A year of Zionist action is needed, not politics - opinion

Yesterday we measured the 100-day mark since the horrific attacks by Hamas terrorists on October 7th and the start of the war known now as Swords of Iron.

A 100-day mark typically serves as an indicator to gauge performance following the start of a period or a major event, usually an election. In this case, 100 days is a time to reflect on what has happened while also measuring the ongoing count of days in captivity for our hostages. October 7th will forever be a day etched in the annals of the over 3,000-year history of the Jewish people. 

This notorious day marks a declaration of war against the State of Israel and its people, with a clear intention (as defined in the charters of Hamas and Hezbollah) to bring about the end of the Jewish state and actively commit genocide against the Jewish people.

But October 7th also opened a second front; it unleashed a Pandora’s Box of virulent and violent antisemitism around the world, the worst known since the Holocaust. Jewish communities, students, and institutions now face daily threats to their well-being and way of life and remain in a state of high alert. 

Following the massacre of innocent civilians, civil mobilization efforts stepped into a glaring void of leadership by Israel’s government and mobilized efforts both inside Israel and abroad. The needs and the demands of this multifront war were and remain significant.

Civilian efforts supported our reservists and evacuees, created multiple global awareness campaigns for the immediate release of the hostages, extended a lifeline to Israeli businesses and farms decimated by the war, launched creative Hasbara projects, offered physical and mental support to survivors and orphans, donated to the Kitot Konenut (civil emergency response squads), etc. The entirety of Israel, with incredible support from abroad, enlisted in the “civil front” of this war. 

Alongside the inspiring civil mobilization came the response from the Zionist National Institutions. Within 48 hours of the attack, KKL-JNF released significant funds for the mayors of Gaza border communities and the North, offering emergency support as the mayors worked to ensure the safety of their population.

Similarly, KKL-JNF immediately sprung into action to assist in absorbing over 3,000 evacuees from the south in its field centers and hotels. This response was critical and garnered immediate praise from municipal leaders.

Likewise, Jewish communities from around the world rallied to fund the Jewish Agency (through the JFNA), Keren Hayesod, and KKL’s emergency response funds to offer them the resources required to mobilize, including a recently-announced 200 million NIS joint fund launched by JNF-USA and KKL. 

What should be done now?

Looking ahead, as we transition from the immediate needs towards a longer-term view, it is incumbent to articulate a plan for the mid-term. From the 100-day to the 1-year mark, this is the moment for the Zionist Movement, through its National Institutions, to fulfill its mandate and play a historic role in repairing our country and global communities. The Zionist Movement was and is the voice of global Jewry and the bridge between Jewish communities and our collective homeland in Israel.  

The World Zionist Congress is the only place where democratically elected representatives of global Jewish communities and Israeli leadership sit around the table as equal partners. Now is the modern-day Zionist moment - and it demands a renewal of the movement. The year 2024 is the time to communicate a clear vision from the heads of the institutions and for the Zionist parties to come together and rally to support the needs ahead. 

Based on the calendar, the Zionist Movement is scheduled to shortly begin an election cycle towards the upcoming Zionist Congress in October 2025. While that might seem a distant and far-off date, the timing of the scheduled Congress necessitates election campaigns that will begin within the next 6 months.

At Kol Israel, the General Zionist party in the Zionist Congress, we fundamentally believe in the importance of democratic elections and democratic principles at the foundation of the Zionist Movement. Representation at the Zionist Congress has never been about the power of your purse but rather the strength of your ideas. It is a democratic movement where anyone can get involved, share their ideas, and shape the vision of the future and the allocation of the Institutions’ resources. 

We say in Kohelet, “To everything there is a season.” With Israel currently at war, and a potential extension to the northern front over the summer, and while raging global antisemitism impacts communities around the world, we believe that now is the time to focus on Zionist action and impact and not on Zionist elections and divisive politics.

Like what was decided during World War II and following the Yom Kippur War, the focus was on action and the wise leadership deferred the Zionist Congress.  

Zionist leaders were elected to answer the call of our people and provide transparent solutions rather than engage in a self-absorbed process of further reshuffling the roles and responsibilities. The coming year is the time for those who were democratically put into power to lead, produce, innovate, and put forth a compelling vision for addressing the needs of global Jewry.

We have a sovereign state, and no Jew should feel threatened anymore. We must work together to rebuild our state and restore security to Jewish communities where possible. 

Specifically, what we suggest is as follows:

1. Defer the Zionist Congress from October 2025 to October 2026. 
2. Focus on action with measurable goals and outcomes.
3. Resist the urge to divvy up power through political agreements and let the future elections determine the representation. 
4. Create immediate task forces from the combined National Institutions to address the needs of our people, thus minimizing duplication and redundancy. 

These task forces should at the very least tackle the following issues: 

1. Address the alarming rise of antisemitism, utilizing the international weight of the Zionist Movement to bring together all the disparate voices and efforts directed at this multi-faceted challenge and generate a multi-year unified strategy with  clear implementation mechanisms. 
2. Specifically, create a compelling road map to address antisemitism on university campuses that also provides alternatives for college students and enlists coalition partners to restore the safety of our students. 
3. Identify a joint global strategy towards creating civil emergency response squads both within Israel and abroad, tasked with offering immediate response to emerging crises and maintaining the safety and security of our communities, in collaboration with local authorities and law enforcement agencies. 
4. Chart a path forward to mobilize energies and resources to rebuild the southern communities destroyed on October 7th and restore the northern communities damaged in the war, under the guiding principle of Build Back Better. 

Our call is for the leaders of the Zionist Movement to step up and live up to the expectations set by those who entrusted us with the present and future of our people. There is no time to waste on petty politics and pointless arm-wrestling – we must work as one to find innovative, creative, and relevant solutions to the challenges ahead. This will be the test of our leadership, our generation, and the relevance of the Zionist Movement.   

David Yaari is the Chairman of Kol Israel, the General Zionist Party in the World Zionist Organization and serves as the Vice Chairman of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund.