The World Zionist Congress Is Our Chance to Demand a Better Future. Don’t Pass It Up. (Maxxe Albert-Deitch, March 3, 2025)

Maxxe Albert-Deitch (she/her) is New Jewish Narrative’s Deputy Director of Communications. In her previous life as a historian, she spent several years researching and working on archaeology projects in the field of conflict transformation in Israel and Palestine. Maxxe is also the primary host of PeaceCast, the podcast dedicated to exploring issues and trends relating to peace and progress for Israel.

"Your generation is going to change the world someday.” At first, I took that remark as praise, as a lofty goal to try to live up to. But then it became, “you’re going to fix the world,” and “you young people are going to save the world.” That phrase has since curdled my sense of optimism into raw determination. It’s difficult to change, let alone fix or save, anything when my generation’s voices are underrepresented in government and, especially in my case, Jewish community institutions alike. But as Shirley Chisholm once said, “if they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” So I found the largest nearby table – the World Zionist Congress – and I brought a folding chair: I attached my name to the Hatikvah Slate for the election cycle of 2025.

I can’t fix all the horrors of the modern world, certainly not as an individual. What I can do is ensure that voices like mine – a 26-year-old female progressive Jewish voice – are heard within my own community. The World Zionist Congress is the “parliament of the Jewish people.” Representatives elected to the WZC make key decisions surrounding the allocation of roughly $5 billion over a five-year term. These elections determine and respond to the most pressing needs across Israel and Diaspora Jewish society. I am resolved that democracy, human rights, gender equity, and the pursuit of peace be at the forefront of the Congress’s mission. In addition, voting is a concrete action that signals to the broader Jewish community what our values are and where time, money, and attention should be allocated. Change begins in our homes, in our communities, and in the organizations that speak in our voices. As an American Jew, the Hatikvah Slate is my chance to be heard – and it can be yours, too.

Like so many American Jews, I have grown increasingly frustrated with the establishment Jewish organizations who respond to Israel’s Occupation of Palestinian territories with silence, if not approval. We rightly grieve in shock at the horrific events of October 7th, and the plight of the hostages since then. We rightly guard our safety carefully as antisemitism rises around the world. But our pain does not justify turning a blind eye toward extremist settlers committing heinous acts of violence in the West Bank. That does not explain away the tens of thousands killed in Gaza. From kindergarten to Sunday school to the speeches on the last day of summer camp, Jewish leaders taught me that it’s our community’s job to repair the world and speak out against injustice. I have watched too many in my community stand silent and fail to do so. 

The World Zionist Congress elections might seem like an unusual place to take a stand, especially for someone as outspoken about Israel’s issues as I am. It isn’t. The Hatikvah Slate has long been a quietly revolutionary side of an established structure, and now it provides a chance for my generation’s voice to be heard. I still believe in an Israel that lives up to the best of its ideals: an inclusive, diverse country that provides a safe home to the peoples whose cultures and histories have been rooted there for millennia. Hatikvah represents the chance to channel funds away from radical settlers and extremists, to advocate for gender equity and women’s and LGBTQIA+ voices in traditionally male, Orthodox spaces, and to demand that Israel live up to its promise to be a light unto the nations. 

Voting is open between March 10 and May 4, 2025. I urge everyone in the Jewish community, particularly those who feel disconnected or disaffected in today’s political and religious climate to vote, even (or maybe especially) if you’ve never participated in a WZC election before. Make your voice heard. Help ensure that the governing body that represents our voice and that our community stands for our beliefs. It's in the name: Hatikvah. Vote for hope.