ט״ז אדר ה׳תשפ״ה | March 16, 2025
World Zionist Congress: Where Do We Stand?
Every five years, voters determine who will influence the allocation of vital resources for Jewish interests in Eretz Yisrael and around the world. What is Chabad’s position on this election?
Every five years, voters determine who will influence the allocation of vital resources for Jewish interests in Eretz Yisrael and around the world. What is Chabad’s position on this election?
By Anash.org writer
There has been much talk among the frum community about the upcoming elections for the World Zionist Congress.
The World Zionist Congress (WZC) is an umbrella of four organizations with links to the Israeli government and global Jewish causes: the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency, Keren Kayemes Leyisrael-Jewish National Fund, and Keren HaYesod.
The congress is made up of 500 delegates, with 152 of them coming from the United States. Those filling the U.S. seats are determined by the Jewish American vote; this election takes place once in five years. The elected delegates determine the agenda of Israel’s central national institutions with an annual budget of one billion dollars.
More importantly, the WZC influences certain aspects of Israeli government policy. This includes policies affecting the observance of Shabbos and kashrus, standards of geirus, and the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel’s holiest sites. It also includes policies that affect Jewish education in Eretz Yisroel and across the world.
The next WZC will occur in October 2025, and for the next seven weeks, American Jews can vote for the platform they wish to see representing them. Many are wondering what this means for Yidden and Yiddishkeit, and whether Lubavitcher chassidim should participate in the election.
The Rebbe’s policy was always not to take a public stance on Israeli elections and politics. This was not simply to remain apolitical; many of the Zionist ideals run contrary to Torah values. Chabad has similarly refrained from engaging in the WZC in an official capacity. Even voting as an individual can be seen as problematic, as it requires one to sign a platform paying lip service to these Zionist ideals.
For example, the Jerusalem Program that all voters must sign states: “Zionism, the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, brought about the establishment of the State of Israel, and views a Jewish, Zionist, democratic and secure State of Israel to be the expression of the common responsibility of the Jewish people for its continuity and future.”
However, many shluchim and activists feel that the current climate requires us to get involved. In recent years, movements to increase secularism have sprung up in the Holy Land; key players in the various WZC slates have an agenda to push the country further in this direction.
A number of the current platforms explicitly advocate for initiatives that are anti-Torah and halacha in issues like Shabbos, Mihu Yehudi, and marriages. The dangerous situation that could emerge out of this election could be untenable.
Given these circumstances, activists argue that we must do everything in our power to ensure that the resources are directed towards the proper initiatives and movements. They urge fellow Anash to privately participate in the WZC election, even if they have to “hold their noses and vote.”
Still, Chabad rabbonim and askonim who we spoke to agree that as a movement, we should refrain from taking an active, official stance on this or any other election. They also note that while no platform is completely aligned with Lubavitch hashkafa, even the ‘frum slates’ are not all created equal.
The ‘heter‘ to get involved in this election is specifically for the purpose of preserving the kedusha of Eretz Yisroel. It would, therefore, behoove us to pay attention to the organizations and individuals standing behind a platform, and the ideas about Yiddishkeit that they promote.
How can one know which slate is the ‘right’ one? Several of them speak of a commitment to promoting Torah values, and from a cursory glance, it could seem that they do. The name of the slate sounds frum, many of the listed candidates bear the title Rabbi, and there may be well-known orthodox organizations standing behind them.
For example, in its own words, the Eretz Hakodesh platform promises to “represent true Torah values and respect Torah standards of Shabbos, the Kosel, kashrus, conversion, marriage and divorce.” Furthermore, it believes that “classical Jewish values of Torah as taught for millennia should play a central role in modern Israel.” The slate includes representatives from the yeshiva and chassidishe communities in the United States, including several Lubavitcher chassidim.
When chassidim in Eretz Yisrael asked the Rebbe about Israeli elections, the Rebbe encouraged them to vote for the “most chareidi party,” yet not to join the government themselves. Today, we must each do our best to understand, with the help of chassidishe rabbonim and mashpiim, what is required of us in these turbulent times.
COMMENTS
What business can a Chosid of the Rebbe have with such an organization, just the name should tell it all, A Chossid cannot be associated with this under no circumstances.
The comparison to voting in the governmental elections is ludicrous, a government is like running a Kehilla and we need to see to it that the Kehilla should have their needs attended to. Besides, they don’t call themselves elections for the Zionist ideal or State, they are voting for the Knesset which is the government. But the Zionist congress? this is about the ideal of Zionism, can a Chossid participate in shaping the ideal of Zionism? This is the original sin against which our holy Rebbe’s fought against and disassociated themselves from.
And the excuse of voting to be able to determine financial benefits for Chabad is the antithesis of everything the Rebbe stood for and taught us all the years, especially when he stood up to the government on matters of Mihu Yehudi and the liberated territories, and the Rebbe was threatened that they will hold back funding, and the Rebbe clearly said that anybody who will be influenced by such threats has no connection to Lubavitch.
