The once-in-five-years election that represents diaspora Jewry in the World Zionist Congress had a record turnout, with more than 230,000 votes cast, producing a historic result that gave the largest number of seats among the 22 parties to the Reform movement—even as its share of the seats dropped, with Orthodox parties picking up more votes than in the previous election.
“American Jews have spoken—through their record-breaking turnout in the 2025 World Zionist Congress election, they have powerfully demonstrated that Zionism in the United States is not only alive and well but stronger than ever,” American Zionist Movement Executive Director Herbert Block said in a statement. “Thanks to this historic participation in the election, U.S. Jewry is poised to make an indelible mark when the World Zionist Congress gathers in October.”
The second-largest party, Am Yisrael Chai, represents a centrist platform that focuses on young professionals and college students. It received 31,765 votes, or 14 percent. It was followed by Eretz HaKodesh, with 29,159 votes. Representing support for chareidi institutions, the party faced opposition from the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of America, which issued a kol koreh against voting in the Zionist election.
Eretz HaKodesh Chairman Rabbi Pesach Lerner argued that his party has support from gedolim and exists to counter the influence of non-Orthodox movements on Israeli policies. “In the past five years, we have stood on the front lines, fighting against the expansion of pluralism and the growth of alternative forms of Judaism in various areas of Israeli society,” he wrote in a statement in March. “Since winning 25 delegates in 2020, Eretz HaKodesh’s representatives helped direct millions of NIS from the Jewish Agency and KKL/JNF toward causes close to our hearts.”
His examples included funding for at-risk youth programs, yeshivas, and tuition assistance for women’s seminaries—all to strengthen religious observance among Israelis and connect Orthodox diaspora students to programs in Israel.
Orthodox Israel Coalition received 26,975 votes, having campaigned among its constituent organizations including the Orthodox Union, National Council of Young Israel, Touro University, and Yeshiva University. Among the local names on its slate are Rabbi Judah Kerbel of Forest Hills, Zev Berman of Jamaica Estates, YU High School for Girls Principal CB Neugroschl, West Hempstead residents Elan Kornblum and Aliza Weinryb, and sizable contingents from Great Neck and the Five Towns. Moshe Kinderlehrer, publisher of our media affiliate The Jewish Link of New Jersey, also appeared on this slate’s list.
Remaining votes among the Orthodox parties went to Aish Ha’am, Shas, and Dorshei Torah. In addition to the Orthodox parties, politically conservative slates such as the Zionist Organization of America and Herut contributed to right-wing parties winning 81 of 152 seats, with liberal parties receiving the remaining 71 seats.
The lengthy ZOA list of supporters included Queens Jewish Link columnists Dr. Joseph Frager, Shabsie Saphirstein, and Moshe Hill; conservative pro-Israel media personalities such as Sid Rosenberg, and Alan Skorski of West Hempstead; and Queens community activists including Rabbi David Algaze, Victoria Zirkiev, Steve Orlow, Steven Khanimov, and Odeleya Jacobs Borochov, among others.
As the results were announced, the American Zionist Movement noted that 18,948 votes were tossed due to suspicions of fraud relating to duplicate email addresses associated with voter names and pre-paid credit cards used for the $5 registration fee.
The election determines how to spend more than $5 billion dedicated toward Jewish education, aliyah programs, infrastructure, and Israeli programs in the diaspora. Having the largest Jewish community outside of Israel, American Jews have 152 seats at the World Zionist Congress, with 200 seats assigned to Israeli delegates, and the rest divided among other countries with participating Jewish communities. The history of this organization dates to 1897, when Theodor Herzl organized the First Zionist Congress in Switzerland, with members representing the spectrum of world Jewry in regard to religious, political, and economic views.
The 2025 World Zionist Congress will convene in Yerushalayim on October 28–30 to determine funding and policies relating to Israel and the Jewish diaspora.
By Sergey Kadinsky
