The ZOA Coalition slate (Slate No. 11) is a remarkable, altruistic coalition of 27 strongest pro-Israel groups, dedicated to the safety and well-being of the entire Jewish people.<\/ins><\/ins><\/ins><\/p>\n The coalition\u2019s proven, 122-year track record of accomplishment defending Israel and the Jewish people at the World Zionist Congress is one of the best \u201cadvertisements\u201d for our slate. Our record lets voters rest assured that it can be counted on to fight hard and do everything possible to protect Israel and the Jewish people\u2019s welfare.<\/p>\n The ZOA was the only American group at the very first World Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897, helping to lay the foundation for the re-establishment of the Jewish state. In 1919, the ZOA, along with the World Zionist Organization and Russian Zionists, were the three international Jewish groups that presented the Jewish people\u2019s proposals at the Paris Peace Conference, which led to the creation of the mandate guaranteeing the Jewish people\u2019s international legal right to settle and reconstitute the Jewish homeland in Israel.<\/p>\n In 2015-16, ZOA Coalition initiated and led the difficult, successful two-year battle to pass an anti-BDS resolution that encompassed stopping boycotts against Jews living in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria.<\/p>\n Today, the ZOA Coalition is continues to leading the battle in this regard. At the most recent (2019) World Zionist Congress, every single pro-Israel and pro-Jewish resolution was initiated by the ZOA Coalition.<\/p>\n In keeping with the coalition\u2019s overarching concern for the safety of every Jew, it initiated and obtained passage of a resolution giving highest funding priority to rescuing and bringing to Israel Jews who are endangered by global anti-Semitism.<\/p>\n Another overarching goal of ours is to spread the truth about the Jewish people\u2019s rights to the Land of Israel. Thus, the ZOA Coalition initiated and obtained passage of a resolution to establish a worldwide WZO program to teach about the 1920 San Remo Resolution, one of the key international agreements that guarantees the Jewish people\u2019s legal right to settle and re-establish the Jewish homeland.<\/p>\n In the same vein, the coalition initiated and obtained passage of resolutions calling on Israel\u2019s government to exercise its rightful sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, and condemning UNESCO for denying the Jewish people\u2019s connection to Jewish sites in Jerusalem and Hebron.<\/p>\n Names and language are exceedingly important in the battles for hearts and minds. Thus, the coalition initiated and obtained passage of the resolution requiring the use of the proper names \u201cJudea and Samaria,\u201d instead of the de-Judaized name \u201cWest Bank.\u201d We make it clear that Judea-Samaria is historic, lawful Jewish land, not \u201coccupied Palestinian territory.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019re also continuing our battle against anti-Israel boycotts. At the 2019 Congress, ZOA Coalition initiated and obtained passage of a resolution establishing a program to encourage buying Israeli products via a positive \u201cBuy-cott\u201d\u2014an antidote to boycotts.<\/p>\n And we\u2019re continuing to lead battles against anti-Semitism. ZOA (Morton Klein) and ZOA Coalition member American Against Antisemitism (Dov Hikind) led the September 2019 protest in front of New York\u2019s City Hall, demanding real protection for Jews in Brooklyn and throughout the New York area who were increasingly being attacked. ZOA Coalition asked other slates to join us, and we were shocked when they declined to do so, saying, \u201cThat\u2019s not our mission.\u201d<\/p>\n We believe that it\u2019s every organization\u2019s mission to combat anti-Semitism!<\/p>\n ZOA Coalition has often had to stand alone when battling for the Jewish people.<\/p>\n For instance, in June 2019, at a board meeting of the American Zionist Movement-AZM (AZM is the World Zionist Organization\u2019s American branch), when we voted on AZM\u2019s anti-Semitism policy, ZOA Coalition was the only slate that voted to retain a clause saying that anti-Semitism is \u201cmanifested in activities such as anti-Zionism.\u201d Every other slate present voted to remove this important clause.\u201d<\/p>\n Unfortunately, a large part of our work involves trying to stop anti-Israel initiatives at the World Zionist Congress. For instance, last year we managed to defeat a resolution that labeled Israeli society as full of \u201cinstitutional racism.\u201d The resolution reminded us of the horrible 1975 United Nations \u201cZionism is racism\u201d resolution, which Israel and its friends worked to reverse for 16 years.<\/p>\n Shockingly, we were only able to defeat last year\u2019s WZC \u201cracism\u201d resolution by one delegate vote! That was frightening. We cannot let the World Zionist Congress turn into a United Nations-like demonizer of Israel.<\/p>\n The closeness of that vote vividly demonstrates why the ZOA Coalition needs to obtain more votes this year.<\/p>\n And it looks like we\u2019re going to face major battles to defeat dangerous resolutions in the upcoming World Zionist Congress. J Street, which is a leading member of a left-leaning slate, has openly proclaimed that it is running to \u201cdivert\u201d $5 billion of Israeli national institutional funds \u201caway from the entrenchment of the occupation.\u201d Translation: It wants to cut off funds from Jewish institutions (even including kindergartens) and from the Jewish people living in Jerusalem, and Judea and Samaria. In our book, that\u2019s discriminatory and a form of anti-Jewish boycott.<\/p>\n We need your vote to win these battles, so that no Jew is cut off from earning a livelihood, simply because he or she lives in the historic lawful Jewish homeland.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, we had a particularly heartbreaking loss last year. Left-leaning and even some centrist slates blocked consideration of the ZOA Coalition\u2019s proposal for an emergency aliyah <\/em>program for French Jewry, despite the anti-Semitic attacks on Jews in France.<\/p>\n This, too, demonstrated why ZOA Coalition needs to \u201cwin big\u201d in the World Zionist Congress this year. We cannot abandon our besieged Jewish brothers and sisters in any part of the world.<\/p>\n The other best advertisement for our slate is the great partner organizations that joined together to form the ZOA Coalition slate. The ZOA Coalition includes 27 bipartisan, pro-Israel organizations, including the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), Aish HaTorah, Students Supporting Israel, Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI), NORPAC, Americans Against Antisemitism, the Lawfare Project, Hasbara Fellowships, Z Street, Chovevei Zion, American Friends of Ateret Cohanim, American Friends of Likud, major Russian-American groups including \u201cMake Israel Great (MIG) Russian Jewish Coalition for a Strong Israel,\u201d the National Conference on Jewish Affairs, Persian Jewish American groups, Bukharian Jewish groups, Beta Israel and more. (See <\/em>VoteZOA.org<\/em><\/a> for the full list.)<\/em><\/p>\n There\u2019s so much more that the ZOA Coalition needs to do. You have an important voice in this election. We need your vote. It only costs $5 or $7.50, and takes a few minutes. Please vote for the ZOA Coalition (slate No. 11).<\/p>\n (Morton A. Klein is the national president of the Zionist Organization of America. Mark Levenson is chairman of the Zionist Organization of America\u2019s national board. This opinion reflects Mssrs. Klein and Levenson and is not the opinion of the CCJN) <\/em><\/p>\n
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