The World Zionist Organization (WZO) and the World Zionist Congress (WZC) are central nongovernmental institutions in Israel.  While not a part of the Israeli government, “The Parliament of the Jewish People” represents a variety of Israeli political parties, their platforms and visions for Israeli society.    

The WZO was founded by Theodor Herzl in Basel, Switzerland in 1897 at the first World Zionist Congress. Even though they predate the State of Israel, the country’s founders knew that to succeed it had to be a project of the entire global Jewish People. They baked the WZO and WZC into the Democratic process of Israel as the one way for Diaspora Jews to have a say in the important Issues facing the Jewish People and Jewish State. 

WZC
Often called “The Parliament of the Jewish People,” the WZC convenes every five years to bring together representatives from Jewish communities around the world to decide on key issues affecting the Jewish people in Israel and globally. 

The Congress elects the leadership of the WZO, sets policies, and influences the allocation of significant funding of about $1 billion annually. 

For more details, visit the WZO’s mission statement.

WZO
The WZO plays a crucial role in supporting activities worldwide which promote Jewish identity and Statehood and combat antisemitism. 

Members of Jewish communities worldwide vote for representatives in the WZO, designating decision-makers to hold key positions in Israeli National Institutions such as The Jewish Agency for Israel and Keren Kayemeth L’YIsrael (also known as KKL, the Israeli branch of the Jewish National Fund).  

The WZO is responsible for setting policies, electing leadership, and directing various departments that oversee educational, cultural, and developmental activities within Israel.  

For example, these institutions (KKL) make consequential decisions about where to purchase land and build new communities. Their actions can make the difference between expanding settlements in the West Bank or pausing in favor of a path to peace. 

Nothing less than the soul of the State of Israel is at stake in the 2025 WZC election. The ultra-Orthodox and ultra-Nationalist movements are using the levers provided through these institutions – and power gained in the World Zionist Congress elections – to advance their agenda, including: 

• Increased funding for Settlements 

• Rolling back gains for LGBTQ+ rights, gender equity, and religious pluralism 

• Stripping Israeli Reform clergy and communities of their rights and funding 

• Advancing policies to weaken the influence of Reform Jews by rejecting our conversions and questioning the authenticity of our children’s Jewish identity.  

• Ensuring ultra-Orthodox Israelis will not serve in the IDF   

• Advancing the Netanyahu Government’s judicial overhaul and anti-democratic policies of racist politicians like Ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich. 

• Allowing the ultra-Orthodox to keep the core curriculum out of their schools, and to advance additional gender segregation in Israeli society.  

We cannot let this happen. We are committed to a bold campaign to organize and mobilize turnout for the 2025 WZC vote. Your participation is vital to ensure that we secure a future for Reform Judaism, Democracy, and Peace in Israel. 

Our representation in the WZC helps protect fundamental rights for all Israelis and Reform Jewish communities. It also prevents extremist factions from implementing policies that oppose our core shared values of democracy, freedom, pluralism, and security.  

The Reform Movement is represented at the World Zionist Congress (WZC) by ARZA (the Association of Reform Zionists of America) and by the international Reform Zionist organization (ARZENU). 

ARZA provides the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) and the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) with financial support generated through individual dues from members of URJ congregations. 

While the Reform Movement is the largest Jewish denomination in North America, we are a minority in Israel of just 8% – partly due to the lack of government funding in comparison to Orthodox communities. Your votes bring funds that are crucial to survive, thrive, and further our core values of democracy, freedom, pluralism, and security and champion a different vision of what it means to be Jewish in the Jewish State.

The outcome of the WZC election directly impacts our ability to engage in vital advocacy and legal work in Israel. Even in the difficult days since October 7th, our democracy work through the Israel Movement for Reform and Progression Judaism (IMPJ) and Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), has proven crucial for Israel’s secure and democratic nature and for marginalized individuals within Israeli society. 

Due to our success in previous elections: 

• We ensured that over $4,000,000 a year ($20 million over 5 years) of financial support goes to our movement in Israel, allowing it to significantly expand its reach. 

• We appointed key professionals to advance Reform Jewish values within the National Institutions, emphasizing equality, pluralism, and a commitment to a Two-State Solution. They have been able to directly prevent Settlement building and advance policies that align with our values.  

• We have passed key resolutions in the World Zionist Organization’s policy body for equality, transparency, and pluralism. 

In addition, we have joined with Israeli political parties to advocate for societal change to impact the overall safety of Israel and for marginalized individuals including conversion, marriage and divorce, religious pluralism, gender rights, and combating racism.   

Our successes include:  

• Our fight for LGBTQ+ rights has led to the same-sex partners of fallen soldiers receiving crucial death benefits for the first time.    

• Our advocacy for religious pluralism has seen a growing outcry for patrilineal Jews fallen in battle or murdered by terrorists on 10/7 to receive a full Jewish burial inside Jewish cemeteries, rather than being degraded in death and buried outside the fence.    

• Our movement’s long battle for gender equity in Israel has led to the advancement of women in the IDF (an important pathway to social/economic advancement in Israeli society).

The funds allocated through the WZC help Reform congregations and communities on the ground in Israel live these values and work to integrate them into Israeli society. Your votes also appoint delegates who champion these values. 

Our values include: 

• Shared Humanity (B’tzelem Elohim): We see everyone as created in the divine image and, as such, treat everyone with respect, dignity, and kindness. 

• Justice (Dirshu mishpat): We seek justice for all people throughout the world. 

• Belonging (Atem nitzavim hayom kulchem): We build, connect, and enrich communities – congregations, camps, programs, social justice work, and more – where youth and adults across all identities, generations, and lived experiences feel a deep sense of belonging. 

• Learning (Talmud Torah k’neged kulam): We honor Torah; wrestle with Jewish traditions and beliefs, including God; and engage directly with the difficult questions of our age. 

• Evolving (U’vtuvo mechadesh b’chol yom tamid ma’aseh v’raysheet): We awaken to new awareness, holding ourselves accountable for changing as we grow. 

• Israel and Jewish Peoplehood (Kol yisrael arevim zeh ba’zeh): We are committed to the safety and vitality of the Jewish people and to a secure and just state of Israel as a home – for all Jews and for all its inhabitants. 

The work of the WZC: 

• Supports Reform rabbis and congregations 

• Offers humanitarian aid, inclusive housing for people with disabilities, and programs that empower women 

• Provides counseling and other services for over 20,000 Reform Jews in Israel each year 

• Fights discrimination among marginalized groups of Israeli society through the Israel Religious Action Center, representing up to 500 people a year in court 

We are building an unprecedented network of leaders and volunteers across the country to educate our communities about what is at stake, host events, and mobilize voters to VOTE.

Voting runs from March 10 – May 4, 2025! 

In order to vote one must be: 

1. 18 or over. 

2. Self-identified as Jewish 

3. Live in the United States. 

Sign up to get involved today!