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It is generally not a good idea to offer two completely different subjects in one blog, but you’ll forgive me this time, as both are competing for attention. The World Zionist Congress was established by Theodore Herzl, z”l, in 1896. His goal was to create an institution that would have a global voice in the furtherance of the reclamation of the Jewish homeland, especially in the aftermath of the Dreyfus Trial. Fast forward to today, and as is the case every few years, the members of the WZC are up for election. My objective is to encourage you to support and vote for the Conservative Movement delegates, known in Hebrew as Mercaz. What will your vote accomplish? The more Conservative voices on the WZC, the more powerful a say the Conservative movement has in the dispensation of funds to support Jewish causes in Israel and around the entire world. Your vote ensures that all streams of Judaism receive funding and fair treatment in Israel. Voting is on-line, and relatively simple, and the fee is only $5.00. 

To vote, click on this link: MERCAZusa.org/VoteMERCAZ2025.  You will be asked to register first and then receive an email response with your unique pin number. Remain on-line, and then continue with the voting process, which will require the email you used to register and your unique pin. It is important that our voices be heard, and indeed, every vote counts. The voting opened on March 10 and closes on May 4. I voted. I hope that you will.

Every Jewish holiday has a theme that we can apply to it. For example, Pesach = freedom, Shavuot = giving of the Torah, and Sukkot = gratitude for the harvest. What about Purim? Certainly, salvation might be one theme, but I’d like to offer another, possibly unexpected one: chutzpah. Not only do we read the story of the salvation of the Jewish community of Persia, but we have the chutzpah to create a festive atmosphere. We have the chutzpah to spin graggers to drown out the name of Haman. We put on a parody of the Book of Esther, this year’s title being “Estar Trek: The Next, Next Generation”. We eat Hamantaschen, of which the Hebrew name is Oznei Haman, literally “Haman’s ears”. In Israel there are parades with floats and participants dressed in costumes, almost in a Mardi Gras style.  How grand it is that we can leave outside the door of the sanctuary the worries of the world for just 90 minutes to celebrate Purim. How chutzpadik of us to even do so! I pray that the uplift from the joy of Purim infuses us with the courage of Esther to move forward teaching and modelling God’s word to all.