The Torah Tells Us How to Handle the Widespread Fraud at the World Zionist Congress

Every five years, the Jewish world holds elections for the World Zionist Congress. These elections are an opportunity for the entire Jewish people to be represented as we recommit to our Zionist roots, our communal values and mutual bonds as Am Yisrael. Unfortunately, this year, the elections in the United States were marked by serious electoral fraud. While the cheaters have been caught, their efforts to avoid meaningful consequences tear at our communal bonds, put the entire World Zionist Congress in jeopardy and undermine future elections. 

From ancient times, the Jewish people have lived by a system of justice that emphasizes honesty and integrity, aiming to restore what was broken and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions and deter offenders. The Torah lays out a clear precedent for justice in cases of stealing and cheating. Exodus 22:4 decrees that theft does not simply involve restitution, but also requires a penalty commensurate with the burden of the crime and the value of the stolen property. The laws in place to deal with these instances are both a form of compensation for the victim and a deterrent against future theft. 

The American elections for the World Zionist Congress earlier this year were disrupted by a widespread cheating scheme. Supporters of several right-wing slates committed fraud, resulting in over 17,500 ill-gotten votes. The election body within the American Zionist Movement took appropriate action, cancelling those votes and imposing penalties as a just recourse. However, the perpetrators appealed this decision to the American Zionist Tribunal which, in a baffling miscarriage of justice, struck down the penalties. Now, several slates that ran fair campaigns, including Vote Reform, representing the Reform movement, and MERCAZ USA, the voice of the Conservative/Masorti movement, are in the process of appealing this decision before the Zionist Supreme Court, which holds the final say on the matter.

The outcome is crucial, because the World Zionist Congress allocates over $1 billion annually to programs and initiatives to support global Jewry, including here in the United States. Any effort to carry an unearned influence over this budget should be called out for what it is: fraud. 

The American Zionist Movement imposed stiff measures to preserve election integrity, and authorities in Israel shouldn’t overturn them. By upholding the punishment imposed by the presiding authorities over the American elections, the court will send a clear message: all who participate in the WZO elections are required, both on paper and in practice, to conduct their campaigns with the highest levels of ethics and accountability.

Read the full piece on eJewish Philanthropy.