Jews in the USA can now vote online — for a Jewish future in Israel and around the world!
Between January 21 and March 11, 2020, this online vote, held every 5 years, allows any American Jew who goes online to stand up and be counted — in the constant ideological debate between religious and secular, hawks and doves.
This is how American Jews, from Hareidi, Yeshivish, Modern Orthodox to Reform, are able to affect and officially shape policy and make their views known to the Israeli Government.
If you live in the United States, please vote. If you are here in Eretz Yisrael, please write or call your relatives and friends living in the United States to please vote in order that slates representing reform/leftist sectors would no longer dominate policy-making and financial control of the World Zionist organization. Please attentively read the information below, click on or open the links and please vote.
The online Jews of the USA will decide who will win control of $3 billion annual budgets (the total budgets of the World Zionist Organization, Jewish Agency, Jewish National Fund, and Keren Hayesod).
Note: Possible discrepancy between budget information provided this author here, and budget figures provided on the website: https://azm.org/elections which states: “…the World Zionist Organization (WZO), the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemet LeIsrael (JNF) and Keren Hayesod – which together allocate nearly $1 billion annually in funding in support of Israel and Jewish communities around the world.”
Click: https://www.zionistelection.org/election/2a3b7a80-ba00-42ec-957e-c0375167a065 to Vote NOW and click on: https://azm.org/elections to join the Election Information mailing list, for free.
The Reform Jewish slate, by far the largest slate in the 2015 vote, won 56 out of 145 delegates.
Young Israel synagogues, alone, have 25,000 member families – probably about 50,000 adult members and there are at least 100,000 hareidi adults in the USA.
The vote also determines which of 13 slates (organizations) will have the greatest impact on setting policy. What should be done in the fields of Jewish education, social services, and settling the Land of Israel?
Other policy issues include:
Is it “OK” to say intermarriage is a problem? Is it “OK” to say Gush Etzion or Hebron is legal even if Europe says otherwise? etc. etc.
Up till now, Reform Jewry in the USA has won the vote by a landslide: Only about 1% of American Jews bothered to vote (only about 60,000 voters out of 6 million Jews). So only 20,000 Reform voters were needed — to give the Reform movement one-third of the American-Jewish delegates.
The Reform movement achieved this by bringing less than 22,000 voters. Unfortunately, few American Jews bother to vote in these elections, but there are probably more than 22,000 Orthodox Jewish voters just in Borough Park alone.
Reform Jewry became the largest group by far, with “Captains” in every Reform temple urging members to vote. These Reform “captains” correctly explained to the Reform flock that a leadership role in the JNF would allow the Reform movement to ensure that many Israeli government decisions (and land purchases and other public spending over the Green Line) would be forced to toe the line of the Reform Movement’s positions.? Some Reform Jews were not even Zionists. But Reform leaders instructed their flock that in order to be eligible to vote, they should “simply acknowledge that Zionism is the platform of the World Zionist Organization” — even if they don’t agree with the platform.
13 slates are running in 2020 for the World Zionist Congress, and will be “in power” till 2025. The 13 slates include:
3 rightwing/pro-settler slates – valued by Israel due to the risk Israel might otherwise be forced back to the indefensible 1967 lines, by the international community
Herut Zionists:
Jabotinsky Movement: https://www.zionistelection.org/election/2a3b7a80-ba00-42ec-957e-c0375167a065https://azm.org/wp-content/uploads/2020-VISION-Movement-Platform-and-Slate.pdf
ZOA Coalition:
Coalition: Zionist Organization of America + Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI) + American Friends of Ateret Cohanim + American Friends of Likud + JCC Watch + NORPAC, etc.
https://zoa.org/zoa-slate-in-the-world-zionist-congress-elections/
1 Orthodox slate (Modern Mizrahi, non-hareidi)
Orthodox?Mizrachi: Vote Torah:
AMIT, Religious Zionists of America (RZA),, World Mizrachi Movement, represents values of Bnei Akiva, Young Israel, OU (Orthodox Union), Torah M’Tzion, Touro, Yavneh, Yeshiva University: https://www.ou.org/blog/notice/letter-from-rav-doron-perez/
2 Hareidi slates
Some hareidi Jews ask, why vote in a body currently dominated by Reform.
