Since 1897, the World Zionist Congress has been the democratic assembly of the Jewish people at which we can all address the most crucial issues currently confronting our people. 

Although Israel achieved independence in 1948 and returned to Jerusalem in 1967, the World Zionist Organization continues to exist. While many explanations for this have been put forward over the years, the deeper reason is that the establishment of a Jewish state was never the final goal of our people’s revolution but rather a powerful tool for achieving that goal. From the perspective of Jewish history, the State of Israel isn’t meant to merely be a bomb shelter for persecuted Jews but rather a vehicle for the Children of Israel to contribute as a collective to the betterment of humankind. 

The Jewish people has something unique to offer the world and everything that we were driven by nationalist considerations to build over the last century must now be placed at the service of a uniquely Hebrew universalist agenda to fulfill the vision of our ancestors. Israel came back to life after 2,000 years of exile precisely for the purpose of leading humanity into a just world in which we recognize our deep inner unity and all experience fulfilment and self-expression in harmony with one another. 

But this vision can only take place once we commit to transforming the State of Israel from the caterpillar it currently is into the butterfly it’s meant to become.

VISION hopes to utilize the considerable means and resources of the Zionist institutions to this end.

For over a decade, we have been raising national consciousness among the next generation by educating Jewish students to their indigenous connection to Eretz Yisrael and inspiring them to become active characters in Israel’s story.

At the 37th World Zionist Congress in 2015, VISION representatives led a successful campaign to pass a resolution declaring the Jewish people indigenous to the Land of Israel. The bill passed by only 51%, with 47% of delegates to the Zionist congress objecting and 2% abstaining. Those fighting against us were likely concerned that due to the current guidelines of the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples, a representative body of the Jewish people declaring us indigenous to Eretz Yisrael could complicate efforts to remove Jews from the Samaria and Judea regions.

Another VISION accomplishment at the 2015 congress was pushing one of our allies onto the board of the Jewish National Fund, where he was able to strengthen Israel’s resistance to the partition of our country by redirecting Zionist funds towards the purchasing of lands in Judea and Samaria.

VISION organizers have been running grassroots dialogue sessions for West Bank Jews and Palestinians for nearly a decade, where participants engage each other’s identities and narratives without fear. These sessions, where the very real grievances of both sides are unpacked, seek to construct a larger narrative inclusive enough to encompass both ostensibly rival narratives and transform antagonists into co-protagonists moving towards a just solution in the entire land that both sides can simultaneously experience as the realization of our respective aspirations.

Ahead of the 2020 elections to the 38th World Zionist Congress, the American Zionist Movement’s Area Elections Committee eliminated the $5 voting discount for students. VISION activists fought the fee hike for students and, despite fierce opposition, succeeded in restoring the $5 discount for all voters between the ages of 18 and 25.

Our ATID student leadership program, operating since 2014, empowers students to formulate their own Jewish liberation ideologies while providing them the tools to bring fresh conversations about Israel and Jewish identity to their campuses.

Any resident of the United States who self-identifies as a Jew and will be at least 18 years of age on June 30, 2020 is eligible to vote in the American Zionist Movement election to send VISION delegates (SLATE #5) to the 38th World Zionist Congress. From January 21, 2020 until March 11, you can cast your vote online at www.zionistelection.org.

The fee for voters 18-25 years old is $5 ($7.50 for voters aged 26 and over).

The Vision movement establishes branches on University campuses throughout North America with an emphasis on exploring the most challenging issues currently confronting the State of Israel and broader Jewish world.

Our campus programs create space for those committed to actively participating in Jewish history to collectively examine age-old Jewish national aspirations, past achievements, and current challenges with an eye towards practically applying ancient Hebrew values and aspirations to the chapter of Jewish history in which we find ourselves today.

In a generation for which the conversation surrounding Israel has been reduced to shallow generic soundbites, our programs provide a much-needed forum for in-depth analysis and discussion relating to some of the most pressing and significant issues currently facing the Jewish people. Students frustrated by the polarized climates on campuses and the narrow conversations in the political discourse study and debate some of Israel’s most complex national issues in an intellectually stimulating atmosphere that fosters community and mutual respect.

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DOREINU is a network of young professionals hosting programs and activities aimed at deepening Jewish identity and promoting meaningful conversations about practical ways to participate in the current chapter of Jewish history.

Founded in Los Angeles in 2012, DOREINU has since opened branches in Boston, New York, San Fransisco, and Toronto.

Regular DOREINU events include community service, nature hikes, holiday parties, Shabbat dinner experiences, leadership missions to Israel, inspirational lectures & discussions, wine & movie nights, book-of-the-month clubs, and more.