2025-06-14 22:57 <br/> Tags: #organization #EarlyZionism #WorldJewry #Israel #Yishuv #KeyOrganizations ![[THE MATRIX/images 3/image-3.png|339x307]] # World Zionist Organization (WZO) #### Early History - The WZO (initially just the ZO) was founded in 1897 by [[Theodor Herzl]] at the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland. - Herzl is the founder of "Zionism" as we know it. - [[Max Nordau]] was Herzl's closest ally and co-founder of the WZO. - The WZO served the umbrella authority of political Zionism. - The WZO made Zionism into an institutions-oriented project. - The WZO's initial purpose was finding a national homeland for the Jewish people. - Discussions within the WZO regarding possible locations ranged from Texas to Australia to Africa. - To this effect, in 1903 the British put forward the "Uganda Plan." Herzl was offered land in East Africa near modern day Ethiopia/Uganda/Somalia. - The WZO was split, yet in the end determined only a nation in "Eretz Israel" - The Land of Israel - would suffice. ![[Map of Mandatory Palestine.png|380x306]] *Map of British Mandatory Palestine, now the encompassing Israel, Jordan, and with the occupied territories.* - The WZO's supreme governing body, established at its formation, is the World Zionist Congress (WZC). - The WZC operates as a body of Jewish delegates from across the Jewish diaspora. - *Israel gets 38%, US gets 29%, and 33% go to the rest of the diaspora/specific Jewish organizations.* - The WZC has met 38 times since 1897. In the early decades, the WZC met every 1-2 years. - Since 1951 all Zionist Congresses have been held in Jerusalem. --- - In 1899 the WZC formed the Jewish Colonial Trust. - The Jewish Colonial Trust served as the financial arm of the WZO. - The Jewish Colonial Trust became [[Bank Leumi]] in 1950. - Bank Leumi is Israel's largest bank by total assets. - In 1901 the WZC founded the [[Jewish National Fund]] to purchase land in Palestine. - The Jewish National Fund is today the largest land owner in Israel. - The JNF aids Israeli settler activity in the occupied territories. - In 1920 the WZO founded [[Keren Hayesod]]. - Keren Hayesod was formed as the fundraising wing of the WZO. --- - After Herzl died young in 1904, the WZO leadership changed hands until [[Chaim Weizmann]] became president in 1921. - Weizmann served from 1921-1946 at the head of the WZO, with the exception of the years 1932-34. - Weizmann is among the most influential early Zionist leaders. - Weizmann was the most influential figure in securing the 1917 [[Balfour Declaration]], a recognition by the British Government of the Jewish right to a homeland in Palestine. - Weizmann became the first president of the state of Israel. - In the 1930s a major ideological split within the WZO between [[David Ben-Gurion]]'s left wing labor faction and [[Ze'ev Jabotinsky]]'s right wing [[Revisionist Zionism|Revisionist]] faction. - The basis of the conflict was strategic; the labor faction favored working with the British authorities and forming settlements. The Revisionists favored a more militant anti-British, territorial expansionist orientation. - This conflict culminated Ben-Gurion's triumph in the 1933 18th Zionist Congress elections. - Jabotinsky split from the WZO to form the New Zionist Organization, a new and separate entity. - The New Zionist Organization returned to the WZO in 1946. #### Activity in Israel >[!info] Jewish Agency Connection - Article 4 of the League of Nations Palestine Mandate called for the establishment of "An appropriate Jewish Agency" for "economic, social and other matters as may affect the establishment of a Jewish home..." - To this effect the [[Palestine Zionist Executive]] was formed in 1920 as the quasi governing body of the [[Yishuv]] (Jews in Palestine). - In 1929 the Palestine Zionist Executive was reformed as the [[Jewish Agency]]. - Both the PZE before 1929 and the Jewish Agency after have operated as separate but parallel to the WZO. - At its formation in 1929, [[Chaim Weizmann]], the WZO president, became the Jewish Agency president too. - The Jewish Agency at its founding in 1929 was represented by a 