Elections for the American representatives of the World Zionist Congress continue through May 4 with major ramifications for the allocation of more than $1 billion of funding for Israel and world Jewry, in addition to shaping Zionist institutions for the next few years.

The election for the so-called “parliament of the Jewish people” is the first for the congress since the end of the COVID pandemic; the rise of internal Israeli political strife, such as judicial reform and the protest movement; and the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Many see it as a referendum on the Israeli government and Jewish organizational leadership.

The 22 U.S. organizations or groups, including nine new entities, running slates (meaning, lists of candidates) in this year’s election are a record number. The more than 2,900 candidates from 43 U.S. states and territories on the ballot represent a significant increase from 2020, when 14 slates ran about 1,800 candidates.

Each slate will be assigned a proportion of congressional seats based on the percentage of the vote it earns. Unlike in Knesset elections, no minimum percentage threshold is required for a slate to secure a seat in the World Zionist Congress.

U.S. voters, both on paper and online, will elect 152 delegates—about one-third of the 500 seats. The other 348 are allocated to Israel and the rest of the Diaspora.

Listed here in the same order in which they randomly appear on the ballot, this year’s U.S. slates include:

Shas Olami aims to represent traditional Sephardic communities, with a focus on education and identity, “through the teaching of authentic Torah values in Israel and throughout the Jewish world,” according to the organization.

Created at the urging of Ovadia Yosef, the former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, it is an offshoot of Israel’s Shas party. The organization says explicitly that it joined the WZC “in order to counter the harmful influence of Reform Judaism in global Jewish affairs. By increasing our Orthodox representation, we can affect decisions that protect the sanctity of our Jewish homeland, adhere to Torah values and benefit our communities.”

Vision is running a slate of young activists “currently at the forefront of today’s battles over Jewish liberation, identity and Israel’s legitimacy on campus.”

The Vision Movement, a branch of Brit Olam, claims that labels prevalent in modern Judaism carry “secondary importance when compared to identification with the nation of Israel and participation in its historic mission.”

This slate takes the position that all Jews have a “natural right” to live in a sovereign Israeli state “between the river and the sea, while also striving to act upon our obligation to ensure justice and dignity for all inhabitants of our country, Jew and gentile alike.”

Vote Reform purports to represent the U.S. Reform Movement, backed by the Union for Reform Judaism and the Association of Reform Zionists of America. The slate backs a two-state solution and full equality for all Israelis, including intra-Jewish religious equality.

Among its campaign pledges, the slate seeks to “assure that liberal streams of Judaism are provided equal financial support and resources in the Jewish state, ensuring that our movements in Israel and all Jewish denominations in Israel remain strong, vibrant and growing.”

The Kol Yisrael slate—partnering with groups like StandWithUs, Young Judea and Alums for Campus Fairness—says it pledges to invest in stronger Zionist youth movements and to combat antisemitism on college campuses and in the courts.

The group says it has formed a “diverse slate of Jewish leaders and activists, bringing creativity, decisiveness and proven records of success to the Zionist movement. We have put our political and religious differences aside and come together for the good of all our people.”

Orthodox Israel Coalition‒Mizrachi says it aims to represent the Religious Zionist community with members from the likes of RZA, AMIT, Orthodox Union and Bnei Akiva.

The slate says it works to avoid polarization while working “on the frontlines” to expand Jewish education, build Israel’s periphery, support Religious Zionist IDF soldiers and stand for Torah values.

ANU: A New Union labels itself as a “NextGen big tent for the Jewish American consensus,” promoting pluralism, “where every Jew finds their place and feels like a cherished part of the Jewish people.”

The group backs a Palestinian state and advocates for greater acceptance among American Jews for the existence of one, along with room for discussion about how to strengthen Israeli civil society, including to “assure the independence of Israel’s world-renowned judiciary.”

Israel365 Action says it’s working against the “land for peace delusion,” as well as discrimination against Jews in Judea and Samaria. The group is aligned with American Jewish Conservatives and the American Faith Coalition.

It advocates for alliances with faith-based Christians, which the slate calls “our truest friends” and “most reliable allies.” It is heavily critical of the American Jewish establishment, whose “Oct. 6 mindset has catastrophically failed us,” according to the group.

Achdut Israel, a new slate founded after Oct. 7, is sponsored by American Friends of Shifra. It is a soldier-focused organization, providing “emotional, financial and practical support” with an emphasis on offering safety and self-defense training for Jews globally.

“The need to support soldiers, who have sacrificed everything, provide for their families, assist those facing life-altering injuries and ensure they have a future beyond the battlefield is urgent,” the group says.

Am Yisrael Chai says young activists who chose to respond in the aftermath of Oct. 7 “are the architects of tomorrow,” claiming that young American Jewish leadership is being “tested in ways American Jews have not been tested in generations.”

The slate says it is investing in programming, educational opportunities, community building and Israel-related activities for college students and young professionals to instill and spread Jewish pride.

Aish Ha’am, backed by the Aish educational organization, aims for a “shared destiny” among Jews.

“We maintain that every Jew, irrespective of their religious background or level of Jewish schooling, inherently deserves the gift of Jewish knowledge,” notes the slate, which is running on the planks of Jewish unity, fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel, along with its core mission of education for every Jew.

Aish Ha’am says its slate is a mix of Jewish educators, student leaders, online influencers and lay leaders.

Eretz HaKodesh, a traditional, Torah-based group, “believes that all Jews share a common history and destiny reaching back to Mount Sinai,” while aiming to represent Orthodox Diaspora communities and counter liberal movements by “accurately reflecting the power dynamics of Jewish communities in the Diaspora.”

