October 28-30, 2025, MERCAZ delegates will participate in the 39th World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem. They will be the voice of millions of Masorti/Conservative Jews around the world in shaping how the Jewish world’s largest institutions – WZO, KKL/JNF, the Jewish Agency, and Keren HaYesod – will work to shape Israel’s and the Jewish people’s “Day After” following October 7th and this horrific war.
Our MERCAZ team is already hard at work standing up for our Masorti/Conservative values and delivering for our communities. At this Congress, we will work to deliver:
- More funding for rebuilding and recovery in Israel’s north and south.
- Increased support for Israel advocacy, combating antisemitism, and educating the next generation through Conservative/Masorti congregations, youth groups like NOAM and USY, and summer camps like Ramah.
- Expanded backing for and acceptance of diverse expressions of Judaism in Israel including our Masorti Movement – because at this moment when Jewish unity is so pivotal to meet the challenges we face, making sure every Jew is truly included in Israel’s future is more important than ever.
- Reforms that ensure that the national institutions under the Congress’s auspices operate with more transparency, and that restore confidence in the elections process to the World Zionist Congress.
We will also put forward a series of resolutions to put Jews in Israel and the around the world on record about key challenges facing Israel and the Jewish people:
- While some in Israel drag their feet or push for a politicized investigation, we have proposed a resolution supporting the establishment of an apolitical State Commission of Inquiry into the events of October 7th. This is the long-established and recognized mechanism in Israel for such an investigation, including such a commission that followed the Yom Kippur War. Jews everywhere deserve an impartial, apolitical and transparent investigation into the worst disaster to befall the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
- In the aftermath of this war and given Israel’s ongoing security challenges, the IDF has said it is 10,000 active soldiers short of what it requires. The need for equality in the sharing of the burden in Israel – for reform that makes sure every Israeli Jew, secular, religious, and ultra-Orthodox enlists – is no longer just a moral issue, but a security one. Our resolution will put the Zionist Congress on record in support of true equality.
- There are many voices in Israel who reject the legitimacy of the Egalitarian Kotel. Unfortunately, we have even seen this rejection reflected in violence against worshippers at the site. We will put forth a resolution demanding equal treatment when it comes to access to and infrastructure at the Egalitarian Kotel.
- Together with other partners, we are putting forward a series of measures aimed at reforming and restoring confidence in the WZC elections process. Our resolution strengthens the hands of Area Election Committees to enforce rules related to the fairness of elections and ensure accountability for improper behavior.
We will update you on developments at the Congress as they occur. Please feel free to join our WhatsApp updates group or to follow us on the MERCAZ Olami and MERCAZ USA Facebook pages.
Rabbi Debra Newman Kamin
President of MERCAZ Olami
Rabbi Mauricio Balter
Executive Director of MERCAZ Olami and Masorti Olami
Dr. Yizhar Hess
Vice Chairman of the WZO and senior representative of MERCAZ at the National Institutions
Sarrae Crane
Executive Director, MERCAZ USA
Rabbi Hillel Skolnik
President, MERCAZ USA