50/50 Zionist/non-Zionist split. #RedPill *How could a non-Zionist represent the governing body of the Zionist project? Because those "non-Zionists" were Jews, which has always been the true distinction. * - The World Zionist Congress dictates policy not only for the WZO but the Jewish Agency as well (a testament to their intertwined activity). - [[David Ben-Gurion]], the top figure in the WZO by the early 1930s, became Chairman of the Jewish Agency Executive from 1935-48. - In 1948 Ben-Gurion became Israel's first Prime Minister. *Ben-Gurion can be thought of as the George Washington of Israel. Only he was 5'0" balding and fat.* - The WZO via the Jewish agency was involved in the formation of the [[Haganah]], the [[Yishuv]]'s military force. - Prominent early Israeli figures who were involved in the WZO/Jewish Agency framework pre-1948 include: - [[David Ben-Gurion]] - First Israeli PM - [[Moshe Sharett]] - Second Israeli PM - [[Chaim Weizmann]] - First Israeli President - [[Golda Meir]] - Fourth Israeli PM - [[Reuven Shiloah]] - Founder and first director of [[Mossad]] - The WZO founded/funded many of the prominent businesses in the Yishuv. - Mining companies, electric companies, banks, etc. - In 1952 the Israeli Knesset (Congress) enacted the "World Zionist Organization - The Jewish Agency (Status) Law" which defined the WZO and the Jewish Agency as the same entity. - The 1952 law designated the WZO's domain that of continued immigration, settlement, and development of the country. - At this time the Jewish Agency was clarified as the fundraising arm for the WZO. - At the 1971 World Zionist Congress the Jewish Agency was reformed. - The Jewish Agency and the WZO were "separated" to avoid US tax laws and laws against contributions to foreign governments. - The WZO leadership was restructured with more representation by US Jewish groups. - These reformations were essentially a slight of hand to avoid US punishment. ---- - In 1968 the "WZO Settlement Division" was formed. - The Settlement Division was formed to aid the development of Israeli settlements and settler activity in the occupied territories. - The WZO Settlement Division is funded 100% by the Israeli government. *The Israeli gov. uses the WZO as one step of removal from official gov. activity.* - The WZO settlement Division engages in illegal aiding and abetting of settler activity. The Settlement Division grants loans to 'unauthorized' new settlements. It accepts fraudulent collateral from the settlers to justify loans (ex. livestock). It falsifies bank documents to secure mortgages for settlers. - Since 1968 the Israeli government has deemed more and more of the West Bank as "state land." - The majority of this "state land" is then assigned to the WZO for management. - This is still never enough for the WZO which continues to aid settler activity beyond these "state lands." - In 2009 the WZO was found to have stolen Palestinian land in the West Bank and given it to Israeli settlers illegally. Nine Palestinian homes were demolished in this occurrence. *Actions like this are extremely common, this is just one specific instance that happened to be brought in front of the Israeli Supreme Court.* - In 2014 the WZO Settlement Division was raided by the Israeli police due to suspicions of corruption. - The Israeli political party [[Yisrael Beitenu]], led by [[Avigdor Lieberman]] was implicated in the raid. - The party and a number of its affiliates were suspected of corruption and bribery. - The WZO Settlement Division was the suspected conduit for bribes and illegal money transfers. - By 2016 the cases against Yisrael Beitenu and its associates were closed and their names cleared. *From the secret IDF drug trade in Lebanon in the 80s, to assassinations, to torture programs, to settlement activity, the Israeli legal system has a gift of covering Israel's behavior.