Why are the WZO elections relevant to UK Jews?

For many people, this week’s election to pick the UK delegates to the 39th World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem in autumn will seem as relevant as the goings-on in a remote shire council.

A good case could be made that, since the establishment of Israel, the pre-state institutions of international Zionism are outmoded, and some updated structure is needed to reflect modern Israel-diaspora relations.

Nevertheless, the Congress, founded by Theodor Herzl over 125 years ago, remains a kind of parliament of the Jews. What goes on there should not be ignored. Firstly, the World Zionist Organisation, mainly through its stake in other bodies such as the Jewish Agency or Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel (the Jewish National Fund) has a critical say in how some £750 million are spent annually on Zionist activities in Israel and abroad, from the promotion of aliyah to the support of Jewish youth groups and schools.

Secondly, the elections provide a snapshot, if not a comprehensive picture, of Jewish politics vis-a-vis Israel.

Elections to the congress, in this country at least, have been few and far between, with the last being held some 20 years ago. Usually, the various Zionist movements save the cost of going to the polls by negotiating an agreement to carve up seats among themselves on the strength of their membership lists.

The prize might seem negligible. The UK has just 19 places out of 525 on the Congress floor. The event, usually held every five years, is naturally dominated by the two great blocs from Israel and US Jewry, who make up roughly two-thirds of the delegates. But our representatives are generally part of international movements that are keen to harvest every vote.

Whereas just a few hundred people took part in the previous UK election, more than 11,000 electors have been registered to vote this time

This year’s competition is more intense than ever with nine slates on the ballot, representing the religious or political left and right, as well as more centrist groupings. Whereas just a few hundred people took part in the previous UK election, more than 11,000 electors have been registered to vote this time: the online poll is set to run until this Friday.

What is noticeable is the explicit denominational rivalries at play in this election. Two new Orthodox slates are participating for the first time alongside the more established Mizrachi movement. Shas Olami UK is affiliated to the Israeli Sephardi party. Eretz Hakodesh UK (EHK) has established a foothold among the Charedi community.

The two new entrants have made a point of drawing attention to the influence of “liberal” factions within the Zionist movement and are looking to swing the balance of power more towards Orthodoxy which, according to Shas Olami, has “not been adequately represented”. In practical terms, this means fighting for a bigger share of shekels to go to Orthodox institutions.

EHK has run a strong campaign to register voters, putting up billboards in north-west London, endorsed by one of the UK’s most influential Charedi rabbis, Gateshead yeshivah head Rabbi Avrohom Gurwicz. The group has now been reinstated after successfully appealing against disqualification over alleged irregularities in signing up voters. According to a campaign website, it has encouraged more than 7,000 people to register - which could give it the lion's share of the British seats.

Support for participating in elections is by no means universal within the Charedi population, however. One of Israel’s most eminent strictly Orthodox figures, Rabbi Dov Landau, has discouraged any involvement in the Zionist movement which he regards as “rooted in heresy”. Landau has been at the forefront of resistance to removing exemptions for Charedi yeshivah students from conscription in the IDF.

The WZO, meanwhile, reacted to moves to preserve exemptions by adding a new clause to the Jerusalem Programme – the statement of Zionist principles to which prospective voters in the Congress must declare their support in order to take part in the election.

The new clause made “encouraging recruitment and service in the IDF” a WZO principle. Personally, I question its inclusion – it does not seem appropriate that anyone in the diaspora should have a say on what ought to be a matter for Israelis. But since it is there, one might ask whether anyone who believes in yeshivah exemptions should even be voting in this week’s election.