Zionist centre of UK diaspora collapses in historic WZC election results

The UK holds just 19 places out of 525 at the WZC, and this year’s vote marked the first fully contested election in approximately two decades. In recent years, Zionist movements have negotiated agreed allocations based on the strength of their membership lists.

This year, though, a total of 10,651 votes were counted, the highest turnout ever for such an election in the UK.

Two new Orthodox slates made their debut with notable success. The involvement of the UK’s strictly-Orthodox community, which has traditionally not been associated with Zionist activity, is also a novel development.

Eretz HaKodesh (EHK), backed by many in the Charedi community, won the maximum of five mandates. Shas Olami, affiliated with the Israeli Sephardi Orthodox party, won three seats. 

In contrast, the more established Mizrachi movement, whose president is Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, received just three mandates, one fewer than in the previous cycle.

On the Progressive side, the joint slate Our Israel, representing Liberal, Masorti and Reform Judaism, also achieved the maximum of five seats. The Jewish Labour Movement - Meretz slate gained three seats.

But Jabotinsky’s Israel, a slate aligned with Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, failed to win any seats at all. Other slates that did not reach the threshold for representation were Kol Israel, Israel Solidarity Campaign UK and Hanoar Hatzioni.

To register for the elections, UK voters had to pay £1, provide proof of identity and agree to the Jerusalem Programme, which is a set of Zionist principles.

While there was over a month to register, voters had just a few days to cast their ballot after a probe into alleged voter fraud delayed the election.

In terms of raw votes, EHK led the field with 4,529 votes, marking 40 per cent of the total ballots cast. Our Israel followed with 2,099 votes. Shas Olami, Jewish Labour – Meretz and Mizrachi each received over one thousand votes.

The JC understands that a number of seats could still be contested and legally challenged. 

EHK, who won the most votes by a huge margin, were initially disqualified from the elections after allegations of voter fraud.

The AEC suspended the slate last month after EHK published an advert suggesting that husbands could register to vote on behalf of their wives and children – a breach of the WZC rules.

But the AEC’s decision was overturned as “extreme and disproportionate” by the Central Elections Committee (CEC), based in Israel, and EHK was permitted to re-enter the race.

The slate was successful in galvanising support and recorded over 7,000 voters registrations. And, when the AEC confirmed that each slate could only win a maximum of five seats, EHK encouraged their supporters to vote for Shas Olami.

In an update to their supporters, EHK said: “By dividing the vote between EHK and Shas UK we strengthen Torah representation and block the left-wing's efforts to silence us.”

Elsewhere, in France, Mexico, Argentina and Canada, EHK and Shas Olami run on a joint ticket.

While the UK’s 19 seats represent only a fraction of the total places on the Congress floor – with blocs from Israel and the US making up the majority of delegates – they will have a voice in the Congress that makes up a kind of Jewish parliament and will have a say in how millions are spent.

Founded by Theodor Herzl over 125 years ago, the WZC can decide how some £750 million are spent annually via the Jewish Agency or Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel (the Jewish National Fund) on Zionist activities in Israel and abroad, from the promotion of aliyah to the support of Jewish youth groups and schools.

Celebrating the results, EHK UK chairman, Rabbi Jonathan Guttentag said: “This is a hopeful development and a sign of growing engagement by Torah-observant communities in shaping the Jewish future.”

He said the results reflect “a shared aspiration to see Torah values and a meaningful connection to Eretz Yisrael reflected in communal representation”.

Josh Aronson, who was voted in on the Jewish Labour – Meretz slate, said he would work towards a Zionism that focuses on “justice, dignity, and belonging in our shared homeland” and this vision “must include everyone”.

But some are disappointed with the outcome. Damon Lenszner, AEC co-chair and a representative of Jabotinsky's Israel, which did not win any seats, said the election pitted “left against right and observant against non observant in a way that is not productive”.

“The fact that the centre ground has been completely squeezed out of representation leaves a great swathe of the community unrepresented and the victors don't seem to care about that,” Lenszner said.