It has been five years since this campaign really caught the attention of the international Orthodox Jewish community. The reality is that the program has been available to worldwide Jewish communities for decades, but somehow it was for the most part kept under wraps, or perhaps we weren’t looking hard enough.
Despite the aggressive campaigns that are ongoing, our people are still being educated and learning about what is at stake in the World Zionist Congress elections currently taking place and running through May 4.
At stake is how the WZO will distribute $2 billion in funding, and the tug of war is on between various denominations of Jews with widely distinctive views about what the State of Israel and the global Jewish community should look like.
With the founding of the Eretz Hakodesh movement (eretzhakodesh.org/) and their campaign five years ago for delegate seats on the WZO board, over these last few years according to its founder and chairman, Rabbi Pesach Lerner, the group has used their presence and ability to participate in the allocation of tens of millions of dollars to a variety of Orthodox Jews groups and causes, including yeshivas both in Israel and in the Jewish diaspora.
Beyond the manner in which the funds are allocated, the composition of the delegates who serve on the WZO board in essence determines the very character of the modern State of Israel that today is home to a stunning diversity of Jews with roots from different cultures and a variety of countries from around the world.
From our perspective and to break down the issues further, while there are differences between the various Orthodox Jewish groups in this competitive election, to understand what is at stake here, it is important to first understand the dichotomy that exists between the right and the left.
For decades, the leftists, represented by the Reform and Conservative movements, have dominated policy-making in the WZO and thereby the allocation of millions of dollars of funding to causes they support.
Let’s break it down a bit more. Here’s an issue or two we can probably all identify with. And that is the mechitzah that separates men and women praying at the Kotel—the Western Wall. The left sees the separation as sexist and discriminatory and tries to use its muscle and influence to get the Israeli courts to legislate against the separation at the Kotel.
The left prefers an egalitarian approach to prayer as well as other areas of Jewish life. In the same vein, the left is constantly in court seeking injunctions against separate seating at events like concerts and lectures in Israel. The Orthodox right sees the separation as a religious dictate as well as a way to eliminate unnecessary distractions at these events.
Believe it or not, the leftists in Israel are constantly in court trying to restrict and outlaw “Kosher Phones.” In fact, on this matter, the left managed to have the courts legislate against them, and it took the representatives from the right two and a half years to have the legal decision reversed.
That’s a small yet crucial aspect of what is at stake in this momentous and historic election. It’s no less than a matter of freedom of religion. You can vote online and the cost is $5 per voter. It’s an issue of primal importance and everyone should take the time to vote to preserve religious freedom in Eretz Yisrael.
Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
