On the Beth Sholom Israel trip just over a month ago, many of our conversations circled back to both our commitment to the State of Israel and our ability to influence what happens in our spiritual homeland. Many of us care very deeply about Israel and have strong hopes about what Israel can be for the world and for the Jewish people around the world. There are very few opportunities for those of us who reside in America to influence and make change in Israel - now is one of those times.
Every 5 years, Jews around the world are asked to step-up and take part in the World Zionist Congress elections, taking place now through March 11th. This election is your opportunity to take a stand. I’d like to highlight MERCAZ, the slate of the Conservative movement. A vote for MERCAZ is a powerful way to send a clear message to the Israeli government that Jewish diversity is important.
Those elected join delegates from around the world at the 38th World Zionist Congress in October 2020, the international “parliament of the Jewish people,” to make decisions regarding key institutions which allocate nearly $1 billion annually to support Israel and Jews around the world (including the Jewish National Fund and the Jewish Agency for Israel).
The outcome of these elections has a significant financial impact, influencing the institutions and organizations in Israel and worldwide that serve Conservative and Masorti (Israel’s branch of the Conservative Movement) Jews – its synagogues, youth movement, summer camp, curricula in Israeli public schools, its rabbinical seminary, and more.
Every US resident who identifies as Jewish and is over 18 is eligible to vote, and the online voting takes just a few minutes.
• Click HERE to VOTE (there is a minimal cost of $7.50 which covers the cost of the WZC election) • Find more information about the elections and the MERCAZ slate - www.mercaz2020.org/ or to watch their video, click https://vimeo.com/377461410.
This is a critical time to show that North American Jews, and especially North American Conservative Jews, care about religious freedom in Israel and are committed to the future of pluralism in Israel.
With Blessings for us and for Israel, Rabbi Sarit Horwitz
