WZC 2025: Day 1
This past Saturday night, as Shabbat ended, I packed my bags and headed to JFK for the 39th World Zionist Congress. This late October trip to Israel is routine for me now – my involvement with ARZA, Arzenu, and the World Zionist Organization (WZO) began nearly 8 years ago. I was 18 years old then, and I quickly came to understand the crucial role our Reform Movement plays in the Congress and within Israel’s National Institutions. Inspired, I became a dedicated lay leader, and each year since, I have joined those same leaders of our Movement whose commitment and work so moved me to represent our values at the WZO.
On Monday, we hit the ground running. Fellow ARZENU delegates, alternates, and partners from around the world gathered to prepare for the start of the Congress. More than sixty of us joined together to connect with one another and to sharpen our shared sense of purpose. We heard from leaders of our global Movement, including words of encouragement from MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv, the first Reform rabbi to serve in the Knesset.
Today, our delegation (which is the largest!) arrived at the Congress to a festive welcome. We heard moving remarks, including from the parents of Omer Neutra z”l, an American-Israeli soldier who was killed on October 7th and whose body remains in captivity in Gaza. As part of the opening of the Congress, we paid moving tribute to two pioneers of our Reform Zionist movement, Dr. Michael Livni z”l and Rabbi Stanley Davids z”l. Recalling their profound impacts on the Reform Movement in Israel and on Reform Zionism left us inspired and determined to carry out our work in the Congress.
One of the most inspiring moments of the day, a plenary dedicated to discussing the place of women in the Zionist movement around the world. At the last Congress, a resolution was passed to form a women’s dialogue group to empower women and lift up their voices in the National Institutions. Among the panelists were representatives of Hadassah and Emunah, and our very own ARZENU co-chair, Shoshana Dweck. I beamed with pride as Shoshana spoke insightfully and passionately, and announced the formation of a women’s caucus that will bridge the political divide, bringing together women from a wide array of backgrounds in unity and strength .
Now, at the close of the first day of the Congress, we anticipate a tense few days of debate as we vote on resolutions and advocate for our values. I will sit with fellow Arzenu delegates, and with our partners from other Movements, in a committee dedicated to addressing issues around pluralism and Jewish unity.
We will advocate for the Congress to affirm the right of Jews and non-Jews alike to express their diverse views. We will fight for the long overdue implementation of the egalitarian Kotel agreement. And we will call on the National Institutions to withdraw support from organizations and groups that categorically oppose recruitment to the IDF. Others in our Movement will sit in committees discussing a range of topics, including activity in the West Bank/Occupied territories, antisemitism, education, and resilience and healing after two years of war.
We know from experience that the work ahead of us won’t be easy. But we’re energized by the support of each person who voted for us, by our Israeli partners who work on our behalf all year long, and by the progress we make each year in our fight for a more pluralistic, secure, and democratic Jewish state for all of its inhabitants.
Zoe Dressner-Wolberg is a fourth-year rabbinical student at the Hebrew Union College in New York. Originally from East Brunswick, New Jersey, she graduated from the Joint Program between the Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University. She currently serves as the rabbinic intern at Temple B’nai Or in Morristown, New Jersey, and was previously the Froman Rabbinic Intern at the New Israel Fund.
