ALEPH’s executive director, SooJi Min-Maranda, will be virtually attending the 38th World Zionist Congress (WZC) as an official delegate from the Hatikvah slate. The conference will be held online October 18-20, 2020.
SooJi Min-Maranda will join her US delegates, as well as those elected from Israel and around the world for an international “parliament of the Jewish people.” Delegates make decisions regarding key institutions which allocate nearly $1 Billion annually to support Israel and World Jewry (including the World Zionist Organization, Keren Kayemet LeYisrael –Jewish National Fund and the Jewish Agency for Israel).
In addition, an in-person Extraordinary Congress to be held in Jerusalem will be scheduled between September-December in 2021 or at the latest during 2022. The delegates to the second Congress must be those who participated at the October 2020 virtual Congress.
The Hatikvah slate’s platform is inspired by Israel’s Declaration of Independence, which proclaimed the State “will be based on the precepts of liberty, justice and peace as taught by the Prophets; and will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed, or sex; and will guarantee full freedom of conscience worship, education and culture.” Hatikvah is committed to democracy and the rule of law, believing that all citizens of the State of Israel must be treated equally, and their civil and human rights protected. Hatikvah opposes policies of discrimination, fear, and tribalism. You can view a full copy of the Hatikvah platform by clicking here: https://www.hatikvahslate.net/platform.
For SooJi Min-Maranda,a Korean-American immigrant who converted to Judaism as an adult, the decision to stand up and be counted on the Hatikvah slate is rooted in Torah and Jewish tradition. You can read more about why SooJi decided to join the Hatikvah slate here: https://jewschool.com/2020/02/171925/i-didnt-think-i-counted-in-the-jewish-community-now-im-standing-up-and-being-counted-on-the-hatikvah-slate/?fbclid=IwAR3EWvwrR7PUNNqb8DUlufMi8vY3FGJT0Bd4l375UqUBUMBodh4IflSlStU.
Voting for US representatives to the 38th WZC ended on March 11, 2020. The seven-week US election for the World Zionist Congress garnered 123,575 votes, from American Jews in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and US territories. This represents a 115% increase – more than double – from the turnout of the last WZC election in the US in 2015 and is the highest number of votes since an open election began for the entire American Jewish community 30 years ago.
There were 15 slates, comprised of 1,800 delegate candidates, which competed for the 152 American elected seats at the Congress during the election administered by the American Zionist Movement (AZM).
To see the full list of delegates and alternates, click here: https://azm.org/wp-content/uploads/American-Delegates-%5E0-Alternates-Elected-to-the-38th-World-Zionist-Congress-9.17.2020.pdf.
Kol ALEPH 