World Zionist Congress

The World Zionist Congress includes representatives of Zionist World Unions, Women's Zionist Organizations with Special Status and International Jewish Organizations. and is affiliated with the Netzer Olami youth organization. • United Faction: Kadima–HaNoar HaTzioni– MERCAZ • World Mizrachi/Ichud Le'umi/Herut/Yisrael Beytenu/Moledet/Tkuma • World Likud/Shas • Hadassah/Confederation • Over The Rainbow – the Zionist movement Israeli representatives Since the creation of the State of Israel, there are no elections held for Israeli delegates to the World Zionist Congress. Rather, elections to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, are deemed to fulfill this function, and Zionist parties represented in the Knesset are apportioned a number of Congress delegates proportional to their strength in the Knesset. The late left-wing leader Shulamit Aloni on several occasions criticized this practice, stating that "Most Israeli citizens neither know nor care that when they go to the polls they are among other things also electing delegates to the World Zionist Congress." Zionist organizations with special status Two women's organizations have special status in the Zionist Organization and have full voting rights: • Women's International Zionist Organization – is an international, non-party Zionist body, which receives global representation by virtue of an agreement entered into in 1964. • Hadassah – received special status by virtue of a decision of the Zionist General Council, in 1994. even if not all their members are declared Zionists. These bodies have limited voting rights they do not vote on matters of candidature and elections to the institutions of the WZO. The following are the International Jewish Organizations (limited voting rights): • B'nai B'rith International • Maccabi World Union • Na'amat • Women's International Zionist Organization • World Council of Conservative Masorti Synagogues (Masorati Olami) • World Emunah • World Organization of Orthodox Synagogues & Communities in Israel and the Diaspora • American Sephardi Federation • World Union for Progressive Judaism • World Union of Jewish Students • Zionist Council in Israel Other participants in Congress (advisors, observers) • In addition to the delegates with full voting rights participating in Congress, there are also participants in an advisory capacity which can participate in debates but have no voting rights. These may consist of office holders such as members of the Zionist Executive, members of the Zionist General Council who were not elected as delegates to Congress, Chairs of the Zionist Federations, judicial office holders - the President of the Zionist Supreme Court, the Attorney, the Comptroller and representatives of the Aliyah Movement. • Observers with no speaking or voting rights can be invited by the Zionist Executive or the Congress Presidium. Former participants • Aytzim ==The course of the Congress==

The Zionist Congress is conducted by the Congress Presidium. Congress deliberations are divided into five stages: • Opening of the Congress, including a speech by the Chairman of the Executive, and other speeches determined in the agenda, election of the Congress Presidium, the report of the President of the Zionist Supreme Court on the election results, reports of the members of the Zionist Executive in supplement to the printed report, election of the Congress committees. • Election of the new Executive, according to the proposal of the Congress Standing Committee. • Meetings of the committees. • Reports of the committees and voting on the draft resolutions presented by them. The report of the Standing Committee and voting on its proposals for members of the Zionist General Council, the Comptroller and the Legal Institutions. • Congress closing ceremony. ==History==

The Zionist Congress, later to become the Zionist Congress, was held at intervals of 1 year (1897–1901), then 2 years (1903–1939) until the outbreak of the Second World War, with an eight-year break (1913–1921) due to the First World War. Important moments • The First Zionist Congress, held in 1897 in Basel, Switzerland, had Theodor Herzl acting as chairperson. The Congress was attended by some 200 participants who formulated the Zionist platform, known as the "Basel programme", and established the Zionist Organization (ZO). In contrast with the older Hibbat Zion movement, the ZO took a clear stance in favour of political Zionism, stating in its programme that :"Zionism seeks to establish a home in Palestine for the Jewish people, secured under public law." Herzl wrote in his diary, :"Were I to sum up the Basel Congress in a word - which I shall guard against pronouncing publicly - it would be this: At Basel I founded the Jewish State." • The Twenty-third Zionist Congress, held in 1951 in Jerusalem, was the first to be held after the establishment of the State of Israel, and the first held in Jerusalem, which would become the norm. It was opened at the graveside of Theodor Herzl, whose remains had been moved from Vienna and reburied on the top of a hill in Jerusalem that was renamed after him, Mount Herzl. The Congress issued the Jerusalem Program, placing its main focus on the newly created state as the central unifying element for the Jewish people. ==See also==