Between now and May 4, American Jews have the opportunity to vote for their delegates to the 39th World Zionist Organization Congress. The elected delegates – one-third of whom are from the United States – will make decisions on how to allocate $1 billion annually to support the Jewish communities in Israel and the diaspora.
The different slates, as they are called, are filled with delegates from various backgrounds. In Los Angeles, several Orthodox Jewish candidates are running on the Orthodox Israel Coalition (OIC) – Mizrachi slate, which consists of Orthodox Jewish organizations like OU, YU, NCSY, Young Israel, Bnei Akiva, AMIT, RCA and Shvilim.
Candidates from LA include rabbis, educators, administrators and lay leaders. Some of the candidates are: Rabbi Dr. Ernest H. Agatstein, a founding member of West Coast Urology and a Mizrachi leader since 1992; Rabbi Jason Weiner of Cedars-Sinai and Knesset Israel in Beverlywood; Noam Goldberg, a YULA graduate who is currently learning in Israel, along with his father Aryeh; Rabbi Elazar R. Muskin of Young Israel of Century City; Dr. Jordana Topp, a dentist and the Los Angeles Community Yoetzet Halacha; and Dylan Rashtizadeh, the Yavneh West Coast Coordinator.
“We sought out leaders and changemakers — people who have dedicated their lives to Jewish education, Zionist activism and strengthening our communities,” said Rachel Kaufman, OIC-Mizrachi Los Angeles regional director. “Our slate reflects a diverse, passionate group that represents the full spectrum of Orthodox Zionist leadership. By voting for OIC-Mizrachi, she said, “you ensure that funding supports Orthodox Jewish education, Zionist youth programs and the values of Torah and mitzvot in Israel and beyond. If we don’t vote, those funds could go to organizations that do not share our values.”
“We sought out leaders and changemakers — people who have dedicated their lives to Jewish education, Zionist activism and strengthening our communities.”
According to Kaufman, winning means securing more seats in the WZC, which translates into increased direction on policy as well as funding. With additional resources, OIC-Mizrachi plans to expand funding for Orthodox Jewish education and gap year programs, ensure continued support for shlichim (Israeli emissaries) in schools and communities in the diaspora, strengthen aliyah programs to help more Jews move to Israel and protect and develop Jewish communities in Shomron, Jerusalem and Yehuda.
“The Orthodox community has come together like never before to form a unified front under the OIC,” Kaufman said. “Post-October 7, we have seen the power of Jewish unity, and now we are channeling that same energy into ensuring that Orthodox Zionist voices are heard loud and clear in the WZO.”
For Kaufman, working on the OIC-Mizrachi slate is personal.
“When I arrived in Israel on Oct.20, 2023, I saw signs everywhere that said in Hebrew, ‘Together we will win.’” she said. “Within a few weeks, walking down the streets of Jerusalem, hundreds of stickers of our fallen soldiers, accompanied by words they lived by, seemed to be everywhere. Each of these quotes tells a story, a legacy that demands we continue their mission of strengthening and defending our people.”
When she was asked to take on a leadership role with OIC-Mizrachi in LA, the words of a fallen soldier, Eytan Dishon, z”l, spoke to her: “You have to decide what is the place and way that you want to bring your talents to fruition for the good of Am Yisrael and the State of Israel.”
She said, “I knew this was my moment to step up, and I said yes.”
You can vote in the WZC elections by visiting azm.org/elections.
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