38th World Zionist Congress


The 38th World Zionist Congress is scheduled to convene in Jerusalem, Israel on October 20–22, 2020. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 has led the organizer, the World Zionist Organization, to consider conducting sessions and deliberations by means of a global virtual platform.

Delegates and elections

The Congress is composed of 524 delegates: 199 from Israel, 152 from the United States, and 173 from the rest of the Jewish diaspora.

Israel

The number of delegates representing Israel in the Congress is determined in accordance with the size of the Zionist parties in the Knesset. Thus, the Israeli representatives to the Congress will be apportioned according to the results of the elections to the twenty-second Knesset, held in September 2019.

United States

Representation of the United States Zionist delegation is determined by elections held under the auspices of the American Zionist Movement several months prior to the Congress. These elections took place from January 21, 2020 to March 11, 2020.
123,575 votes were cast, more than double the number in the election for the previous congress in 2015. Fifteen groups, comprising over 1,800 candidates, competed for the 152 seats allocated to the American Zionist movement. The results of the elections were as follows:
SlateVotesSeatsPosition/Ideology
Reform31,48339ARZA; Reform Movement and Reconstructing Judaism
Orthodox Israel Coalition – Mizrachi21,69227Mizrahi; religious Zionists
Eretz Hakodesh20,04525Haredi; ultra-Orthodox
Mercaz USA14,65518Conservative-Masorti Judaism
ZOA Coalition10,31213Zionist Organization of America, Torah from Sinai, Make Israel Great & National Pro-Israel Partners
American Forum for Israel8,09610Yisrael Beiteinu affiliation
Hatikvah7,93610Progressive Israel Slate; representing 11 groups
Shas Olami 2,0452Shas Olami; worldwide Sephardi Orthodox movement
Kol Yisrael1,7492"For the Love of Israel – Making Zionism Compelling in the 21st Century"
Dorshei Torah V’Tziyon1,3712Open Orthodox; "Torah and Israel for All"
Herut Zionists1,1541The Jabotinsky Movement
Vision1,0381"Empowering the Next Generation"
Americans4Israel8561"Peace, Unity & Security"
Israel Shelanu7691"Our Israel"; Israelis residing in the United States
Ohavei Zion3740World Sephardic Zionist Organization

Mexico

Representation of the Mexican delegation was determined by elections held under the auspices of the Mexican Zionist Federation during March, 2020. Five slates competed for 7 delegates allotted to México. The final results of the elections were as follows:

Other countries

The delegates from the Jewish communities other than Israel and the United States are usually determined by agreement between "the various Jewish communities and factions" instead of elections.