Edited by: Fern Sidman

The 2025 U.S. elections for the World Zionist Congress (WZC) — often called the “parliament of the Jewish people” — have been plunged into controversy amid revelations of widespread voting irregularities, according to multiple reports from The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS).

Weeks after approximately 2,000 votes were discarded over suspicious activity, JNS now reports that thousands more questionable ballots have been discovered, further destabilizing an election that carries enormous significance for Israel and global Jewry. The unfolding scandal has cast a long shadow over an election expected to influence the allocation of more than $1 billion in funding for Zionist causes and reshape key institutions for years to come.

As The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) report detailed, the U.S. Area Election Committee, which is responsible for administering the American portion of the WZC elections, has uncovered additional suspicious votes beyond those previously disqualified. Although the committee has not publicly identified the slates or candidates who benefited from the improper votes, it has acknowledged that the scope of irregularities is significant enough to warrant a full audit — potentially delaying the certification of election results.

In a statement cited by JNS, the American Zionist Movement (AZM), which oversees the elections, insisted that the irregular votes represent “only a small fraction” of the total votes cast. Nevertheless, AZM emphasized its commitment to maintaining the integrity of the process: “We remain absolutely committed to upholding the integrity of the election and ensuring that no improper votes will be counted in the final results,” the organization declared.

According to the information provided in the JNS report, nearly 124,000 votes had been cast as of April 15 — with three weeks still remaining in the voting period — already surpassing turnout from the 2020 elections. Despite record participation, the newly revealed irregularities have raised serious concerns about the credibility of the entire process.

This election is the first WZC campaign held since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it comes amid rising internal tensions within Israel, including deep divisions over judicial reform and the traumatic Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023, as was noted in the JNS report. Many observers view the election as an informal referendum on the Israeli government’s policies and on broader trends in Jewish communal leadership worldwide.

Adding to the high stakes, JNS reported that a record 22 slates — including nine new groups — are vying for seats in this cycle, fielding over 2,900 candidates from 43 U.S. states and territories. By comparison, the 2020 election featured 14 slates and approximately 1,800 candidates.

Unlike Israel’s Knesset elections, WZC voting does not impose a minimum threshold: even small slates can secure representation based on their proportion of the vote. U.S. voters will ultimately elect 152 delegates, roughly one-third of the 500-member congress, with the remainder divided among Israeli and other Diaspora representatives.

The first signs of trouble appeared earlier this month when the U.S. Area Election Committee flagged approximately 1,900 ballots as suspicious. According to the report at JNS, these votes, tied to two unidentified slates, were linked to questionable practices such as using randomly generated email addresses, prepaid credit cards, and dubious residential addresses — primarily associated with yeshivahs.

All of those votes were subsequently rejected, although, as JNS reported, the investigation is ongoing and no slates have yet been officially disqualified. The committee’s leadership has stated that if sufficient evidence is uncovered, they are prepared to refer any wrongdoing to appropriate law enforcement authorities.

David Yaari, chair of the Kol Israel slate, told JNS that if voter fraud is confirmed, there must be significant consequences. “Without penalty, it’s an incentive to continue fraud,” Yaari warned, emphasizing the critical importance of protecting the democratic process.

In a disturbing twist, JNS also revealed that an Israeli media outlet exposed efforts by senior figures within the Conservative Judaism movement to suppress voter turnout among the Haredi community.

Leaked WhatsApp messages and internal correspondence showed that the Merkaz Olami organization, which represents the Conservative/Masorti movement, allegedly plotted to finance a poster campaign in Haredi neighborhoods discouraging participation in the WZC elections, as per the JNS report. Furthermore, the group reportedly offered financial incentives to secure rabbinic endorsements against voting — a tactic that appeared designed to weaken support for the Haredi-aligned Eretz HaKodesh slate, both in the United States and Israel.

Merkaz Olami has declined to comment on the allegations, JNS reported. Nevertheless, the revelations have further tainted an already scandal-ridden election and intensified fears that partisan actors are willing to manipulate the voting process for political gain.

As the JNS report indicated, the stakes in the WZC election could not be higher. Control over approximately $1 billion in funding for Jewish and Zionist causes hangs in the balance. Equally important, the Congress will chart the direction of powerful organizations such as the World Zionist Organization (WZO), the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Hayesod, and the Jewish National Fund (JNF).

Given the political polarization in both Israel and the Diaspora, the ideological makeup of the next Congress will have profound implications for initiatives ranging from Jewish education to settlement activity in Israel, from interfaith relations to combating antisemitism worldwide.

The current scandal has cast a pall over the legitimacy of the entire process. Some leaders worry that if irregularities are not properly addressed, public trust in the World Zionist Congress — and, by extension, the Zionist movement itself — could suffer long-term damage.

As of now, the U.S. Area Election Committee continues its investigation. The JNS report said that all 22 slates were notified late last week of the new irregularities. While AZM maintains that the proportion of suspicious ballots is relatively small, the discovery of thousands of additional questionable votes suggests a deeper rot that must be rooted out if the Congress is to retain any credibility.

An audit is likely, which could delay certification of results for weeks, the JNS report explained. Beyond just technical corrections, there are mounting calls — from figures like David Yaari and others — for broader reforms to ensure that future elections are immune to such manipulation.

With only weeks left before final results are due, the eyes of the Jewish world are firmly fixed on the U.S. election process. As the JNS report accurately observed, the outcome will shape not just the leadership of major Zionist institutions, but also the future direction of Jewish communal life at one of the most critical junctures in modern history.

Whether justice will prevail, and whether the true voice of American Jewry will be faithfully represented at the World Zionist Congress, remains to be seen.