Rabbi’s January – February 2025 Bulletin Column

It’s Election Time!

No, I’m not off my rocker.  I know we had American Presidential elections in November.  This is a different election, and it’s really important.  The World Zionist Congress elections will take place this spring—online—and I’m here to explain why it’s crucial that each of us takes a moment to vote.

First off, what is the World Zionist Congress?  This is a body created by Theodor Herzl (the one and only!) to organize world Jewry, and to this day, the makeup of the World Zionist Congress determines the allocation of over $2 BILLION in Israel.  The infographic below illustrates how the funding works—make sure to take a look.

Here’s the long and short of it:  Israel, the home for the Jewish people, officially funds only Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox institutions, including rabbinic salaries.  Non-Orthodox Judaism—the Conservative/Masorti and Reform/Progressive movements—must raise their own funds, and money from the World Zionist Organization (WZO) is a huge opportunity each year.

When elections at the World Zionist Congress take place every 4-5 years, delegates from across the Jewish streams gather in Israel to cast their votes.  The number of delegates depends, of course, on the number of votes that each party receives.  The Conservative/Masorti party is called MERCAZ, which means “Center” in Hebrew.  You can read up the incredible work MERCAZ enables the Masorti Movement to do in Israel here, but I’ll offer a few bullet points myself.  MERCAZ/Masorti in Israel provides:

• Services at the egalitarian Family Kotel (pictured above with 250 Conservative rabbis, including me!), including Torah scrolls for B’nei Mitzvah celebrations, siddurim, kippot, tallitot, and rabbis
• Salaries for Masorti rabbis throughout Israel, who in turn support communities who value Jewish tradition and embrace egalitarian lifestyles
• Funding for Masorti youth groups and Ramah camps in Israel, where young Israelis develop a love of Judaism and leadership skills they will use in the army and throughout their lives
• A bulwark against ultra-Orthodox interests in Israel

During my recent trip to Israel, I witnessed a lot of the best that the Masorti/Conservative movement is doing in Israel.  They have built up the campus of the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem, which trains Masorti rabbis and Jewish educators in Israeli schools.  They have supported thousands of Masorti families throughout the country as they deal with the trauma of October 7, worry about captive loved ones, family members serving over 250 days of reserve duty, and trying to rebuild in the North and in the South.  The rabbi of the egalitarian Family Kotel, Rabbi Sandra Kochman, explained that she often spends full days on site, facilitating multiple B’nei Mitzvah services a day and welcoming up to 400 people at a time to pray and celebrate together.

During the prior WZO elections, MERCAZ failed to attain enough votes, and our movement’s funding was cut as a result.  Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox communities are highly organized and have a high voter turnout.  So here’s the stark reality: each choice to NOT vote provides an EXTRA vote for funding for Orthodox causes.  And I’m imploring each of us to accept the responsibility to vote.

It’s easy to make a voting plan.  Click here

You’ll get a reminder when voting opens.  And I’ll be back with a gentle nudge.

This is our chance to make a difference and to support our friends and family in Israel.  Most of us can’t vote in Israeli elections, but we can use this tool to strengthen Masorti Judaism.  We want it to be strong when we visit; we need it to be strong every day.

B’Shalom,

Rabbi Ita Paskind