We hope that all North American members of the Reform Movement WZC delegation will be able to fly together to Israel immediately following the URJ Board meeting on Sunday, June 13, 2010 (to be held in the greater New York City area). This will allow delegates to meet the leadership of the other worldwide Reform Movement delegations and with leaders of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism before and during the Congress. More details will be available in December.

We understand, however, that you may not be fully aware of how important the World Zionist Congress is to our Movement’s congregations in Israel. Here are some facts:

• In the most recent elections (2006), the Reform Movement won almost 40% of the total American vote, the largest single Diaspora delegation to the Congress.
• Due to the size and strength of our delegation, we were able to ensure over $1,500,000 of annual financial support for our partners in Israel for efforts of the IMPJ and the WUPJ, including our two kibbutzim in the Arava.
• As a part of the negotiated coalition agreement at the 2006 World Zionist Congress, we were able to get the government to agree to provide four pre-fab congregational buildings for Reform communities: Modi’in, Zichron Ya’acov, Tzur Hadassah, and Tivon. These buildings have created tangible facts on the ground, recognition by the Israeli government for Reform Jewish life in Israel, and significant fundraising savings that otherwise would have had to be used to construct these buildings.
• With the largest delegation to the World Zionist Congress from North America, the Reform Movement was able to achieve significant political arrangements and the capacity to ensure that our voices are being heard in the halls of power in Israel and abroad;
• Our numbershave enabled us to remain the most significant player in the national and international Zionist world and to back our public statements up with substantial political clout and numbers.

While we would like for you to seriously consider joining us in Jerusalem for the World Zionist Congress and we hope you’ll agree to serve as part of the delegation, there are certain requirements that delegates must meet. So please carefully read the certification requirements on the linked form. Fill out the form and gather the required documentation. Please return the form and the documentation to the ARZA office via email, fax or snail mail by December 14, 2009.

We must have our delegation certified by December 31, 2009. It is imperative, therefore, that this form is returned, with the required documentation no later than Monday, December 14, 2009.

If you have any questions regarding the upcoming World Zionist Congress or the process of joining ARZA’s delegation, please write directly to Rabbi Scott Sperling, Executive Director of ARZA at ssperling@arza.org or contact him by phone at 212-650-4289.

We thank you in advance for your willingness to serve the Reform Movement in this important capacity.