Why This Election Matters—And Why I’m Running

The future of Zionism is on the line, and this election will determine whether our institutions remain strong, inclusive, and unapologetically committed to the Jewish Future.

For decades, Zionism’s greatest enemy wasn’t overt hostility or rejection from the outside. It was complacency.

We told ourselves that the major battles had already been won. We had secured Jewish sovereignty in Israel after 2,000 years of exile. We had succeeded in creating a Jewish state that became a refuge and powerhouse of innovation, culture, and democracy. And hadn’t antisemitism, while stubbornly persistent, been relegated mostly to the fringes, rarely daring to show its face in polite society.

Then October 7 shattered every illusion we had.

It wasn’t only the brutality of Hamas terrorists who slaughtered, tortured, and kidnapped innocent Israelis, though that in and of itself was gutting. It was what happened afterward that revealed something we had not wanted to see.

We saw rallies explode across cities we thought we knew, with people chanting slogans praising terrorists who had burned entire families alive. We saw university professors and public intellectuals twisting themselves into knots, trying desperately to justify the murder of Jewish children. We watched movements that had spent years lecturing us about human rights abandon the Jewish people overnight. And, perhaps most painfully, we saw Jewish students on campuses around the world suddenly feel afraid to show who they were, afraid to publicly embrace Zionism, afraid even to identify openly as Jews.

This revealed something that many of us had long feared: that antisemitism hadn’t gone away; it had simply taken on new disguises. It hid in plain sight behind acceptable political causes, social justice slogans, and academic theories that portrayed Jews and Israel as oppressors rather than a people who had spent centuries fighting just to survive.

October 7 forced us to confront the painful truth that complacency is no longer an option. The Zionist project itself, once believed to be an undeniable success, is again under attack—not just from terrorists in Gaza or regimes in Tehran, but from within our own societies, our own institutions, and even from the extremes within our own communities.

And that is why this election matters so much—and why I’ve decided to run for the World Zionist Congress as part of the Jewish Future Slate.

The World Zionist Congress is the most important Jewish institution most Jews have never heard of. Established by the vision of Theodor Herzl in 1897, it is the only global, democratically elected body representing the Jewish people. Its delegates determine how billions of dollars are allocated to fund Jewish and Zionist education, aliyah, combating antisemitism, and strengthening Israel-Diaspora relations. Its decisions shape the Jewish Agency, the Jewish National Fund, and the World Zionist Organization itself.

Yet, for too long, the people making these decisions have not reflected the broad Jewish mainstream. Instead, the WZC has become dominated by extremes—by those who see Zionism through narrow ideological lenses, seeking not to unify, but to divide. On one side, we have factions that define Zionism in rigid, exclusionary terms, funneling resources toward narrow political projects and alienating Jews who don’t conform to their precise religious or political criteria. On the other side, we have those who seem tenuously connected to Zionism altogether, treating Israel as something to apologize for or distance themselves from, rather than as a core piece of Jewish identity and pride.

Neither approach serves the Jewish people. Neither reflects the majority of Jews—those of us who believe passionately in a centrist vision of Israel that is both proudly Jewish and genuinely democratic. Neither extreme represents the Zionism that built the state, fought wars for its survival, absorbed refugees from every corner of the earth.

That’s why the Jewish Future Slate exists. And, that’s why I’m running as part of it.

Because the future of Zionism belongs neither to those who seek to dilute its core principles nor those who seek to transform it into something narrow, exclusive, and divisive.

Our slate stands firmly in the broad middle, the ideological center that built Israel in the first place. We believe deeply in an Israel that is secure, sovereign, and proudly Jewish. We also believe that the only way Israel will thrive in the long run is by remaining a vibrant, open, democratic society. A nation in which Jews of every denomination and background feel at home, where minorities are respected, and where democratic institutions are vigorously defended.

We believe Zionism is not something to whisper about in polite company or apologize for. Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people—a profound statement that Jews have the same rights as every other people on earth. We too have the right to self-determination, to security, and to dignity. We believe in a Zionism that unapologetically confronts antisemitism wherever it emerges. On college campuses, in media outlets, even among so-called human rights organizations that single out the Jewish state for condemnation.

We believe in strengthening Jewish education globally, ensuring that young Jews grow up proud of their heritage and confident in their identity. The Jewish Future Slate will prioritize funding programs that reinforce Jewish pride, historical knowledge, and a deep connection to Israel. We will ensure that resources support a Zionist movement that young people find inspiring, meaningful, and relevant—not a Zionism they feel forced to defend, but one they are eager to embrace.

We believe in investing in Israel-Diaspora relationships, bridging divides by creating opportunities for mutual understanding and respect. We recognize that Israel needs a strong, proud, and engaged Diaspora as much as Diaspora Jews need a vibrant and secure Israel. This relationship is not optional—it is essential for the survival of both.

Above all, we believe in restoring balance and common sense to Jewish institutions. The World Zionist Congress should reflect the priorities of the Jewish majority, rather than being captured by ideological extremes. If we don’t reclaim the center, we risk losing the institutions that were built to sustain Jewish life altogether.

I never thought I would have to fight battles I believed had been long settled. I never thought I would see Jewish communities facing such hostility again. But history does not move in straight lines, and progress is never guaranteed. Every generation must choose its battles anew.

This is ours.

If you believe, as I do, that Zionism still matters—that the Jewish future depends on defending Israel’s legitimacy, strengthening our institutions, and empowering the next generation—then this is your fight too.

I ask for your support. Vote for the Jewish Future Slate. Join me in ensuring that the World Zionist Congress remains true to its historic mission. Together, we’ll secure the Jewish future, protect Israel’s democratic character, and stand proudly and unapologetically for the rights and dignity of the Jewish people.

Because if we don’t do it now, no one else will.