BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:18@mercazusa.org DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York;VALUE=DATE:20250310 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York;VALUE=DATE:20250505 DTSTAMP:20250321T153227Z URL:https://www.mercazusa.org/events/votemercaz39thworldzionistcongress/ SUMMARY:39th World Zionist Congress Elections DESCRIPTION:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNote: MERCAZ USA does not operate the v oting portal. If you encounter issues when voting online\, please contact the Election Help Desk at 888-492-4763 or azm@votem.com. If you prefer to vote via a paper ballot\, you can download the ballot here.\n\n\n\nMERCAZ USA is the Voice of Conservative/Masorti Jews in the World Zionist Congre ss\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAt the next World Zionist Congress\, MERCAZ USA will advocate for Conservative/Masorti Jews\, guided by our beliefs in equ ality\, democracy\, and pluralism.\n\n Reject Extremism: Extremist forces in Israel are trying to cast a narrow view of Judaism that delegitimizes the Conservative/Masorti movement and undermines our values.\n Champion O ur Values: Our values reflect the moral and spiritual vision of the Hebrew prophets – a society that celebrates democratic principles\, embraces d iverse Jewish traditions\, and safeguards the rights\, dignity\, and inclu sion of all its citizens.\n Safe and Secure Israel: Rebuilding Israel in the aftermath of October 7 and supporting the families of those who were h eld hostage. With antisemitism rising around the world\, our mission is mo re critical than ever.\n\nClick here to read the full Platform and Slate\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n \;\n\n\n\n\n\nFive minutes and 5 dollars. That's all it takes for any American Jew over 18 to vote for MERCAZ USA in online el ections for the World Zionist Congress this spring and help direct tens of millions towards helping southern Israel rebuild\, protecting democracy i n Israel\, strengthening our own Jewish communities\, and promoting plural ism in the Jewish state. \n\nWHO ARE WE?\nMERCAZ is the political party re presenting the global Conservative/Masorti movement and its values at Worl d Zionist Congress and the four so-called “National Institutions” unde r its auspices: the World Zionist Organization (WZO)\, Keren Kayemet L’Y israel (KKL /JNF)\, The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and Keren Hayesod (KH-UIA). A vote for MERCAZ USA in elections to the World Zionist Congress every five years not only helps us secure millions from these institution s to promote pluralism and strengthen Masorti Judaism in Israel. It not on ly helps us secure millions that our own synagogues\, Ramah camps\, USY pr ograms\, Men’s Clubs\, Sisterhoods\, and more rely on here at home. In S pring 2025\, a vote for MERCAZ USA is a vote to make sure those hardest hi t on October 7th receive resources they need to rebuild and recover. From making sure that KKL/JNF\, controlled by the Zionist Congress\, invests mi llions in rebuilding communities near Gaza\, to ensuring the WZO properly handles its responsibility to implement Israel's official efforts to suppo rt our hostages and their families.\n\n\nWHY DOES THIS MATTER?\nEstablishe d by Herzl\, the World Zionist Congress is the only democratic body with r epresentatives from the Jewish people from every country and every Zionist stream. Here\, Diaspora Jews like us not only have a voice: we have a vot e. The Congress exercises control over four of the largest nonprofits in t he Jewish world - WZO\, KKL/JNF\, the Jewish Agency\, and Keren HaYesod - with combined allocations over $2.5 billion annually. Who runs these organ izations and how they spend their time and money depends on your vote! A v ote for MERCAZ USA in online elections for the World Zionist Congress this coming spring is a vote to direct millions from those organizations to su pporting those hardest hit on October 7th. To helping our own communities stand up for Israel\, fight antisemitism and educate the next generation. To strengthening the Masorti Movement and promoting pluralism\, democracy\ , and democratic values like gender and LGBT equality in the Jewish state. \n\n\nWHY NOW?\n2023 was the worst year in Israel’s history. After the t ragedy of October 7th\, and before that\, the divisive judicial overhaul t hat pushed Israel apart and into the abyss\, Israel today needs a lot of t ikkun – repair – both physically and societally. With just five dollar s (a small administrative fee that also prevents voter fraud as each payme nt method can only vote a limited number of times) and five minutes of our time - that's all it takes to vote - we help make sure Israelis who need it most get critical resources they need. In the face of rising antisemiti sm and anti-Israel sentiment\, we help our communities get resources to be tter connect with and stand up for Israel\, fight antisemitism\, and educa te the next generation. We help make sure that at this moment when Jews mu st be united\, that we have real unity with every stream of Judaism having an equal seat at the table in a Jewish AND democratic Israel.\n\n\nWHAT'S AT STAKE?\nNot voting in elections to the World Zionist Congress IS votin g. Not supporting MERCAZ USA means handing power and billions to close all ies of those whose divisiveness and extremism helped tear Israel apart in the first place. Who want to spend those billions on projects that advance their political agenda instead of helping those who need it most. Not vot ing means risking millions the Masorti Movement in Israel and our own syna gogues and youth programs rely on. Risking extremists gaining control over the Jewish Agency\, the leading voice of Diaspora Jews before Israel's go vernment and society with significant influence on questions regarding the rights of non-Orthodox Judaism in the Jewish state. We can't let all this happen.\n\n\nHOW CAN YOU HELP?\nBe an advocate for MERCAZ USA. Share this information with your family and friends. Sign up to receive updates and a reminder to vote when polls open in March. Follow MERCAZ USA on social m edia (@mercazusa). Contact us to get involved. In the last elections to th e World Zionist Congress\, our communities didn’t show up to vote and de liver our Movement the representation it needs and deserves in Israel. At this pivotal moment in Israel’s history\, in the next elections\, we can ’t afford to make the same mistake again. Make sure to spread the word a bout MERCAZ USA!\n\n\n\n\nVoting opened March 10 and ends May 4 …\nAll J ewish adults 18+ (by June 30\, 2025) who live permanently in the U.S. and didn’t vote in the last Knesset election are eligible to vote.\n\nVoting is a simple online process that takes five minutes and five dollars. Any American Jew (by self-identification\, while not identifying as a member o f another religion) over 18 can vote for MERCAZ USA in elections to the Wo rld Zionist Congress. The voting period begins on March 10th\, and no prer egistration or organizational membership of any kind beforehand is require d. The five dollars is a small administrative fee covering the cost of adm inistering or the election\, which also prevents voter fraud as each payme nt method can only vote a limited number of times.\nNote: MERCAZ USA does not operate the voting portal. If you encounter issues when voting online\ , please contact the Election Help Desk at 888-492-4763 or azm@votem.com.  If you prefer to vote via a paper ballot\, you can download the ballot h ere.\n\n\n\nLearn more about the 2025 World Zionist Congress elections fro m this video produced by the American Zionist Movement (AZM):\n ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.mercazusa.org/wp-content/uploads/202 4/08/MERCAZ-USA-EveryAction-Banner-Ver-010825.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20250309T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR