MERCAZ USA Has Strong Showing In World Zionist Organization Elections

NEW YORK, MARCH 7 - The final tally shows that MERCAZ USA, the Conservative movement’s Zionist organization in the United States, has won 22 percent of the votes cast in the World Zionist Organization elections.

Fourteen organizations fielded slates of delegates in the election.

MERCAZ will send 32 delegates to the 35th World Zionist Congress, which will meet in Israel in June to consider issues facing the WZO and the Jewish Agency for Israel, including questions of pluralism in Israel and how the agency’s agencies funds will be distributed. Those delegates will be joined by the Green Zionist Alliance’s two, who are committed to joining the MERCAZ Olami delegation. MERCAZ also expects to pick up from 12 to 18 more delegates from around the world when those elections are held.

The Conservative/Masorti movement has lost no strength since the 2002 elections; in fact, counting the Green Alliance delegates, MERCAZ USA will have increased its representation and is in a virtual tie with the Orthodox Religious Zionist slate. The Reform movement’s 55-person delegation is continuing to shrink; its ARZA slate boasted 61 delegates in 2002, and 70 in 1997. The other 11 parties all have very small delegations.

“I am confident that this effort is a harbinger of even greater things to come,” says MERCAZ USA director Rabbi Robert Golub. “I look forward on building on it together.”

MERCAZ’s strong showing is a reflection of the movement it represents, says United Synagogue’s international president, Dr. Raymond Goldstein. “There are a great many passionately committed Conservative Jews across this continent,” says Dr. Goldstein, who lives in Rochester, Minnesota “I’m gratified to see that so many of them have understood how important it is for them to show their commitment by voting for MERCAZ.”