What took place at the 39th World Zionist Congress was not merely a procedural fiasco, nor a bureaucratic misstep, nor a clash of personalities. It was the exposure of a system decaying from within- a system I have warned about repeatedly, including in my Jerusalem Post essay on the delusion that you can “influence” your way out of antisemitism, as well as my broader criticisms of the American Jewish establishment.
What should have been a serious, strategic gathering of the global Jewish community instead became a chaos-filled display of backroom maneuvering, pressure, and opportunism.
The early Zionists- Herzl, Nordau, Jabotinsky- lived with a sense of mission and urgency. They understood that time was running out for the Jewish people. They believed in Hadar- the noble bearing, dignity, and discipline required for Jewish sovereignty.
Today’s institutions lack that Hadar. They lack the urgency, the mission, and the seriousness required for Jewish survival. The collapse of this Congress was not an accident. It was a revelation.
In the Times of Israel blogs, Yizhar Hess wrote: “We are too small a people to succeed when divided… How do we make sure narrow political interests don’t impede this process? … How do we ensure a pluralistic vision where every Jew has a seat at the table?” These lines would be admirable if they were not written by the same man who engineered one of the most exclusionary, coercive, secrecy-driven coalition processes in modern WZO history.
'Institutional gaslighting'
Hess excluded Otzma Yehudit and Kol Israel from the coalition entirely, barred delegates from receiving copies of the agreement, forced them to read documents in a sealed room, engineered a bloated patronage coalition filled with political posts instead of policy, and used intimidation across delegations- all while praising himself as a defender of pluralism. This is not hypocrisy; it is institutional gaslighting.
Just weeks before Hess’s victory lap, the American Zionist Movement Tribunal issued one of its strongest condemnations ever. It found that Hess had intentionally and improperly interfered in the US elections, orchestrating a secret campaign to suppress Haredi votes and using messaging that was demeaning and violated election rules. MERCAZ USA was fined and ordered to issue a public reprimand because, during a time demanding unity, such behavior “cannot be tolerated.”
This is the value system of today’s WZO leadership, and it reflects the decline hollowing out the Zionist establishment. Recent exposés confirmed this pattern. The Yeshiva World detailed manipulative messaging toward Lakewood’s Haredi community, all under a façade of “pluralism.” VINews documented coercion, backroom deals, and intimidation by Hess and Eyal Ostrinsky. This is not just one scandal. It is a culture of misconduct, a leadership class that has drifted into elitism, unaccountability, and entitlement.
The WZO collapse is part of a more exhaustive breakdown across Israeli and Diaspora Jewish life. Over the past five years, Israeli institutions- political, military, bureaucratic, philanthropic- have suffered failure after failure.
The Histadrut mega-scandal revealed a bribery network involving public companies, municipalities, KKL-linked officials, and political operatives. Qatargate saw senior advisers arrested for allegedly taking money from Qatar to influence wartime decisions. The Minister May Golan investigation exposed fake jobs, misused funds, and suspected bribery. The Lahav 433 scandal placed the anti-corruption police under scrutiny for misconduct. The Shin Bet firing crisis exposed political interference during a sensitive investigation. Acre’s vote-buying scandal revealed corruption across factions. Netanyahu’s three criminal cases continue to cast a shadow over the political culture.
On the center and left, the failures are equally disturbing.
Ehud Barak’s association with Jeffrey Epstein raised profound moral questions about Israel’s elite. Labor’s collapse marked the implosion of the traditional Zionist left. Meretz’s decline exposed internal decay and manipulation. The pre–October 7 intelligence failures demonstrated negligence at the highest levels of the security establishment. The judicial crisis revealed a government and legal system unable to function cohesively. Police misconduct cases exposed ethical rot. Even KKL-JNF, once revered, is now deeply entangled in political patronage.
Perhaps the most symbolic sign is the failure of Amichai Chikli’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry. Equipped with $149 million to defend Jews worldwide after October 7, the ministry has delivered almost nothing of value as Diaspora institutions show a similar decline in their contribution to Jewish life.
Many Federations spend large sums on ego and spectacle, while schools lack basic security measures. The ADL has drifted away from its mission into branding and media hype. Diaspora NGOs focus more on salaries than on measurable results. WZO parties treat Zionism as a jobs program rather than a national mission. This is not politics; it is the loss of Hadar, the collapse of purpose and dignity.
At the Congress, Miki Zohar inserted Yair Netanyahu’s name into negotiations an hour before the vote- reckless and emblematic of a political system addicted to tactical maneuvering rather than strategic responsibility. Yair Netanyahu is not the villain; the system that used him as a pawn is the real culprit. Yaakov Hagoel’s political pivot reshaped the coalition not because he sought chaos, but because the system was already fragile.
Exposing a diseased system
These actions did not break a healthy system- they exposed a diseased one. The mechanics of the collapse were unmistakable. Delegates were locked out of rooms. Drafts were withheld. Dissenters were threatened. Elected parties were excluded. Secrecy overshadowed every decision. Purpose gave way to patronage; policy to positions and plum jobs; Zionism to hollow ceremony. When institutions abandon their mission, sovereignty collapses into self-preservation. And when those entrusted with Zionism confuse it with their own careers, the movement ceases to be a national calling- it becomes a stage for ambition.
The rot at the WZO reflects broader decay across the Jewish world.
Federations stage galas while schools lack security. The ADL chases cameras while antisemitism explodes. Nonprofits inflate salaries while delivering little. Diaspora leadership prioritizes branding over responsibility. And the one global democratic Jewish institution, the WZO, sinks into the same swamp. We replaced Herzl’s urgency with careerism. We replaced Jabotinsky’s discipline with vanity. We replaced sovereignty with spectacle.
By excluding democratically elected parties, Hess and Ostrinsky legitimized a weapon that will fracture the Zionist movement. Future majorities will use it for revenge. This is not a strategy; it is suicide. And the Zionist Supreme Court affirmed it. The weapon is forged. The real question is whether the Jewish people will continue to tolerate institutions that treat Zionism as personal entitlement rather than a sacred mission. Because if secrecy, coercion, elitism, and influence-chasing define our institutions, the WZO will not merely fail — it will become irrelevant. And the early Zionists, who built a state from sand and vision, will have their legacy squandered by leaders too small for the task.
Herzl warned against small men with small interests. Jabotinsky warned against comfort during a crisis. Nordau warned against the complacent elites of his time. They were speaking of moments like this one.
This Congress, this failure, was the moment the mask fell off. The reality is unavoidable: antisemitism surges, Israel faces existential enemies abroad and corrosive corruption within, Diaspora institutions drift toward irrelevance, and the WZO has become a playground for opportunists with small aims.
Unless a new generation insists on a return to purpose, discipline, and sovereignty of spirit- to the Hadar of Herzl, Nordau, and Jabotinsky- we will lose more than an institution. We will lose the plot of Jewish history. This moment demands courage. It demands clarity. It demands a revival of Zionism as a holy project. And it requires that we say, without apology: Hadar no more. The guardians have become the gravediggers. And the Jewish people will no longer tolerate corruption done in Zionism’s name.