We’ve just returned from the 39th World Zionist Congress (WZC) in Jerusalem – as members of the Hatikvah delegation – where liberal and progressive Zionists enjoyed much success in advancing our agenda for a Jewish and democratic Israel that lives in peace and security with its neighbors.
Convening every five years, the World Zionist Congress is a gathering of Jews from across the globe elected to represent their communities to both choose the leadership of various institutions in Israel and craft and adopt resolutions meant to shape the policies and actions of those organizations. These conventions have been happening for 128 years, long before the establishment of the modern state of Israel.
At the most recent Congress, at the end of last month, delegates associated with J Street, New Jewish Narrative, and others who were part of Hatikvah helped bring a number of resolutions across the finish line: one protecting Israeli civil society organizations from cynically driven taxation, another pushing for egalitarian access to the Western Wall, one promoting leadership roles for women in Jewish life.
In partnership with our allies in the Conservative and Reform movements and others, we approved a resolution calling for a state commission of inquiry into October 7 now – not to delay it any further.
In a 300-to-242 vote, we passed a prohibition on the World Zionist Organization (WZO), preventing the group from supporting the resettling of Gaza in any way.
And a resolution introduced by Hatikvah delegates supporting a halt in the building of settlements in the highly controversial E1 area of the West Bank was adopted by a 180-vote margin.
The WZO is to be commended for the inclusion of complex, nuanced ideas
The approval of these resolutions is a significant win for liberal Zionism. It demonstrates that with increased engagement in institutional life, American Jewry can deliver on the liberal values and viewpoints that we know are the majority within our community.
Moreover, the WZO is to be commended for facilitating a process that allowed for the inclusion and complexity of all factions represented in the Congress.
Zionism has never skirted the tough questions, and it was encouraging to see that tradition continue at this Congress. The established issue areas of the committees reinforced that principle. There were ten committees in total to consider resolutions prior to the voting plenum, with jurisdictions ranging from accountability and transparency to social and national policy.
And yes, there was a committee on sovereignty and borders, like all committees, established by the WZO, where two resolutions submitted by right-wing slates failed (calling for Israeli sovereignty over the Temple Mount and West Bank), and the E1 resolution championed by Hatikvah delegate and J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami was considered.
Right-wing voices may object to the inclusion of debate over borders and settlements as being “political,” but advocating for the exclusion of such discussion is itself a political position. Would we be hearing such complaints if the committee results were inverted? It is unlikely.
Indeed, it is a wholeheartedly Zionist exercise to wrestle with the occupation and limits of Israeli sovereignty over the Palestinian territories and the implications of such on Israel’s future as a secure, Jewish, and democratic state. There is no better venue for that debate than the WZC. The objection to the inclusion of such a topic and its proponents sheds light on the positions of their opponents and threatens the health and growth of a broad Zionist movement.
While there are, without doubt, diverse and at times conflicting perspectives on the plethora of issues addressed at the WZC, the WZO held a master class on unity over uniformity. The organization created a space for all who are invested in the Zionist project to be at the table without checking their values at the door. And that is an incredibly difficult and praiseworthy feat.
What took place at the WZC transcends specific policy positions. The entire process and message communicated in speech after speech by WZO leadership, as they touted global representation, enfranchised all Jews to participate in the Zionist movement, and acknowledged the legitimacy of Diaspora voices in helping shape the future of our Jewish homeland.
It is peculiar then that for decades we’ve been told by traditional pro-Israel advocates that if you don’t live in Israel or give unconditional support to the current Israeli government, then your voice should be ignored at best and shamed at worst.
We did not hear anyone on the plenary stage at the WZC qualify that some voices don’t count or that some should be prioritized over others. The delegates to the Congress were duly elected by their communities.
All voices count. We cannot conveniently dismiss or disenfranchise others simply out of disagreement. That is not democratic. That is not Jewish. That is not how the projects known as Israel or Jewish peoplehood will succeed.
Let us allow for other perspectives and retire the notion that dissenting views, in Israel or abroad, are not acceptable discourse. Let us not feel threatened by another’s ideas or give credence to the premise that disagreement equals delegitimization. Let us acknowledge that if one believes in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, as J Street and Hatikvah do, then there is space for them in the pro-Israel tent. Whether they live in Israel or not. Whether they support the current government or not.
That is the only way we will grow connections to Israel and guarantee that support for a secure, Jewish, and democratic state will continue for generations to come.
Sam Berkman is national director of communal relations at J Street. Nomi Colton-Max is co-chair of New Jewish Narrative.