From Theodor Herzl’s dream to its incredible fruition, the World Zionist Organization (WZO) has been a cornerstone of the modern Jewish story. But the question then looms: How relevant is it in 2025?
I sat down with Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the WZO, to explore its vision, mission, and desired impact on the future of the Jewish people.
As I made my way up the wide marble staircase that leads to the chairman’s office, I was simply struck by the elegance of it all. Past leaders and political icons smiled at me from every picture frame.
Black-and-white vistas of Jewish masses gathered round the WZO headquarters in Jerusalem, awaiting their fate that would soon echo through the front stone plaza. How exciting it must have been, how unchartered, how electrifying, to take part in the foundation of your own country, a hope held on to for two millennia!
But that was 77 years ago. The Jewish state was formed, its renowned visionary’s 50-year estimate was spot-on, and, putting the political turmoil aside, the country is in full swing. It may stutter from time to time, but, all in all, the Zionist freight train is chugging along.
I entered the chairman’s office, with this question in mind: What is the relevance of this grand enterprise today? Hasn’t Herzl’s vision already been accomplished?
Life’s random occurrences will sometimes answer the most complex of curiosities. As Hagoel shook my hand warmly and gestured toward the seat opposite his own, a group of six IDF soldiers timidly entered the room in want of meeting him. I sat and observed how Hagoel graced each one’s presence, inquiring as to where each soldier was from and inquisitively finding a common interest with each and every one. The soldiers then left with broad smiles on their faces. Now that is what I call relevance.
I openly explained my inclinations to Hagoel, to which he nodded in acceptance, as it appeared that he understood this predisposition that many Jews, chief among them Israelis, have toward the WZO. More on that later.
Let’s begin with a fun little challenge. The WZO in the smallest of nutshells.
I’ll have you know that I’ve faced this challenge before! The WZO, in truth, was the first Jewish start-up, with Herzl as the entrepreneur of a grand vision dedicated to achieving the start-up’s “exit” – founding a Jewish state in its historical homeland.
Enacting an actual country requires a foundation that wasn’t here beforehand. A flourishing and stable society, such as the one we have, requires strong civic institutions to facilitate and guide this immense project of national Zionism. The WZO provided the civic socioeconomic maturity that was key in order to consolidate a strong and independent Jewish state.
So, the WZO was the start-up, with its end product being the State of Israel. What happened to the WZO after its successful 1948 ‘exit’?
Our civic administrative responsibilities were transferred over to the governing and legislative bodies that were set up in 1948-49. These bodies issued a state law soon after recognizing the WZO and its affiliated subsidiaries as an integral part of the civic efforts of settling the land, facilitating immigration to it, and providing quality education to its citizens. The WZO became a golden institutional standard of sorts.
This law enabled us to continue Herzl’s Zionist vision, resettling over three million Jews from all four corners of the globe in their eternal homeland. These numbers are record-breaking, and a newborn country such as Israel, being engulfed by enemies and entrenched in constant warfare, cannot possibly handle this mass arrival of Jewish people from all over the planet. This was and is our mandate.
The WZO represents the Jewish people and their state. We tackle the challenges of the Jewish people, in Israel and abroad. Our congress meets every five years and numbers 750 representatives from every walk of Jewish life. We believe in equal representation between the Jews in Israel, the US, and the remaining Diaspora.
The WZO’s actions after October 7 have not been portrayed by Israeli media much, if at all. Why is that?
We do not issue bold statements, extensive press releases, or major media campaigns. That is not our way. We prefer to focus on advocating for the affected people from this senseless crime against the Jewish people and against humanity.
The WZO has raised $250 million this past year to help treat the many wounds of the Israeli people.
We have built seven neighborhoods for seven of the Gaza border area kibbutzim, making sure they can remain and heal together in their communities during the war. We oversee the welfare of every hostage family, making sure they have all forms of support available.
Being Jewish after October 7 has become increasingly difficult everywhere. Jews in the Diaspora are removing the mezuzahs from their doors and hiding their Jewish identities in every public sphere, scared of being who they are.
October 7 was the starting gun of a much broader campaign against the Jewish people. The levels of animosity towards Jews have risen to an extent similar [to what was seen] during and after the Yom Kippur War, which is an incredulous notion if you take a second to examine it.
In truth, when an unprovoking Israel was attacked by its enemies, the global population, instead of treating and supporting the wounded party, increased their antagonism towards the Jewish people and Israel alike! Abusing the abused is the purest form of blind hatred, it is going against the grain of human nature for the sake of antisemitism. Nineteen seventy-three or 2023, it makes no difference; this global disease grows in our darkest of hours.
If anyone knows what to do to mitigate this pandemic, it’s you guys.
Hatred permeates and spreads; antisemitism is no different. The past decade has seen an annual increase is antisemitic incidents, and since the war, this disease has swollen by an additional 500%. Yonatan, let that number sink in, for yourself and for your readers.
The only effective response is fighting it on every front, just as we have always done. However, we do need some help with this effort. The governments of the world must protect the Jewish people who live within their sovereign borders. This must be demanded by every Jewish community, and if they need any assistance in voicing their concerns, we are ready to provide that linkage.
Antisemitism is a form of hatred of those different than yourself. This hatred is the very demise of society, and we have felt this, time and time again. This reality should be taught in every country, along with effective measures to oppose it. Education is key in eroding the antisemitic conception that is taking over the world.
What we as a people can do is fight back while strengthening our Jewish identities. Fear of being Jewish will eventually lead to our dissemination and eventual dissolution. It is not a matter of religious devotion or Zionistic affiliation; it is a matter of our survival as a tribe, a community, a family.
The WZO elections will take place this year, what weight do they carry for the Jewish world?
These elections bring with them dramatic shifts in the Jewish reality on every level. The WZO is the viaduct of the Jewish world. We have the ability and the tools to facilitate a worldwide web of Judaism. If a Jewish community needs support of any kind, we are here. That is as intrinsic to our mission as is our everlasting support for the State of Israel.
Voting in these elections is thus essentially taking part in the Jewish story. Since October 7, people are much more involved in the organization. We are more diverse than ever before. New ideas and ways of thinking are coming to light, voiced by new Jewish parties sprouting up everywhere.
So, it seems there’s a path laid out for the future expansion of the WZO in Jewish life. What does that vision look like in your eyes?
True unity through equal diversity. We simply must accept our differences, acknowledging that we aren’t better than our other brothers and sisters. There is much to learn from other perspectives and realities.
Once we internalize this fundamental concept, once we grasp that living together in harmony requires true understanding of one another, we can begin to build a good and honest future together, as different prisms of the same shared light.
I have this quote I often bring up, one whose origin I have long forgotten: “Dreaming is a right, but turning those dreams into reality is an obligation.” I think Herzl would have agreed.