Shalom Haverim – Dear Friends:
After a few days to rest and reflect, it is clear that last week’s World Zionist Congress was a watershed triumph for the Jewish people, and for our movement.
For the Jewish people, the Congress affirmed the call for a Zionism based on liberal values of democracy, pluralism, and accountability. Among the many resolutions, it asserted the need for a State Commission of Inquiry regarding October 7, the need to draft Haredim into the IDF, and better access and conditions for the Egalitarian Kotel proposed by MERCAZ Olami, our movement’s Zionist political arm. And it rejected funds for settlement in Gaza and theocratic designs for Temple Mount sovereignty.
I believe these positions reflect a moderate and sensible set of policies. It was noteworthy that while the Congress itself is fairly evenly divided between the “right” and “left” of the Zionist movement, some of these resolutions passed by 70% or more. While these declarations don’t have the ability to determine Israeli policy, they are a powerful show of sentiment of world Jewry.
They also highlight a glaring gap between the positions of the Congress and the policies of the current Israeli government and the extremist views of its coalition members. And it’s likely – based on the responses I’ve seen to events like the Haredi anti-draft demonstration last week, and the surge in interest in lifecycle events at the Egalitarian Kotel these past two years – that these statements do align with the sentiment of a majority of Israelis.
I am proud that our Movement took a leadership role at the Congress, drawing people towards this moderate approach. We could not have done it without the tens of thousands who voted for our slate, and gave us the growing mandate to push these values. And at the Congress, time and again, in surprising ways, those to the right and to the left came to us with suggestions to help us broaden our coalition and ensure that the Congress would express the values we stand for.
While these declarations alone won’t change Israeli government policy, they give me hope that Zionism can be renewed by a diaspora Judaism that stands up for its values, and partners with Israelis who share them. The past two years have shown us that diaspora Jews have a stake in what happens here in Israel, and that our communities need to stand with one another in unity, even if not with uniformity.
Finally, the Congress showed us that when our leaders and institutions act in partnership, our Conservative/Masorti Movement can achieve great things: A growth in our voting power. A strong leadership voice in the Zionist and Jewish world. Passion and commitment.
I can’t wait for us to expand and amplify these strengths as we go forward as a Movement and as a Jewish People!
Shalom from Jerusalem,
Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal
CEO
USCJ and the Rabbinical Assembly
