One of the most important elections for global Jewry is set to begin on Monday amid great turmoil, setting the stage for a new chapter in the history of Zionism. The World Zionist Congress is set to hold its first elections since the October 7 massacre, the 2023 judicial reform crisis, and the end of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
In the face of such challenges, the foundational institutions of Zionism have seen a surge of engagement, and the relationship of Diaspora Jews has become of increasing consequence, with new factions and movements vying for representation. Despite increased Diaspora involvement and the troubles faced by the Jewish people, the election and next Congress faces a mirror to the challenges facing Israeli society.
The World Zionist Congress, established by Theodor Herzl in 1897 to set the modern Zionist project in motion, assembles Jewish leaders from around the world to meet in Jerusalem to discuss the ongoing agenda. The Congress influences key national Zionist institutions, including the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, and Keren Hayesod. This year, the Congress is set to meet on October 28. The are 500 delegates, with a third from Israel, a third from the United States, and the remaining representatives hailing from elsewhere in the Diaspora.
The elections are set to be held in the US from March 10 until May 4, with Jewish Americans over the age of 18 able to cast their votes online or by paper ballot for 2,900 candidates from 22 slates. American Zionist Movement executive director Herbert Block, whose organization will oversee the electoral process, said he hoped that every American Jew would be able to find a slate that appeals to them – which includes parties that are affiliated with global religious denominations, some that are affiliated with Israeli political parties, and some that are disconnected and uniquely American.
“This election is the largest grassroots Jewish democratic opportunity to have people’s voices heard on issues impacting the Jewish community,” said Block.
Block is hoping for a large turnout, and, based on early indicators, many of the figures in the congressional system believe that they will see a wave of participation in the wake of the October 7, 2023, pogrom.
World Zionist Organization chairperson Yaakov Hagoel drew a parallel between the 2025 congress and the first congresses following the Holocaust and the establishment of the State of Israel.
The Jewish people were still facing the repercussions of October 7, said WZO Department for Organization and Connection with Israelis Abroad head and former Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism deputy director-general Gusti Yehoshua Braverman. Hostages were still being held in Gaza, and following the attack, the Diaspora saw a wave of antisemitism. The Hamas-led massacre was not just an attack on Israel, but on Jews.
“Of course it’s a wake up call for us all that Israel should not be taken for granted,” said Braverman.
Hagoel, who is a member of the Likud movement, said that following the events in October 2023, there was a “need to sharpen our focus and think about the challenges ahead.”
Yet, even before October 7, there were more Jewish groups seeking to be involved, Block noted. Braverman noted that the disagreements and divisions that were raised during the judicial reform had not dissipated. Hagoel noted that the election would be the first since the COVID-19 pandemic, which had created a strain on societies and communities around the world, to which the Jewish and Israeli people were no exception.
“These moments represent crucial understandings for us,” said Hagoel. “I believe that if we can establish a strong foundation, we should organize a congress that is not just about discussion but one that outlines actionable tasks for the leadership of the Jewish people. We can steer ourselves toward better outcomes. I truly see the congress as a pivotal moment in the history of the people of Israel.”
Out of the challenges and tragedy of the last five years, Hagoel also saw opportunities in the increased involvement of Jews in their desire to protect the future for the Jewish people. It was the goal, he said, to have as many people as possible involved.
“There is a real thirst among people for deeper connections to Judaism, for more of Israel, wanting to connect, albeit in a way that aligns with their personal beliefs,” said Hagoel.
Hagoel said that he expected last congress’s participation of 120,000 voters to be almost doubled by surpassing 200,000. World Mizrachi executive chairman Rabbi Doron Perez, representing one of the major factions in the elections, estimated that there could be voter participation of as much as a quarter-million. Some of the enthusiasm for the election was especially strong in countries such as Canada, France, and Australia, according to Hagoel, states racked by escalating antisemitism.
Perez said that legacy slates would need to receive twice as many votes to maintain the same level of influence with the increase in votes.
