Message From The Rabbi

Rabbi Rachael Miller

Late Thursday night, preliminary results from the 2025 World Zionist Congress Elections were released. 

The Reform Movement Slate received the most votes of any of the 22 slates, earning us the largest number of votes in the history of the election and securing the most seats in the Congress. 

By the Numbers: 

• 47,887 votes for the Reform Slate — a record high. 

• This is over 15,000 more votes than in 2020 (31,483). 

• We received 16,000 more votes than the second-place slate. 

Despite this success, it’s worth noting that there are 1.5 million Reform synagogue members (as of 2021). And though that number likely does not reflect the number of potential voters…47,887 feels like a tiny drop in the bucket of what was possible. But again, it’s still 15,000 more votes than five years prior.  

Coalition Breakdown: 

• The liberal coalition, including the Reform Movement, holds approximately 38% of the vote. 

• The Orthodox coalition surged to around 46%, up from 25% in 2020. 

This is not great news. While the Reform Movement achieved a major victory in votes, the liberal Zionist bloc lost its majority for the first time in Congress history. 

According to the Jerusalem Post: 

“If the preliminary numbers stand, Orthodox lists are expected to hold at least 70 of the 152 U.S. seats and could claim more than 80 after final rounding. This would give the Orthodox camp its first bargaining majority within the American caucus and, in alliance with right-religious Israeli parties, significant leverage over education and settlement budgets.” 

Election Integrity: 

Roughly 18,000 votes from six slates are under investigation and currently disqualified. The Reform Movement proudly ran a clean, transparent, and passionate campaign. 

Now What? 

• We await results from the rest of the Diaspora voting. 

• We also await decisions regarding the disqualified votes and any consequences for the involved slates. 

• We remember that we aren’t spinning the data when we say that the Reform Movement had a huge victory. We really did. We got the most votes. 

• We continue to do what so many of us at Temple Emanu-El have been doing:  

• We stand up for Israel’s right to exist.  

• We show up in support of the everyday Israeli who wants to live a life without war and with our hostages home.  

• We continue to support organizations in Israel that speak to our Reform Jewish values. 

And Finally—Did the Rabbis Miller Make the Slate? 

Officially, neither Rabbi Miller made the slate. However, I (Rabbi Rachael) may move up if others are unable to attend the Congress in Israel.  

Stay tuned! There will be more to this story. 

Shavua Tov,  

Rabbi Rachael