38th World Zionist Congress

The Chair of  world AMEINU has written to ARZA Australia saying “Thanks to the hard work of all our delegates around the world, our wonderful negotiating team on the ground and our capable team of lawyers, we were able to secure a wall-to-wall agreement that respected the diversity of positions within the Zionist movement, established adequate checks and balances and secures critical funding for the Reform movement in Israel and around the world. We look forward to working with the new Chair of the WZO, Yaakov Hagoel, building on the positive working relationship that we have established with him over many years”. (Rabbi Lea Muhlstein)


My sincere thanks to our Australian Delegates and Deputy Delegates to the WZC for your amazing support and for attending meetings throughout the night for nearly two weeks to the ARZENU Pre Congress Program and then the Program itself. Delegates: Sue Silberberg, Alex Knopoff and Lior Kalisse along with myself and Deputy Delegates: Tony Leverton, Cassie Barnett, Tahlia Bowen and Steve Denenberg. We all learnt the importance of team support and strong commitment without giving up. (Helen Shardey)

Major Changes from the Original Proposed Agreement

For the first time in its history the Zionist Movement will appoint a President from the center-left liberal Zionist block. This will be a voluntary position (not paid). The President which will be nominated by the Yesh Atid party and designated for a female candidate will represent the Zionist movement in Israel and abroad as an ambassador of good will for all the Zionist streams and viewpoints.

The KKL Education committee will not be under the unilateral control of Eretz HaKodesh the Haredi party. The committee will have two co-chairs, Kachol Levan and Eretz Ha Kodesh will each have an appointment to head the committee. They will lead the committee by rotation.

There will not be a sectorial department for the Haredim in the National Institutions. All of the WZO departments will serve all the sectors of Israeli society and the Jewish people.

The Chairperson of Keren HaYesod will be from Kachol Levan.

For the first time the position of Deputy WZO Chair and Deputy Head of JAFI will be held by representatives of the Reform and Conservative Movements.

The Finance Committee of KKL will move from control of the Likud to Yesh Atid.

The Executive Board (Directors) of KKL and the WZO will have parity.

The allocation of departments and spheres of activity were changed substantially and were divided in a balanced manner between right and left. In the WZO for the first time a department of social engagement (tikun olam) will be established headed by Meretz. A department focusing on working with Israelis in the Diaspora will be established as well headed by the Reform Movement, and a unit for humanistic Judaism will be under the Labor party.

ARZA President, Helen Shardey

Helen Shardey
ARZA Australia President
UPJ Vice President