THE SURGE in interest in Zionist institutions was made evident to Hagoel through the increase of events held around the world, the number of donors investing, and notable solidarity efforts from the Diaspora. Braverman said that her department had worked with regional federations to bring delegations from all over the world to visit the Gaza periphery. She also said there was a wave of foreign volunteers seeking to help Israel endure the post-October 7 difficulties.
New countries are seeking to participate
According to slate Kol Israel, this year’s election will include new federations seeking to participate, including in Uganda, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Serbia, and Kazakhstan.
“This is an opportunity for us to be heard at the international level, especially in Israel,” Kol Israel affiliate Zionist Movement Uganda founder and president Avram Mukibi said in January. “This will help us to advocate for Israel, strengthen our voice, and give our youth more opportunities to engage with Israel and the Zionist movement.”
Braverman said that the way in which people were participating, with both Israelis and Diaspora Jews overcoming their own hurdles, it was clear that there was increased solidarity between the two halves of the nation.
This is in line with Herzl’s vision for the congress, according to Block. It wasn’t his intention that the Zionist movement would end with the establishment of the state, but it would continue to be a bridge between Jews in Diaspora and Israel.
This relationship is undergoing an evolution, according to Perez. Members of global Jewry who identify as Zionists are realizing they have a significant stake in the Congress and its subsidiary organizations.
“If Jews from around the world have got such a major say in it, then this organization should not only be impacted by them, but also impact them in return,” said Perez.
For those who don’t affiliate with denominations that aren’t recognized in Israel’s institutions, according to Braverman, the Congress is all the more vital as a pathway for more representation.
The role of the Diaspora, to not just be a contributor but also a constituent of these institutions, is a question that has been raised repeatedly in preparation for the election. On February 16, the Likud movement shot down an amendment to have 80% of the faction’s WZC delegates come from Likud in Israel and only 20% from World Likud.
Hagoel, who had campaigned to keep an even delegate split between Likud Israel and the world, said he advocated as such because “global institutions should not solely represent Israel.” It would have represented a betrayal of the communities that supported Israel following October 7, harming both the State of Israel and Likud leader and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I believe this is a representation that reflects the global Jewish community, which is largely concentrated in the Diaspora, where there are actually more Jews than in Israel,” said Hagoel.
Perez argued that the WZC elections and bodies should be more than just reflections of Israeli politics. While some slates had affiliates with Israeli parties, there were many that did not because the needs of the Jewish people transcended the state’s boundaries.
There were some issues in Israel that caused division between Israel and the Diaspora, and he didn’t feel it was wise for the WZO or other national institutions to take a position on matters such as the judicial reform.
The increase in participation by the Diaspora has also brought more slates representing a broader collection of voices from global Jewry. In the US, there has been a jump from 13 to 22 slates. Hagoel said that he didn’t know if all the new slates in the 2025 WZC election would pass the electoral threshold, but said that the inclusion of new voices was “incredible” and that more beliefs would be introduced into the congress.
Perez said that there “definitely seems to be a sense of excitement with additional slates running.”
“The good news in this competition is always a positive thing,” said Perez. “I think it’s always a positive thing. I think the broader the Zionist tent can be and the more Jews engage, I think it’s excellent.”
Some of the new slates identify as religious, but Perez said that many were not bound by denomination as some of the older slates were. They were appealing to people, for example, who might not necessarily be orthodox Jews. With the awakening of interest in the Diaspora-Israel connection by non-affiliated Jews, these slates were becoming oriented in bringing these “October 8” Jews in.
WHILE SOME were awakening to their Jewish and Zionist identities, Braverman expressed concern about the role that non-Zionist groups would play in the election and WZC. Braverman was open to having haredi (ultra-Orthodox), Conservative, and Reform Jews sit at the table, but was worried about how they might push the institutions to more illiberal directions, or less supportive of those that take part in the defense of Israel as soldiers. Some factions were not interested in forwarding Zionist objectives, but were only interested in the budget at the disposal of the WZC and its subsidiaries.
“Anyone who isn’t Zionist has no place in WZO,” insisted Braverman.
