Vote Reform Slate Records a Commanding Victory in World Zionist Congress Election

The votes have been tallied in the World Zionist Congress (WZC) election, and thanks to the hard work of volunteers across the country, the Vote Reform slate topped all others with nearly 48,000 of the over 230,000 votes cast, and 16,000 more than the next highest slate.

This was the largest election in WZC history, with an over 86% increase from the 123,575 votes in the most recent U.S. election in 2020. Not only were there more votes cast, more organizations participated, as a record 22 slates representing diverse political beliefs, religious denominations, and cultural traditions competed in the election, which is held once every five years. This represented a 57% surge from the 14 American slates that won seats in the 2020 Congress.

In an email from the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), leaders wrote, “This is a victory for the democratic ideals and Reform Jewish values that we share. This will mean that we will fight for pluralism and democracy; and secure significant funding for Reform causes. Our community showed up and it made a powerful difference.”

The election was not without controversy, as the Area Election Committee (AEC) identified a pattern of serious voting irregularities. Five slates would have benefited from an orchestrated scheme of problematic online registrations and votes involving prepaid credit cards and/or anonymized email addresses. A sixth slate received votes resulting from invalid paper registrations and ballots cast on its behalf. As a result of the investigation, 18,948 invalid votes were canceled.

According to the American Zionist Movement (AZM), the umbrella Zionist Federation in the U.S. which administers the voting, “the AEC and its investigators are continuing to examine the data and to consider whether any penalties should be imposed on slates connected with the fraudulent voting schemes. After concluding that review, and other standard reconciliations of voter data, the AZM will certify and release the number of mandates (delegate seats) earned by each slate.”

Five WHC members are on the Vote Reform slate: Rabbi Sue Shankman and Rabbi Rachel Schmelkin, Past President David Astrove, and Board Members Rachel Erlebacher and Joshua Maxey.

The URJ added, “This outcome shows that when we organize and act, our movement leads. In this time of vulnerability, of increased antisemitism, our victory is an expression of our unwavering commitment to Israel. We will use our strong showing to continue to push for the release of the hostages and the security of Israel as a Jewish and democratic State.”

Complete Tally of Results

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