When Zionist Institutions Realign with Zionist Values
May 1, 2026 – י״ד אִיָּיר תשפ”ו
At a time when many American Jews feel fundamentally like there is not much we can do to change what happens in Israel and the Middle East. We often find ourselves waiting with bated breath. We agonize over negotiations with Iran, the fragile prospects of a ceasefire with Hezbollah, and the moral erosion signaled by rising settler violence. In the face of these challenges to our shared democratic norms, the question I’m asked most often is: Does our voice actually matter? Time after time, I have to make the case that it does.
And, a recent decision by KKL-JNF shows that it absolutely does.
As reported in Haaretz and elsewhere, KKL-JNF has moved to cut funding to West Bank “farm” outposts, including programs that had operated under the banner of support for “at-risk youth.” “Regretfully, under the guise of education, it turned out we were supporting activities aimed at bringing youth at risk to the settlements to help dispossess Palestinians from their land,” KKL-JNF Chairman Eyal Ostrinsky, himself a member of the Mevasseret Tziyon Reform Congregation, said. But this was not simply an internal course correction. It was the result of sustained, strategic pressure from within the Zionist system (meaning the Israeli National Institions: The World Zionist Organization, KKL-JNF, and the Jewish Agency for Israel), led in no small part by Reform Zionists who chose engagement over disengagement.
To understand why this matters, it’s worth recalling what KKL-JNF is—and has been.
Founded in 1901 at the Fifth World Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, KKL-JNF was created to purchase and develop land in Ottoman and later Mandatory Palestine for Jewish settlement. For generations, it became one of the most iconic institutions of Zionism—planting forests, building reservoirs, and quite literally helping to make the Land of Israel habitable and sustainable. The JNF blue boxes became standards on kitchen counters across the Jewish world as they came to symbolize collective responsibility and shared purpose, and our commitment to supporting the fledgling State.
But like many historic institutions, KKL-JNF has also evolved and, at times, drifted. In recent decades, its role has expanded into areas deeply entangled with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including activities beyond the Green Line. That evolution has raised difficult questions about whether all of its funding priorities still reflect the broad values of the global Jewish community. For instance, a significant question of debate is whether KKL-JNF’s mandate is within the recognized borders of the State of Israel or the Land of Israel.
That is why this moment is so significant.
It is not just about a budget line. It is about whether one of Zionism’s foundational institutions aligns its actions with the ethical vision that animated its creation.
This is what impact looks like.
During the 2025 World Zionist Congress elections, ARZA/ARZENU, the global Reform Zionist Movement, made a clear and public commitment: to challenge the use of communal funds being directed toward so-called “hilltop youth” programs and the network of farm outposts increasingly associated with violence and the dispossession of Palestinians. These were not abstract concerns. Reports and investigations pointed to millions of dollars being funneled, under the guise of education, toward activities that blurred the line between support for Israel and support for extremism.
And then something important happened: people voted.
Reform Jews across North America and around the world showed up in record numbers, giving the Reform Movement the largest share of votes in the World Zionist Congress elections. That electoral mandate translated into leadership positions and, critically, into leverage inside institutions like KKL-JNF.
Last year, Reform and ARZENU representatives on the KKL-JNF Board were instrumental in pushing for a temporary freeze on these funds. Though incomplete, it was an important first step.
Now, that effort has borne further fruit. Earlier this month, KKL-JNF announced that these allocations will not be renewed (save for a limited number of programs that are genuinely educational in nature).
The significance of this shift should not be understated. It reflects not only a policy change, but a moral reckoning within one of the central institutions of the Zionist movement.
Gidi Aizen, ARZENU-appointed Deputy Chair of KKL-JNF, captured the broader significance:
“This is a major achievement for ARZENU after a long and persistent struggle. We are here to stand up for our values, fight injustice, and make clear that funding for violence has no place in KKL-JNF.”
That kind of acknowledgment matters. It signals a willingness not only to change course, but to name the problem honestly.
This is not a story about one organization acting alone. Many factors contributed: Israeli journalists exposed the issue, civil society organizations that raised alarms, and a broader climate of scrutiny around settler violence became better known and understood. But it is also true that Reform Zionist leaders and voters helped create the conditions for change by organizing, by participating, and by insisting that our communal institutions reflect our highest values.
And that may be the most important takeaway.
Too often, the conversation in the North American Jewish community swings between two poles: uncritical support or total disengagement. But this moment offers a third path that is harder, slower, more nuanced, and ultimately more effective. It is the path of showing up, building coalitions, winning elections, and doing the patient work of governance.
It is not glamorous. It does not always make headlines. But it is how change happens.
The decision by KKL-JNF to curtail funding to West Bank illegal farm outposts reflects a long-overdue alignment between Zionist institutions and Zionist values. For years, the Union for Reform Judaism and ARZA/ARZENU have worked – often against the tide – to ensure that communal resources reflect a commitment to democracy, dignity, and a sustainable future for Israel. Through electoral success and persistent advocacy within the Zionist movement, they helped shift the conversation, build accountability, and create the moral and political space for this change.
We should also be clear: none of this would have been possible without the engagement of thousands of Reform Movement voters. Their participation in the World Zionist Congress elections was not just symbolic, but decisive.
This is why you voted.
At a moment when so many feel helpless, this story offers something different: a reminder that influence is not theoretical. It is built. It is organized. And, when sustained over time, it can bend even the largest institutions toward justice.
If we want a Zionism that reflects our values, we cannot stand outside and hope for it.
We have to claim our seat at the table—and use it.
Shabbat Shalom!