Non-Jewish allies: Make a big difference by sharing this with Jewish people in your lives.
I’m running for Congress…the World Zionist Congress, that is! Sorry not sorry if I got your hopes up for something else…
Like me, I know that many of you are freaking out over the demise of democracy home (but YAY Wisconsin and Cory Booker!). The tariffs alone are another dictatorial power grab, not economic strategy.
But I’m running for the WZC to save democracy in my home away from home: Israel.
Like the U.S., authoritarian shit-hitting-the-fan continues rapidly in Israel. There’s Qatargate, Netanyahu breaking the ceasefire to stay in power, and implemented parts of the judicial coup.
It’s a catastrophe for innocent Palestinians in Gaza already suffering (and who had bravely protested for several days against Hamas), as well as for hostage families and the large majority of Israelis who want to end the war. It also couldn’t come at worse time possible for American Jews.
That’s why I’m asking for your vote in the World Zionist Congress elections!
As I paraphrase from what Jeremy Ben-Ami wrote last month, let’s get some things out of the way:
Yes, there still is a “World Zionist Congress.”
Yes, it is the same body Theodor Herzl founded in 1897 before there was an Israel.
You can vote if you are 18, identify as Jewish and pay $5.
Confusing? Yes. Antiquated 19th century leftover? Totally.
A tool to leverage to make a difference? Absolutely.
The World Zionist Congress dictates $5 billion in spending over 5 years is spent in Israel, West Bank settlements, and Jewish communities worldwide.
Too few people know about this election. Only 100,000 out of 7.5 million American Jews voted in the last election in 2020, which was considered high turnout.
So yes: you can fight for democracy in both home *and* homeland. Besides, wouldn’t you want to stick it to Netanyahu in a constructive way?!
Here is the link to vote. Voting runs until May 4!
I’m running on the A New Union (ANU) slate, which has a broad center-left approach across American Jewish life, bringing in folks who share our passion for Israel’s wellbeing and offering pathways to push for pro-democracy, pro-diplomacy policies.
ANU has the following platform:
– Supporting policies within Israeli national institutions that will promote the possibility of a two-state solution [IMHO, a 23-state solution] while we work to advocate for greater acceptance of a diplomatic solution among American and especially Israeli Jews.
– Lobbying for Israeli government investment in programs that promote pluralism of Jewish and Israeli identity across school systems.
– Create space to strengthen civil society, advance the goals of a shared society between not just diverse Jewish identity, but alongside non-Jewish Palestinian and other citizens of Israel, and assure the independence of Israel’s world-renowned judiciary.
– Fight for to a vision of Israel that lives up to the promises of the early Zionist thinkers of a spiritual homeland in a secure, democratic, and just Jewish state.
Click here to vote for ANU, #6 on the ballot!
All of us on the ANU slate are Millennials or Gen Z, a rarity in Jewish organizations anywhere. Over half are women, and over half of the slate is under the age of 35. A bunch of us are LGBTQ, too.
I’m lucky to run alongside ANU candidates like pro-democracy, hostage deal/ceasefire human rights advocate Alana Zeitchik, actor and activist Jonah Platt, Kehillat Israel’s Rabbi Daniel Sher, and so many other great people representing a broad spectrum.
Not loving ANU’s platform? Then please consider voting for our partners Hatikvah (Jeremy Ben-Ami’s slate), Reform, or Mercaz. We’re in coalition with them and others seeking to dislodge the extreme right currently controlling the WZC purse strings.
The situation in Israel and Palestine is profoundly bleak, but it’s still not hopeless. Let’s do our part to turn the tide!
I want to earn your vote! If you have questions, please contact me directly.
Vote ANU, #6 on the list!
A note on Zionism for progressive friends: To me - and millions - Zionism is the belief in democratic Jewish self-determination in part of our indigenous homeland like any other self-identified national group. Zionism is *not* inherently against Palestinians or anyone else.
To me, simply recognizing that Israel literally exists is a Zionist act, like how supporting gender equality makes one feminist. Given the widespread misuse and misunderstanding, I wish that the term was retired with Israel’s establishment in 1948, but alas, here we are.
I’m pained by how the word “Zionist” has been weaponized beyond recognition. Many on the far left, as well as if not more so the extreme right currently running Israel’s government, conflate Zionism with Kahanism: a belief in a Jewish theocratic state where non-Jews have no voting rights, and that Arabs under Israel’s rule on both sides of the Green Line are enemies of Jews and Israel itself.
Your vote can be the difference between more money investing in Israel Proper instead of West Bank settlements and settlers emboldened to resort to violent pogroms, pro-democracy education instead of theocratic bile spewed in the religious Zionist and Ultra-Orthodox schools systems, and a small-but-mighty building block towards an equitable shared society with Palestinian citizens of Israel and ending the Occupation.
Voting for ANU or other liberal Zionist parties in the World Zionist Congress can send a strong message to Israel that the Diaspora gives a damn about what the country does in our name with actual impact.
Even if you struggle with the term “Zionist”, voting for ANU, Hatikvah, or Reform is at minimum a form of harm reduction.
Sitting this election out because it feels good under some kind of performative ideological purity test only gives more power to Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, and Smotrich. So do yourself, Israelis, and Palestinians a favor: vote, and ask others to join you, too!
HANDS OFF!
The resistance isn’t dead. Like hello: Wisconsin!
While we gear up for NJ and VA races this fall and midterms next year, consider joining a HANDS OFF! National Day of Action demonstration - there are hundreds nationwide - near you this Saturday, April 5.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. They're taking everything they can get their hands on, and daring the world to stop them. Let’s take to the streets nationwide to fight back with a clear message: Hands off!
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