How the 39th World Zionist Congress will shape future of Jewish world
From October 28–30, 2025, Jerusalem will host the 39th World Zionist Congress
From October 28–30, 2025, Jerusalem will host the 39th World Zionist Congress (WZC), a gathering often described as the “parliament of the Jewish people.” The Congress serves as the supreme legislative authority of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), which was founded by Theodor Herzl in 1897. Over a century later, the Zionist Congress remains a powerful platform where delegates from across the globe debate, vote, and decide on the direction of the Zionist movement, not only in Israel but throughout the Jewish diaspora.
The 39th Congress comes at a pivotal time for Israel and the Jewish world. It convenes in the shadow of a two-year war with Hamas, the return of the remaining living hostages, and tentative efforts toward Gaza’s "day after”.
But the Congress is not merely reactive. It will make strategic decisions that will affect the allocation of billions of dollars in Jewish philanthropic and national funding, determine leadership for key Zionist institutions, and set the movement’s ideological and policy agenda for the next five years.
The World Zionist Congress is a democratic assembly. Up to 500 delegates will attend, with representation divided between Israel (38%), the United States (29%), and other diaspora countries (33%). The number of delegates each country sends is determined by a special committee that considers both the size of the local Jewish population and the strength of Zionist activism within that community.
After the opening session - featuring an address from the outgoing Chairman of the Executive and reports from the WZO’s key institutions - the delegates elect the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Zionist Executive, members of the Executive Council, the Zionist General Council and its deputies, the President of the Zionist Supreme Court, the Attorney of the WZO, and the Comptroller.
Beyond leadership elections, the Congress receives detailed reports from these bodies and debates their findings, setting new policies for the next five-year term. Committees review draft resolutions proposed by delegates, on topics ranging from education and culture to sovereignty, the environment, antisemitism, and interfaith relations, and prepare them for plenary votes.
There is also a large budget at stake. The delegates will determine how the Zionist movement’s most influential organizations, such as Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund (KKL–JNF), and Keren Hayesod, will allocate their resources.
The KKL/JNF alone controls an annual budget of approximately $2 billion, used for projects such as land development, environmental preservation, education, and support for new immigrants. The Congress’s decisions on these funds will shape both the physical landscape of Israel and the ideological direction of global Zionism for the next few years.
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-871437