The World Zionist Congress Elections: What You Need to Know

TODAY, January 30th, 2025 at 3:00pm Eastern Time 

Between March 10 and May 4, 2025, American Jews will vote for their delegates to the 39th World Zionist Congress, the “parliament of the Jewish people,” which will convene in Jerusalem in October 2025. Every vote determines how money is spent, how resources are allocated, and contributes to policies in Israeli society and in Jewish communities around the globe. New Jewish Narrative proudly co-leads the Hatikvah Slate, working towards progressive change within the Jewish community here in the U.S.

Please join us for a conversation about the elections-- we will come prepared to answer as many questions as we can, from "what is the World Zionist Congress in the first place?" to "what is the Hatikvah platform and why should my vote go there instead of somewhere else?"

In addition to our President and CEO Hadar Susskind, our panel will feature Nomi Colton-Max, co-chair of NJN and Vice President for Programming of the American Zionist Movement, and Kenneth Bob, board member of NJN and chair of Rozana USA.

New Jewish Narrative Condemns Trump Executive Order to Combat Antisemitism

January 30, 2025- Yesterday, the Trump administration issued an Executive Order with the stated intent to combat antisemitism on college campuses. In reality, this Executive Order is a redundant action whose primary impact will be to cast a chill on and intimidate free speech that the administration opposes. There are existing laws that allow the government to deter, investigate and prosecute antisemitic hate crimes. Our immigration laws already bar entry to non citizens who support or endorse terrorist activity. While rising antisemitism across the political spectrum is deeply concerning, this Executive Order does nothing to keep Jews safer.

The White House’s fact sheet detailing the Executive Order reveals a deeply concerning desire to weaponize accusations of antisemitism as a tool to suppress free speech that the administration opposes.

New Jewish Narrative Condemns Trump Administration Foreign Aid Freeze

January 28, 2025- New Jewish Narrative strongly condemns the recent decision by the Trump administration to implement a freeze on foreign aid.

The Trump administration’s transactional approach to US foreign aid reveals a clear misunderstanding of basic diplomacy and soft power. Foreign aid is not merely an expense; it is an investment in global stability, peacebuilding, and the health and safety of millions of people worldwide. By halting nearly all aid programs, including life-saving global health initiatives and peacebuilding projects, this freeze undermines both America’s moral leadership and its strategic interests.

We fully support rigorous oversight and thoughtful evaluation of foreign aid programs, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for in the announcement of the freeze. It is reasonable to ensure that every dollar spent aligns with US policy objectives and values. However, a blanket freeze on nearly all assistance is the wrong approach. 

Settlement Watch- Promotion of 682 Housing Units in the West Bank (January 26, 2025)

The Higher Planning Council (HPC) will discuss the advancement of 682 housing units in three settlements on Wednesday (January 29, 2025): Halamish, Mitzad, and Peduel.

In the case of Halamish (Neve Tzuf), the plan to advance 531 housing units means more than doubling the number of settlement residents. As a reminder, since the beginning of December 2024, weekly discussions have been held to advance housing units in settlements. The number of housing units advanced each week varies, but the advancement of 682 units in the January 29, 2025 discussion is a record number for one week.

Since the establishment of the current Netanyahu government, record numbers of housing units have been advanced in the West Bank. In 2023, the Higher Planning Council approved 12,349 housing units, which was an all-time high.

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