Jews across the Diaspora now have the power to vote on how to allocate $6 billion to support various Jewish causes, interests and communities and outside of Israel over the next five years. Votes for delegates to the 39th World Zionist Congress, which will meet in October in Israel, will help shape the future of the Zionist movement.

The 22 slates running to represent American Jewry embody a broad array of religious denominations, political values and cultural traditions. Rather than vote directly for the 152 Americans who will serve as delegates to the Congress, voters cast ballots for slates made up of like-minded coalitions of groups.

The elected delegates will make decisions about how to spend $1.2 billion annually for the next half decade for programs that advance Zionism, fight antisemitism and address pressing issues, for example, sending Israeli shlichim, or emissaries, to Diaspora communities, support for those affected by war in Israel and Ukraine and a number of other initiatives.

Sometimes called the Parliament of the Jewish People, the World Zionist Congress is made up of 525 elected delegates and 232 appointed delegates and convenes in Jerusalem every five years. Of the 525 elected delegates, 200 must be from Israel, 152 from the United States and 173 from elsewhere in the Diaspora. It is also policy that 25 percent of the delegates on each slate be under the age of 35, and 40 percent must be women.

As the largest women’s Zionist and Jewish women’s organization in America, Hadassah is committed to strengthening Israel-Diaspora relations, promoting inclusivity and pluralism within the Zionist movement and reinforcing Zionism around the world.

“It is imperative that all Jews in the Diaspora and in Israel—ultra-Orthodox, Modern Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist and nondenominational—have their rights protected and their input respected,” said Hadassah Magazine Chair and former Hadassah National President Ellen Hershkin, who will serve as a delegate at the Congress in October. “It is crucial that representation at the World Zionist Congress is not weighted in any one direction but truly expresses the diversity of the Jewish people worldwide.”

Hadassah received special status in 1994 from the Zionist General Council, which granted the organization 32 permanent seats with full voting rights. The Hadassah delegates are part of the 232 appointed delegates and include the organization’s current national president, immediate past national president, current Zionist Affairs chair, past Zionist Affairs chair and representatives selected by Hadassah from Hadassah Israel and Young Judaea.

At the 38th World Zionist Congress in 2020, then-Hadassah National President Rhoda Smolow spoke up to ensure that all factions of the Zionist movement in Israel and the Diaspora had a voice when she issued a statement reiterating the organization’s commitment to diversity in the Zionist movement—from the liberal denominations and unaffiliated groups to the ultra-Orthodox.

Voting for the Congress is easy. From March 10 to May 4, all American Jews over the age of 18 who are permanent residents of the United States and have not voted in Israel’s Knesset elections are eligible. Voting for the American delegates is primarily conducted online through the American Zionist Movement portal. Registration costs $5.

Now is the time to vote for representatives who will strengthen the Zionist movement and ensure a safe and secure Israel and strong Diaspora for generations to come.

Diana Diner is the Zionist educator at Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America.