The World Zionist Congress Is Our Chance to Demand a Better Future. Don’t Pass It Up.

"Your generation is going to change the world someday.” At first, I took that remark as praise, as a lofty goal to try to live up to. But then it became, “you’re going to fix the world,” and “you young people are going to save the world.” That phrase has since curdled my sense of optimism into raw determination. It’s difficult to change, let alone fix or save, anything when my generation’s voices are underrepresented in government and, especially in my case, Jewish community institutions alike. But as Shirley Chisholm once said, “if they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” So I found the largest nearby table – the World Zionist Congress – and I brought a folding chair: I attached my name to the Hatikvah Slate for the election cycle of 2025.

I can’t fix all the horrors of the modern world, certainly not as an individual. What I can do is ensure that voices like mine – a 26-year-old female progressive Jewish voice – are heard within my own community. The World Zionist Congress is the “parliament of the Jewish people.” Representatives elected to the WZC make key decisions surrounding the allocation of roughly $5 billion over a five-year term. These elections determine and respond to the most pressing needs across Israel and Diaspora Jewish society. I am resolved that democracy, human rights, gender equity, and the pursuit of peace be at the forefront of the Congress’s mission. In addition, voting is a concrete action that signals to the broader Jewish community what our values are and where time, money, and attention should be allocated. Change begins in our homes, in our communities, and in the organizations that speak in our voices. As an American Jew, the Hatikvah Slate is my chance to be heard – and it can be yours, too. 

Maxxe Albert-Deitch (she/her) is New Jewish Narrative’s Deputy Director of Communications. In her previous life as a historian, she spent several years researching and working on archaeology projects in the field of conflict transformation in Israel and Palestine. Maxxe is also the primary host of PeaceCast, the podcast dedicated to exploring issues and trends relating to peace and progress for Israel.