These are not Normal Times…a reflection on the eve of the 38th World Zionist Congress
By Andrew Keene
If these were normal times, many of us would be boarding flights to Israel, perhaps spending a restorative Shabbat with an IMPJ community, before starting a very intensive several days of the 38th World Zionist Congress. We would be enjoying sunny Jerusalem days, and cool Jerusalem evenings. We would be learning, meeting, celebrating, embracing, and meeting again. Then, Coronavirus became our reality. Many of us expected that like most other conferences, events, and celebrations, the World Zionist Congress would too be canceled, but…
These are not normal times. For the first time in Zionist history, the Congress will convene online! Since the first Zionist Congress in 1897, the Congress has only taken a reprieve during World War Two. Despite a pandemic, modern technology allows us to continue the cadence of the Zionist movement that has been marked by the generations before us. The online Congress will allow for the mandatory elections to key positions within the Zionist National Institutions, and even the opportunity to debate, discuss, and vote on a limited number of resolutions that address key issues within the Jewish world and Zionist arena. While sitting in front of a screen for three days won’t help with anyone’s Zoom-fatigue, this online Congress is indeed historic. Normally, the Zionist Congress is only open to those who are “in the room,” but…
These are not normal times. The ARZENU gathering which normally occurs the Shabbat before the Congress has allowed for our movement to reach an expanded audience. Thousands of progressive Jews from around the world have already tuned in to these sessions, which would otherwise only be open to those in Israel. If you have not already done so, please subscribe to the ARZENU Youtube Channel to see these inspiring sessions and share them with your networks. Additionally, the Congress itself will allow for all 2,500+ delegates, alternates, and observers the opportunity to fully engage in the Congress without having to leave home. This Congress might even set a new precedent for continued and sustained engagement with the global Zionist movement more often than every five years. At a time when we are isolated and feeling disconnected, this Congress provides a unique and needed outlet to re-engage with our global Jewish family. The Congress is normally a once-in-five years chance for Zionists of every stripe to unite together and reaffirm our one commonality, a love for the State of Israel, but…
These are not normal times. The current state of our world has led to increased political and ideological polarization. Political leadership and climates in both the United States and Israel have created fertile ground for hatred, bigotry, and racism. This unfortunately has in many ways spilled over into the arena of the Zionist Movement and the workings of the Zionist National Institutions. This Congress is an important platform for the global Progressive Jewish movement to re-affirm and flex our values on three fronts: as it relates to our vision for the State of Israel, our vision for the practices and programs of the Zionist National Institutions, and also how we engage with members of the global Jewish family across the political and ideological spectrum.
But these are also normal times. As a returning ARZA/ARZENU delegate to the World Zionist Congress, I am proud that it is normal for us to send a diverse and inclusive delegation to the Congress. Our delegation actually looks like and is reflective of the diversity our global movement! The ARZENU delegation welcomes a range of thought and opinion, encourages asking difficult questions, celebrates challenging the status quo, fosters intergenerational dialogue, and embraces the essence of Global Jewry. The election results may have determined our power, but our delegation and its diversity determine our strength.
These are not normal times but there is no doubt that the next week will play an inevitable role in shaping a “new normal” for our global progressive movement, as well as the Zionist movement as a whole. Hopefully we are stronger and more resilient as result.
Next week, online, and next year, in Jerusalem!
Andrew Keene is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he was very active in NFTY, and currently lives in Washington DC. He is an ARZA delegate to the World Zionist Congress as well as a board member of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Andrew represents ARZENU on the WZO Expanded Executive and Jewish Agency for Israel Board of Governors.