World
C.) NI
HL
/
Like No Other
In The World
A World Zionist Congress primer
Don Cohen
Special to the Jewish News
ewspapers have been
full of stories on the
recent Iraqi and
Egyptian elections as well as
the upcoming Palestinian
(January) and Israeli (March)
elections. But what about the
Jewish elections?
"The World Zionist Congress
— known to many as the
Parliament of the Jewish People'
— is the premiere democratic
gathering of Jews from
throughout the world," accord-
ing to the Web site of the
American Zionist Movement
(AZM), the American branch of
the World Zionist Organization
(WZO).
The 35th World Zionist
Congress will be held in
Jerusalem from June 19-22. Its
delegates will be determined by
balloting, which closes Feb. 28.
Austrian journalist Theodor
the world.
Herzl, the acknowledged leader
This money comes from
of modern-day political
fund-raising efforts around the
Zionism, convened the first
world, like Federation's Annual
Zionist Congress in 1897 in
Campaign, as well as the Israeli
Basel, Switzerland, with the
government. About half of
goal of establishing a Jewish
JAFI's decision-making power
homeland. That first Congress
comes from the decisions made
established the World Zionist
Organization, which at first met at the World Zionist Congress.
The other half comes primarily
on an annual basis, and now
from the fund-raising
meets every four or five years,
Federations and the Israeli gov-
bringing together delegates
ernment.
from around the world to
JAFI's Web site describes
debate issues facing the Jewish
itself as "the world's major
people and Israel.
global Jewish partnership
This involvement of Jews
organization committed to
from around the world makes
assuring the future of the
Israel more than just a state of
Jewish people with a strong
its people, but also a state for
the Jews. While, of course, Israel Israel at its center?' The agency's
has had its own sovereign dem- three main interests are listed
as encouraging immigration to
ocratic government since its
Israel, Jewish-Zionist education
founding in 1948, the WZO has
and forging partnerships.
a great impact on the workings
of the extra-governmental
Jewish Agency For Israel (JAFI), More Involvement
• Though American Zionist
with its $350 million annual
Movement diehards may be
budget and emissaries around
organizing the elections of the
145-member American delega-
tion, second only in the size to
Israel's delegation among the 40
countries represented, it seems
most American Jews don't know
anything about the World
Zionist Congress or, maybe
worse, don't much care.
Of an estimated 5-6 million
American Jews, just 88,753
voted in the 2002 elections for
U.S. representatives to the I•VZO,
a drop of 19,000 voters from
1997.
But that could change as the
AZM launches radio and
Internet campaigns in coming
weeks to educate American
Jews about the WZO's activities
and encourage greater aware-
ness and involvement. •
"If we are all brothers and
sisters, this is the world Jewish
body that encompasses all vari-
eties of religious and political
interests," explains Marjorie
Vote on page 28
January 5 * 2006
27