The slate pledges to promote global Jewish education, and love and concern for fellow Jews, in addition to economic opportunity, particularly for “those with limited skills and those living below the poverty line” in Israel.

Beyachad is oriented to the Russian-speaking American Jewish community. The slate says it stands for the “complete and total unity of all Jewish people,” along with traditional Jewish values and an “uncompromising defense of Israel and protection of its citizens.”

It is coordinated by the Russian-speaking Jewish Community of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Jewish Russian Learning Center and the Russian Jewish American Experience, among other organizations.

The AID Coalition aims to “bring together Israeli-Americans with deep ties to Israel to lead efforts for a stronger future. We collaborate with Israeli organizations to address critical needs while contributing unique perspectives of Israelis based in the U.S.”

The “AID” in the slate’s name stands for America-Israel Democracy. Its stated mission is to help rebuild Israeli communities impacted by the war; build bridges between Israelis and American Jews; promote Israeli democracy; and foster transparency and accountability in World Zionist organizations.

The ZOA Coalition, fronted by the Zionist Organization of America, is a collection of more than 30 groups that seek to promote Jewish safety, immigration to Israel and the rejection of a Palestinian state.

The slate includes representatives from American Friends of Likud, Betar and EndJewHatred. It says it represents Russian, Persian, Syrian, Bukharian, Ukrainian, Latino, French, Israeli, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi and other American-Jewish communities.

ZOA Coalition asserts that it aims to “confront anti-Israel bias at the U.N. and other institutions,” as well as rebuild Jewish communities in “decimated, evacuated areas and Judea/Samaria.”

Hatikvah: The Progressive Slate is led by such organizations as New Jewish Narrative, Partners for Progressive Israel and Habonim Dror North America. The slate says it includes a broad swath of liberal and progressive American Jews “who strive to fully actualize the vision” in the Israeli Declaration of Independence.

The platform includes a call for universal Israeli civil rights, an end to “the policy of permanent occupation and annexation; global religious and cultural pluralism; and building a worldwide coalition to end the Israeli-Hamas war and return the hostages held in Gaza.”

MERCAZ USA bills itself as the voice of American Conservative/Masorti Judaism. It is endorsed by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism and the National Ramah Commission, among other organizations.

The slate says it “will advocate for a strong and secure Israel rooted in the moral and spiritual vision of the Hebrew prophets,” which includes “a society that celebrates democratic principles; embraces diverse Jewish traditions; and safeguards the rights, dignity and inclusion of all its citizens.”

It advocates for rebuilding devastated Israeli communities, combating antisemitism and dispelling misconceptions about Zionism.

Dorshei Torah V’Tzion is led by the International Rabbinic Fellowship, Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance and Eshel, among other groups.

The slate supports religious pluralism, including paths to conversion outside the framework of the Israeli rabbinate. It seeks to support and empower women by expanding their “spiritual, ritual, religious leadership, intellectual and political opportunities,” along with boosting educational opportunities in yeshivahs and elsewhere.

It further says it is “committed to supporting efforts to find a just and viable peace for Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, with security and dignity for all, including the Palestinian people.”

Americans 4 Israel labels itself as the “general Zionist slate of the World Zionist Organization” and as “a nonpartisan and independent party of American citizens who are proud virtual citizens of Israel.”

The slate is backed by organizations such as the Israel Forever Foundation, EMET and Over the Rainbow. Among its 10 listed commitments are supporting Zionist activism, creating worldwide Hebrew-instruction programs and improving life for Holocaust survivors.

The Jewish Future slate self-labels as proponents of centrist liberal Zionism and is endorsed by Tzofim North America.

“We are dedicated to inspiring young Jews around the world to see Zionism as the national liberation movement of the Jewish people—empowering the next generation of Jews to be proud of their Jewish identity and to stand unafraid for their Jewish values and Israel,” the group says on its website.

The Jewish Future is running on a number of platform prongs. Chief among them is engaging the next generation with education and pride.

It aims to do so through increased funding for youth programs, investment in youth travel opportunities and growing Hebrew-education opportunities in the United States.

American Forum for Israel says it pushes for “comprehensive security for Israeli citizens,” along with support for the Israel Defense Forces and encouragement of settlement and immigration, among other priorities.

The group says it has been key in organizing high-level events, including at the United Nations and at the annual International March of the Living, along with significant fundraising for critical projects in Israel, “such as bomb shelters at Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, mobile shelters in southern Israel and computers for Sderot schools.”

The Israeli-American Council is among the new slates this year. It claims that it “promotes unity by producing a vibrant, engaged and unapologetically confident Israeli-American and Jewish-American community, regardless of observance level or partisan affiliation.”

The IAC says its platform emphasizes influencing policy, developing next-generation identity and combating antisemitism, along with a focus on what it calls “Israeliness” as being central “to the global Jewish narrative.”

Herut North America, which bills itself as a follower of Ze’ev Jabotinsky, the founder of the Revisionist Zionist movement, says it fights for Jewish indigenous rights in Israel; rehabilitation and emotional support for soldiers and civilians affected by the terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023; and empowering Jewish identity.

“Our movement is rooted in the unshakable belief that every Jew deserves to thrive in a world where they can be unapologetic Zionists, their cultural heritage is celebrated, their voices are heard, and their potential is realized,” the group says on its website.

Voters, who must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents—and at least 18 years old by June 30—can register and vote online or request paper ballots. A $5 registration and voting fee covers the costs of operating the election, according to election organizers at the American Zionist Movement.

Voting continues through May 4.