The World Zionist Congress – Arzenu, Labour and Meretz

Another post taken from rabbidanny.blogspot.com

The World Zionist Congress – Arzenu, Labour and Meretz
This afternoon we had the first meeting of our new faction for the
Congress. Our Arzenu group have spent the last few years negotiating
with Labour to form a coalition, and more recently Meretz have joined
us. This means that we will together be the largest group at the
Congress, and it will further increase the influence we have.

This will be important for the work of the Zionist institutions,
however, it is equally, if not more important in relation to what it
means for our place in Israeli society. We in the Reform movement
remain a small percentage within Israeli society, but we are the
largest international stream of Judaism, and it is important that our
voice is heard within Israeli society. With Labour and Meretz we share
a broad vision of a Jewish democratic state, at peace with her
neighbours, and built on values of social justice and pluralism. It is
a partnership which is built on strong ideological foundations.

We in Arzenu have to use our voice, and strength, within the World
Zionist Congress to help our Israeli Reform movement. Through this
agreement we now have a formal partnership with two parties within the
Israeli Knesset, which can only help in the further establishment and
legitimisation of our movement here in Israel.