So frankly if there is anybody who tries to permit participation in these elections is doing it for financial reasons as articulated in this article and therefore he has no connection to Lubavitch and the Rebbe.
Where does the article say we should vote because of “financial benefits”?
The article says “This includes policies affecting the observance of Shabbos and kashrus, standards of geirus, and the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel’s holiest sites. It also includes policies that affect Jewish education in Eretz Yisroel and across the world.”
The Eretz Hakodesh platform “promises to represent true Torah values and respect Torah standards of Shabbos, the Kosel, kashrus, conversion, marriage and divorce. Furthermore, it believes that classical Jewish values of Torah as taught for millennia should play a central role in modern Israel.”
The article makes one indirect reference to the overall budget of the WZC. It makes no suggestion that we should vote for purposes of funding. Only to positively influence “Frum/Torah” values within the WZC and wherever it has influence…
Most people are unfamiliar with this process and so it’s easy to misunderstand the purpose of the Congress. The Congress has debates and votes on issues that are important to the Jewish world. The outcomes are later passed on to the Knesset and are taken very seriously as the opinions of World Jewry for them to act on. Topics like Mehu Yehudi, Shleimus Ha’aretz, Jewish Education, egalitarian prayer services at the Koisel, Shabbos observance etc. etc. The point of being involved is not to c”v be Machshir zionism but to defend and promote our values and to make a Kiddush Hashem in the process.
If it was ONLY about money, the decision would be an easy one. We are not selling our principles
But as explained in the article, and in the comments, there are decisions and votes that are made about mixed events, not allowing separate events, support for Women of the wall, mihu yehudi, stores being forced to open on shabbos, and more
The delegates can influence these decisions
The article is quite informative, but which rabonim or mashpiim are giving any guidance?
Are we to sign on to the “zionist principles” as stated in the registration process?
I can’t imagine a scenario where the Rebbe OKs this.
Maybe to encourage others to get involved, but if you are a chossid, I’m not so sure
A letter of the rebbe was recently published with a clear directive not to participate in these elections
Please post where this letter can be seen.
Thank you.
Please post, thank you!
I’m Lubavitch and a Zionist. Today, Zionism simply means that the Jewish people have a right to their own state in their ancestral homeland. If you believe that, you’re a Zionist, period. Whether it was the best idea or misguided in its origins doesn’t change its current definition. Everything else is just sophistry and means nothing. When it comes to Jewish identity, consider the difference in assimilation rates—over 70% or 80% in the diaspora versus just 10% to 20% among Israelis. So yes, Zionism is, in fact, tied to Jewish identity. As a Chossid, I celebrate that.
That has nothing to do with being a Zionist and as chabad we follow the rebbe not what we think you could say your pro the idea but you can’t call yourself a Zionist r”l
read what I wrote I addressed your point Zionism has a clear definition today: if you support the idea, you’re a Zionist—period. Anything beyond that is just wordplay. The Rebbe opposed associating Zionism with the beginning of the Geulah, and the Rebbeim viewed the movement as a secularizing force, which historically, it was. However, today, Zionism means one thing and one thing only: do you believe the Jewish people have a right to a Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael? If so, not only am I a Zionist, but so are you—and probably everyone you know.
Why isn’t the moral and ethical issue being considered here? Clearly, the organization and its donors expect and assume that you define yourself as a Zionist if you’re using their platform and allocating their funds. If you don’t identify as a Zionist, what right do you have to use their influence and money? This is geneivas daas and literal geneiva. Doesn’t simple morality and Halcha matter also?
I don’t think that the Rebbe was opposed of us taking part of such organizations due to us being a political or because of the problematic nature of such programs.
In my opinion, the Rebbe would have had the same opinion about joining these things, just like being part of the Israeli political process, and that is very simple, we are part of it, and we reap its benefits and express our right of voting, but yet, don’t take any leading effort and don’t officially in a public way align with a specific party, but rather whatever we do privately in the ballot box stays in the ballot box.
I don’t see a any difference with the WZO, being somehow worse then the Israeli government, besides for saying a nonsense Jerusalem platform, which for all intent and purposes is meaningless.
I have yet to see any source about the Rebbe’s view on this matter. I am not saying that there is not one, but i have not seen a source. It seems to me, that the issue never came up for whatever reason.
Assimilation rates by Israelis who leave Israel are in fact much higher than Jews living in the diaspora. Zionism has taken over their Jewish identity. The second they leave Israel there is nothing left of active Jewish life besides for some cultural holiday celebrations. Zionism is disconnecting Jews from their Jewish identity. As a chossid you should be seriously worried about that. No wonder the Rabbeiim were so opposed to the Zionist movement
It’s completely irrelevant—factually, it’s saving millions of Jews from assimilation, more than any kiruv organization in the world. Anything else is just noise. You try to square the circle by asking, “What about the Israelis who leave Israel?” Okay, what about them? They make up about 10% of Jewish Israelis overall. So, if you add the 10% who assimilate in Israel and assume that every Jew who leaves Israel assimilates, that’s about 20%. Compare that to the 70–80% assimilation rate in the diaspora