To be eligible to vote in the US Election to the 39th World Zionist Congress you must:

• Be Jewish (and not subscribe to another religion)
• Be 18 years of age or older by June 30, 2025
• Be a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident in the U.S.
• Maintain your primary residence in the U.S.  
• Accept the Jerusalem Program (the Zionist movement platform).
• Have not voted in the November 2022 Knesset election (and will not vote in any future Knesset election which may be held prior to July 28, 2025) 

• Registration and voting will open on March 10, 2025 and close on May 4, 2025. 

• Sign-up to receive election updates here. 

• Registration and voting can most easily be completed in minutes online, from your computer, smartphone, tablet or mobile device. Paper ballots are available upon request. 

• The fee to register and vote is $5, which goes to cover the operating costs to run the election. Payments can be made by credit card, e-check, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. 

• This small fee, in the tradition of Herzl’s “Zionist Shekel” to join the movement, also serves to prevent fraud by making sure that individuals are voting and are only doing so once. 

• Votes are secret and are recorded by Votem Corp., an independent private election management firm retained by AZM. 

• The First Zionist Congress, the genesis of the modern Zionist movement, was convened by Theodor Herzl in 1897. It was at this meeting that great minds and leaders from throughout the Jewish world jointly proclaimed that the Jewish people should have a state of their own. Today, the World Zionist Congress continues to be known as the “parliament of the Jewish people.” 

• The 39th World Zionist Congress will convene in Jerusalem from October 28-30, 2025. The election and Congress take place once every five years. 

• Voting in the U.S. for the 39th World Zionist Congress occurs between March 10 and May 4, 2025. The election offers Jews across the U.S. their most powerful opportunity to have their voice heard in Israel’s future, make an impact on Jewish communities worldwide, and proudly stand up for Zionism. 

• The 152 delegates who will be elected to represent the United States — amounting to approximately one-third of the 525 delegates Congress — will join with others from around the world to make key decisions regarding the leadership and priorities of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), the Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemet LeIsrael (KKL-JNF), The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and Keren Hayesod. These decisions will dictate the course of over $1 billion in funding annually in support for Israel and world Jewry. 

• This funding advances a multitude of high-priority Jewish and Zionist causes, including (but not limited to) support for the most vulnerable members of Israeli society; the humanitarian and rebuilding response to the October 7 attacks; cultivating Jewish identity in Israel; Aliyah to Israel from around the world; fostering connection between Israel and world Jewry; Zionist education; and bolstering security at Jewish institutions.  

• More than 2,900 candidates, from 43 U.S. states and territories, are running across an all-time-high 21 slates representing diverse political beliefs, religious denominations, and cultural traditions in the 2025 World Zionist Congress election. 

• Participation in the election is a victory in and of itself. The larger the voter turnout is, the more the American Jewish voice is heard in the World Zionist Congress. 

The Jerusalem Program is a set of ideals and principles that established the foundations of Zionism. It states: 

Zionism, the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, brought about the establishment of the State of Israel, and views a Jewish, Zionist, democratic and secure State of Israel to be the expression of the common responsibility of the Jewish people for its continuity and future. 

The election is conducted by the American Zionist Movement (AZM) and overseen by an Area Election Committee established by AZM under the rules of the World Zionist Organization.  

• The American Zionist Movement (AZM) is comprised of 46 national Jewish Zionist organizations and works across a broad ideological, political, and religious spectrum linking the American Jewish community together in support of Israel, Zionism, and the Jewish people. AZM is the U.S. Zionist Federation in the World Zionist Organization. 

• AZM works to promote and defend Zionism in the United States; to deepen and expand the active relationship of the American Jewish community to Zionism in a contemporary context; to facilitate dialogue and collaboration among Zionist organizations through and with the AZM; and to be the central hub for Zionist resources in America. 

• For more information, please visit here.  

• For election-related questions, contact: [email protected] or 212-339-6944. 

• For media inquiries, contact: [email protected].