What if I told you that you could do something simple that would have a significant impact on the future of the State of Israel and the Jewish people? Over the past 5 years, especially the past 16 months, many of us have supported or traveled to Israel, donated, and attended programs with inspiring leaders in our congregations and communities. Those things are critically important, but what if you could make a real impact democratically? It would only take a few minutes to do so, only cost  $5, and your voice would be heard loud and clear throughout the Jewish world. Once every five years, we Jews all over the world have the right and civic duty to cast our votes and make our Reform voices heard in Israel through the World Zionist Congress (WZC) elections. On Monday, March 10, voting opens to elect the American delegates to the 2025 World Zionist Congress. By choosing the Vote Reform slate, you are voting for your liberal Jewish values in “The Parliament of the Jewish People.” The Reform representatives you send to the WZC will help set policies and direct the allocation of a $1 billion+ annual budget, which affects Jews around the world. But this election is about far more than simply funding or positions. It’s about something much bigger. When I moved to New York from Jerusalem in 2013, I re-learned that the first question often asked in America upon meeting someone new is, “What do you do?” Depending on who asked, I explained that I serve as the head of the Zionist wing of the U.S. Reform Movement. On more than one occasion, some people reacted viscerally to my casual mention of Zionism, the Movement for the National Liberation of the Jewish People, . “Oh, we don’t know each other well enough for you to have used the ‘Z—word’ with me,” explaining that I couldn’t both be a liberal and a Zionist when nothing is farther from the truth. There is a vast diversity of understanding and interpretation of what Zionism means, and it’s essential that we, as Reform Jews, understand what we are facing in this election. This moment requires us to stand up and reclaim “Zionism.” Like all Zionists, we fight for the right to self-determination in our nation-state. As Reform Zionists, we affirm our connection to the Land, People, and State of Israel and much more. We’re fighting to preserve Israel not just as the only Jewish State in the world but aspire to see it be a liberal, free, and pluralistic democracy and an open and tolerant society. We Reform Zionists are fighting against those who hold a completely different vision of what the Jewish State should be, who say that Reform and liberal Judaism are inauthentic and illegitimate expressions of Judaism. We’re fighting against those who champion the Greater Land of Israel vision[1], and fervently oppose any diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Our fight for self-determination as a people means that other peoples are entitled to that right as well, including the Palestinian people. We’re fighting so that the best interests of women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and Israel’s marginalized minorities will be seen and heard. We are fighting so that our Reform rabbis and leaders in Israel will be recognized, and their conversions will [continue] to be accepted by the State. We are fighting to say to the world that Israel is our people’s Homeland, even if it is not our home. Reform Zionism is about nurturing the soul of the State according to our Jewish values and upholding the values of Israel’s founders, who laid them out clearly in the Declaration of Independence.[2] Zionism is about our collective responsibility for our people, reminding us that every Jew is responsible for one another. Zionism is about bringing back those who were taken from their homes and are still languishing in Gaza, and taking care of those who were displaced from their homes and need to rebuild their communities – and not lining the coffers of those who refuse to recognize the State of Israel and shirk military/national service. Zionism is about reimagining what it means to be Jewish in the Jewish State and offering new, authentic, inclusive, and creative expressions of Jewish life. Our Zionism is not only about exercising power to defend ourselves and to maintain our sovereignty but also about exercising compassion and care toward the vulnerable and powerless in our midst and under our sovereignty. We’re faced today with an essential choice because so many in the larger Zionist tent are striving to delegitimize us as Reform Jews. We can choose to fight for our rightful place at the table or to surrender to the extremist powers that seek to weaken and marginalize us as Jews amongst the Jewish people. So often, we’re told as Diaspora Jews that we shouldn’t have a voice in what happens in the State of Israel. But we know that everything that happens in Israel has a direct effect on us, our security, and our identity as Jews. So, as Zionists, we need to have our voices heard. Come Monday, I ask that you take one minute to cast your vote for the Vote Reform slate (#3 on the ballot)! Your vote will help our Reform movement secure its place, influence, and funding in Israel and thereby enable us to contribute to shaping the soul of the Jewish State itself. Let’s take back Zionism for our Reform Movement, our future, and the future of the Jewish people. Vote Reform from March 10 – May 4. Every vote matters.