Braverman’s remarks came the same day as Israeli Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox community senior leader Rabbi Dov Landau called on Degel Hatorah representatives and voters to withdraw from all participation in the national institutions over their secular foundations.
“Zionism is a movement whose purpose is to establish the Jewish people on an explicitly secular foundation, rooted in heresy and rebellion against divine sovereignty. All the national institutions are built upon this ideology,” Landau wrote on February 18 in the haredi daily Yated Ne’eman. “There is no allowance to participate with them, serve in any role within their institutions, or vote in their elections in any form whatsoever.”
Braverman said that it remained to be seen if haredi factions would break from such calls or withdraw from the Zionist project.
Hagoel and Perez both were worried about rising trends of extremism, abroad and in Israel. Hagoel said that he would do everything to maintain unity and try to mend divisions in the WZO, believing that “October 7 reminds us all of what can transpire; unfortunately, our collective memory tends to be quite short.”
“I’m somewhat bothered by the extremism on both the left and the right,” said Hagoel. “We need to keep in mind that we are in a complicated time for the people of Israel, especially following the judicial reform and the ongoing war. “
Perez said that some democracies were being torn apart by extremism. He saw extremists as often being right about one thing and only focusing on that issue – to the detriment of everything else.
“The challenge is the more one pushes to one extreme, there’s an equal and opposite reaction the other way,” warned Perez. “We can deeply disagree, but with respect and dignity, and see that what brings us together – if you call it the covenant of fate – it is absolutely critical to see that what holds us together is more critical than what divides us.”
Perez, whose son Daniel fell in battle protecting civilians during October 7 and was taken into Gaza, warned about anger and blame from taking hold of Israeli and Diaspora political movements and called for the focus to be on healing.
“I think Israeli society, there’s so much pain, we’re society in deep need of healing, and for me it’s less about blame and pointing fingers because, other than somebody being culpable for something, I don’t know if that builds society,” said Perez.
The ability to foster healing and rebuilding was found in the power of the institutions influenced by the WZC, according to Perez, which is what Diaspora Jews were awakening to. Thirty percent of the power of these institutions belonged to American Jews, said Perez, and 60% to the diaspora as a whole.
Perez explained how the KKL was one of the most powerful non-profits in the world, and because it controlled most of the developed land in Israel, the WZC doesn’t need to fundraise. Block noted that the WZC had control over a budget of almost $1 billion. The influence of the KKL meant control over decisions such as the matter of investment in land beyond the Green Line.
For Hagoel, aliyah was a chief concern, as he said it was a crucial “pillar of Zionism,” and called for these institutions to invest more resources into facilitating a post-October 7 interest in moving to Israel.
Perez, whose Mizrachi movement is heavily oriented toward educational programs such as gap-year programs, said the WZC had a massive education budget of $250 million, which could engender a significant impact on the Jewish people. He noted how the influence of the budget could decide matters such as funding yeshivot that support service in the Israeli military.
“Whoever is in positions of influence in these institutions can impact the direction of these values, like anything in life,” said Perez.
For these reasons, Perez said it was essential for Jews around the world to be involved in the election. Block said it was an opportunity to reaffirm one’s commitment to Zionism, take concrete action through a democratic process, and have one’s say in the future of the Jewish people.
Hagoel said the WZC was a wide tent that operated on the shared language of Zionism and included leftists and rightists, minorities, secular Jews and religious, Ashkenazi and Sephardim, Israelis and non-Israelis.
“It’s not always easy because there are many debates and disagreements, but ultimately we share a very broad common denominator – the people of Israel and the State of Israel,” said Hagoel.
Block insisted that unlike other elections in which there was a government and opposition, traditionally, everyone was supposed to be working on the same team.
“There’s no winners or losers, there’s no party that is out because it lost the election,” said Block.
Braverman saw participation in the election as a direct answer to the claim by Hamas following the perpetration of the October 7 massacre that the Zionist project was collapsing. People paid with blood to continue the Zionist dream, said Braverman, and now it was our turn to honor this by continuing our involvement.
“The Zionist project lives,” Braverman responded to Hamas.