parties, or slates, running in this year’s election is also significantly larger than in 2020: 22, up from 15 last time.

The unprecedented interest in this election is a reflection of how important Israel is to American Jews, especially in the wake of the events of Oct. 7, 2023, said Herbert Block, executive director of the American Zionist Movement, which is administering the US election to the Zionist Congress.

“The 22 slates really represent an incredible diversity of political and religious denominational beliefs representing all streams of Judaism, and varied segments of the community,” Block said.

In all, more than 2,900 candidates are running. As in parliamentary systems, voters cast their ballot for a single party rather than for an individual candidate, so the 152-member US delegation to the 39th Zionist Congress in Jerusalem on Oct. 28-30 will be apportioned based on these election results. 

Israelis will have 200 seats allocated proportionally based on the political parties in the Knesset, and another 173 delegates will come from other Diaspora Jewish communities worldwide. 

Theodor Herzl convened the first Zionist Congress in 1897 with a “concept of being a bridge” between world Jewry and a future Jewish state, “hoping to perfect that state,” Block said, adding, “We’re walking in the footsteps of Herzl.”

The $1 billion that the Congress allocates annually ultimately will be spent on programs that work in such priority areas as rebuilding war-devastated areas in Israel’s south and north, aiding those displaced by the war, Zionist education in the Diaspora, beefing up security at Jewish institutions in the Diaspora, boosting efforts at pluralism, and fostering relations between Israel and Diaspora Jews. 

The 22 slates on the ballot represent the full spectrum of American Jewry, and many are affiliated with specific religious movements, Jewish nonprofit organizations, Israeli political parties and Zionist advocacy groups. After the election determines how many delegates each slate will get, delegates will be seated to ensure that each delegation is at least 40 percent female and that 25 percent are under 35 years old, according to Block.

The names of the slates, in the order determined by a random drawing administered by the American Zionist Movement, are: Shas, Vision, Vote Reform, Kol Israel, Orthodox Israel Coalition, ANU: A New Union, Israel365 Action, Achdut Israel, Am Yisrael Chai, Aish Ha’am, Eretz Hakodesh, Beyachad, AID Coalition, ZOA Coalition, Hatikvah, Mercaz USA, Dorshei Torah V’Tzion, Americans 4 Israel, The Jewish Future, American Forum for Israel, Israeli- American Council and Herut NA.

William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, an umbrella organization for many Jewish groups, hailed the heightened interest in this election.

“At a time when it would be easier to turn away from Israel, people are turning toward it,” Daroff said. “It’s a demonstration of the vital commitment of American Jewry.”

He also emphasized the importance of American Jews participating in the election.

“When American Jews vote in big numbers, it significantly amplifies our collective voice,” Daroff said, giving more weight to U.S. Jews’ perspectives on religious pluralism and Israel-Diaspora relations.

Many of the 22 parties running in the election are spending money on aggressive promotional campaigns to get out the vote and bolster their own slates. Nonpartisan Jewish institutions also are encouraging their constituents to vote.

“Voting is a rare opportunity for American Jews to help shape the future of Israel and the Jewish people,” Jennifer Mamlet, the JCC Association of North America’s acting president-CEO, emailed her constituents. “We encourage JCCs and their communities to vote so that we can ensure that our values are represented, and that Israel remains a place of unity, diversity, and strength for all Jews.”

Mamlet’s organization has been sharing with JCCs the nonpartisan information that the American Zionist Movement and the World Zionist Organization have been circulating to bolster participation in the election. 

Synagogues are also promoting the vote, with many promoting specific parties that align with their values or are affiliated with their movements. 

Ron Skolnik, a communications consultant from Suffolk County, New York, said he has seen “much more paid online advertising than in previous elections. And I’ve received emails from slates that I really have no connection with.”

Yael Aronoff, a professor of political science and the Serling Chair of Israel Studies at Michigan State University, also said she has seen a deluge of voting promotions from various slates. 

“There’s a greater mobilization,” she said, at a time of heightened political discord in both Israel and the United States, so that the World Zionist Congress “becomes more reflective of how American Jews are feeling about the direction that Israel should go and how the funds are being used.”

Among the additional eligibility requirements for the election: Voters must be a US citizen or a legal permanent resident in the US, and not also have voted in Israel’s last Knesset election, in November 2022. 

As this is an election conducted among Zionists in the American Jewish community, voters must also affirm the Jerusalem Program, the World Zionist Organization’s official platform, which notes that “Zionism, the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, brought about the establishment of the State of Israel, and views a Jewish, Zionist, democratic and secure State of Israel to be the expression of the common responsibility of the Jewish people for its continuity and future.”

A required $5 voter fee covers the election’s administrative costs, according to the American Zionist Movement.

To learn more and register to vote, visit zionistelection.org.

This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with the American Zionist Movement, the US Zionist Federation in the World Zionist Organization that once every five years administers US voting in the World Zionist Congress election. This article was produced by JTA’s native content team.