Leaders of the Hareidi slates, anxious to provide an alternative to the Reform movement, respond: “Even in Israel, hareidi parties sit in the Knesset with the Joint Arab List – we can’t run in an all-Jewish organization??”
Eretz Hakodesh: Protecting the Kedusha and Mesorah of Eretz Yisrael:
Yeshiva, Chasidish, Bucharian, Lubavitch, Sefardic, and Israeli Torah communities: https://eretzhakodesh.org/
Ohavei Zion: World Sephardic Zionist Organization:
Similar to Shas – seek to counterbalance the influence of the Reform Movement. “We think that they are doing damage to Zionism and the Jewish world; their Rabbis are authorizing same-sex marriage and (a version of) the Law of Return that brings a lot of non-Jews into the country. Intermarriage, >>> same-gender marriage and ceremonies with priests standing next to Rabbis are not Zionism and are not Judaism.”
https://azm.org/wp-content/uploads/2020-Ohavei-Zion-Platform-and-Slate-Updated.pdf
3 “mixed-bag” slates
Americans4Israel: Unity, Peace & Security
Some left-wing two-staters like Seymour Reich: (https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/israels-assault-on-democracy-time-to-speak-out/)
Some moderate right-wing like Sarah Stern:
https://americans4israel.com/slate/
American Forum for Israel
Secular, Russian emigres. affiliated with Israel’s Avigdor Liberman: https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/A-message-from-the-million-Russian-speaking-American-Jews-490229
https://www.facebook.com/afrj.us/
1 Reform Jewry slate –
Vote Reform: ARZA
The Reform slate:
* seeks an Israel in which all genders can pray together
* seeks to assure that liberal Judaism in Israel gets financial support equal to that of traditional Judaism
* sees Two States for Two Peoples as “essential”
* believe LGBTQ people deserve to be treated with “full equality under the law”
* seeks to ensure that decisions about spending over the Green Line reflect the Reform Movement’s positions
* * strives for “political power”: A strong delegation means we can appoint key professionals to leadership positions within national institutions in Israel”; and
* strives for “influence”: A strong showing in this election lets us influence Israeli society in matters of conversion, religious pluralism, gender rights, settlements…
“Mobilizing voters are essential for the Reform Movement…. Congregational captains will … mobilize congregants to vote….Reform … leaders will keep congregational captains informed about … how … members should prepare for the voting period.” https://azm.org/wp-content/uploads/2020-ARZA-Platform-and-Slate.pdf
3 more Leftwing slates
Dorshei Torah V’Tziyon: Torah and Israel for All:
Feminist/pluralist: https://mddev.capalon.com/mdesign/wzc/what-they-are-saying/
Hatikvah: Progressive Israel Slate:
Strongly leftwing. American affiliates of Labor and Meretz, J Street, New Israel Fund, Peace Now, Open Hillel, Partners for Progressive Israel, T’ruah, etc.
Candidate Peter Beinart vowed to “block Israeli settlements funding”: https://www.jta.org/2019/12/24/united-states/vying-for-seats-at-world-zionist-congress-liberal-newcomers-like-peter-beinart-hope-to-block-israeli-settlements-funding
https://azm.org/wp-content/uploads/2020-Hatikvah-Platform-and-Slate.pdf
Israel Shelanu (“Our Israel”)
Israeli emigres in the US who promote Liberal Views:
Mercaz: Conservative/Masorti
Conservative – span a spectrum of of Israeli political views
For egalitarian prayer space at Kotel – with Women of the Wall:
Click: https://www.zionistelection.org/election/2a3b7a80-ba00-42ec-957e-c0375167a065 to Vote NOW and click on: https://azm.org/elections to join the Election Information mailing list, for free and to view the 13 slates’ platform and candidates.
Americans who live and vote in Israel are NOT eligible – but consider yourself a captain who can and should recruit! That’s how you have influence – because every vote counts!
Contact mattot.arim@gmail.com to correct errors. We are an Israeli NGO working toward peace for peace since 1992; we speak (Hebrew of course and) English.