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Orthodox, Right-Wing Parties Win Most Seats in World Zionist Congress Elections
Pro-Israel rally in Times Square, New York City, US, Oct. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
Orthodox and right-wing parties made big gains in the 2025 World Zionist Congress elections, preliminary results released last week show.
The voting determines which “slates,” or parties, send the 152 US delegates to the congress, which is known as the “parliament” of the Jewish people.
Estimates have right-wing parties winning 81 of 152 seats, and liberal parties winning the remaining 71 seats.
The Reform movement’s slate won the most votes, almost reaching 48,000 — about 21 percent of the total.
“This is more than just a win for our slate — it is a resounding mandate for the values we champion,” said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, in a statement last week. “In a moment of global uncertainty and rising antisemitism, our community stepped forward with clarity and courage to say: we will lead, we will protect democracy, and we will build a more just and inclusive future for Jews everywhere.”
However, the Reform slate’s success was not a significant surprise. Rather, it was the success of conservative, Orthodox, and right-wing parties that represented the most significant development.
“For the first time, the conservative and right-wing bloc has achieved a clear majority,” World Zionist Organization (WZO) Chairman Yaakov Hagoel said in a statement cited by the Times of Israel. “This is a historic moment in which American Jewry has voiced a strong stand for proud Zionism, for tradition and for bringing hearts together.”
The second and third place slates — Am Yisrael Chai and Eretz Hakodesh — are both Orthodox and won 13.8 and 12.7 percent of the vote, respectively. Eretz Hakodesh is affiliated with Israel’s Ashkenazi Haredi political party, United Torah Judaism, while Am Yisrael Chai is a coalition of college students and young professionals focused on pro-Israel advocacy and love of Judaism. Additionally, the Orthodox Israel Coalition — representing mainstream Orthodox institutions such as Yeshiva University and the Orthodox Union — came in fifth place with 11.7 percent of the vote.
In all, Orthodox parties received more than 40 percent of the vote in this year’s election.
Mercaz USA, the slate of the Conservative movement, came in fourth place, and a progressive slate called Hatikvah came in sixth.
This election had the largest US turnout in the history of the World Zionist Congress, with more than 230,000 votes cast.
“American Jews have spoken — through their record-breaking turnout in the 2025 World Zionist Congress election, they have powerfully demonstrated that Zionism in the United States is not only alive and well but stronger than ever,” said Herbert Block, executive director of American Zionist Movement. “Thanks to this historic participation in the election, US Jewry is poised to make an indelible mark when the World Zionist Congress gathers in October.”
The press release announcing the results added, “A record 22 slates representing diverse political beliefs, religious denominations, and cultural traditions competed in the election, which is held once every five years. This represented a 57 percent surge from the 14 American slates that won seats in the Congress in 2020.”
At the same time, there were 18,948 votes that were invalidated due to suspicions of fraud. Am Yisrael Chai and Eretz Hakodesh are reportedly believed to be among the six parties to benefit from seemingly orchestrated campaigns to increase vote counts using duplicate email addresses and suspicious pre-paid credit cards. The World Zionist Organization’s Area Election Committee is investigating the alleged fraud and considering how to penalize those connected to it.
The post Orthodox, Right-Wing Parties Win Most Seats in World Zionist Congress Elections first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Netanyahu Criticizes Nation-Wide Strike That ‘Strengthens Hamas’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday harshly criticized nationwide demonstrations calling for the release of hostages and an end to the Gaza war.
Speaking at a government meeting, Netanyahu argued that such protests only strengthen Hamas and risk repeating the atrocities of October 7.
“Those who call today for an end to Hamas’s war not only harden the terrorist group’s position and delay the release of our hostages, but also guarantee that the horrors of October 7 will be repeated and that we will have to fight an endless war,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister defended Israel’s ongoing military operations, citing strikes carried out in recent days: “In the last 24 hours, the navy attacked power stations in Yemen, IDF soldiers struck Zeitoun and eliminated dozens of terrorists in Gaza, and the air force targeted Hezbollah commanders and launch sites in Lebanon.”
He added that Israel’s response in Lebanon was consistent with the ceasefire agreement: “According to this agreement, we will meet with fire any violation and any attempt to arm Hezbollah.”
Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s conditions for ending the conflict, stressing the need for continued security control in Gaza and the group’s long-term demilitarization. He rejected Hamas’s demand for a full Israeli withdrawal: “They want us to leave Gaza entirely — from the north, the south, the Philadelphi corridor, and the security perimeter. That would only allow them to reorganize, rearm, and attack us again.”
The war has now entered its 681st day, with 49 hostages still held by Hamas.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Israelis joined a general strike organized by the Hostage Families Forum, calling for the return of all captives in a single deal and for an end to the war. Demonstrations spread across the country, at major intersections, government ministers’ homes, and familiar protest hubs such as Kaplan Junction and the Ayalon highways.
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Family Releases Footage of Matan Zangauker in Captivity
A screenshot of a video released by the family of hostage Matan Zangauker.
i24 News – The family of Matan Zangauker, the Israeli hostage held by Hamas since October 7, shared new footage of him from captivity on Sunday evening.
The video, obtained by the IDF, was recorded several months ago.
In the recording, 32-year-old Matan looks directly into the camera, addressing his loved ones: “Tato, Shani, Ilana, I miss you. God willing, we’ll see each other soon. All my friends and acquaintances, go out and make noise like only you know how.”
Matan was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his partner Ilana Gritsievsky, who was released in a hostage deal last year. Since then, Matan has remained in Hamas custody while his family continues to fight for his return.
On the national protest day calling for the release of hostages, Ilana staged a poignant display at Hostages Square. Dressed in a wedding gown beneath a chuppah, she symbolically “married” Matan in his absence. “Matan, my curly-haired one, if you hadn’t been abducted, we could already be married. In a single day, our world was destroyed, and you’re not here to hold me. I’m fighting for you until you come back,” she said.
Matan’s mother, Einav, has emerged as a leading voice in the campaign for the hostages’ release and has sharply criticized Israel’s political leadership, accusing them of undermining potential hostage deals.
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Hamas Rejects Israel’s Gaza Relocation Plan
Palestinians, displaced by the Israeli offensive, shelter in a tent camp as the Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, in Gaza City August 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Palestinian terrorist group Hamas said on Sunday that Israel’s plan to relocate residents from Gaza City constitutes a “new wave of genocide and displacement” for hundreds of thousands of residents in the area.
The group said the planned deployment of tents and other shelter equipment by Israel into southern Gaza was a “blatant deception.”
The Israeli military has said it is preparing to provide tents and other equipment starting from Sunday ahead of its plan to relocate residents from combat zones to the south of the enclave “to ensure their safety.”
Hamas said in a statement that the deployment of tents under the guise of humanitarian purposes is a blatant deception intended to “cover up a brutal crime that the occupation forces prepare to execute.”
Israel said earlier this month that it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban center. The plan has raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, which is home to about 2.2 million people.