* #### Activity in the United States - In 1897, the same year the WZO was founded, the Federation of American Zionists (FAZ) was founded in the United States. - The FAZ was the American counterpart to the WZO. - The FAZ was renamed the [[Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)]] in 1917. - Key ZOA leaders in the pre-Israel years include: [[Louis Brandeis]], [[Louis Lipsky]], [[Stephen S. Wise]], [[Abba Hillel Silver]]. - The ZOA has been a key Zionist organization since its inception. Today the ZOA is considered far right wing. The ZOA is very close with [[Donald Trump]]. - [[Hadassah]], the Women's Zionist Organization of America founded in 1912, became a key WZO affiliate in the US. - Other US Jewish groups like [[Religious Zionists of America (Mizrachi)]] and [[Young Judaea]] were among the early WZO affiliates in the US. --- - In 1942 the WZC did not meet due to the ongoing war in Europe. - Instead the WZO and held a large conference at the Biltmore Hotel in New York which resulted in the [[Biltmore Program]]. - The Biltmore Program was defined largely by the WZO's inclination to orient away from Britain towards the United States. - The Biltmore Program also demanded all of Palestine be recognized as Jewish, contrary to the British Mandate. - By the 1940s a sometimes ideological, sometimes strategic gap was forming between the Zionist Jews of the US and those of Palestine/WZO. - The American Jews favored a hardline position, closer in line with that of [[Ze'ev Jabotinsky]] and the Revisionists. - Today, American Jews are well known to be more hawkish and more ardent in their demands and actions than those of mainstream Israel. - Since 1970, the US delegation to the World Zionist Congress and the representation of US Zionist organizations in Israeli institutions has been organized under the umbrella of the [[American Zionist Movement (AZM)]]. - 51 organizations are represented under the AZM. - The AZM was originally called the American Zionist Federation from 1970-1993. - The American Zionist Federation was the continuation of the [[American Zionist Council (AZC)]] which mostly shut down in the 1960s due to federal investigation. - The AZC was accused of lobbying with funding directly from the Israeli government (Jewish Agency/WZO). - The AZC's lobbing division, the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs (AZCPA) separated itself from the AZC in 1954 to avoid federal investigation. - The AZCPA changed its name to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee - [[AIPAC]] - in 1959. #### Notable People - [[Theodor Herzl]] - Founder of Zionism. - [[Louis Brandeis]] - First super influential American Zionist leader. - [[Chaim Weizmann]] - Hugely influential early Zionist, lobbyist, and first President of Israel. - [[Henrietta Szold]] - [[Hadassah]] founder. - [[Ze'ev Jabotinsky]] - Founder of the Israeli right wing and [[Revisionist Zionism]]. - [[David Ben-Gurion]] - Founding father of Israel. - [[Abba Hillel Silver]] - Very influential American Zionist leader and lobbyist in the 1930s/40s. - [[Nahum Goldmann]] - Very influential Zionist leader in the United States and globally. - [[Golda Meir]] - Fourth Israeli PM - [[Natan Sharansky]] - Jewish Agency director in the 2009-2018. Most prominent "Refusenik" (Russian Jew denied emigration to Israel). - [[Yaakov Hagoel]] - Current WZO chairman. *This is not a complete list, that one would be hundreds of people long.* #### Funding and Donors - The WZO has largely been funded by mass diaspora fundraising campaigns. - These campaigns began with organizations like [[Keren Hayesod]] and the [[Jewish National Fund]]. - In the US, WZO funds are raised through the huge Jewish federations system. - This federations system takes the form of [[United Israel Appeal]], [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]], [[Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)]]. - The WZO budget is determined by the World Zionist Congress. - In 2025 the WZO budget is ~$1 billion. - Like all Jewish groups, the WZO has many megadonor benefactors including: - [[Edmond de Rothschild]] - [[Julian Mack]] - [[Nathan Straus]] - [[Samuel Bronfman]] *Note: The Jewish megadonors do not typically donate to the WZO directly. They usually donate to organizations like the JDC, UIA, UJA, JNF, Keren Hayesod, JFNA, etc. Those funds are then funneled to the Jewish Agency/WZO.* #### References - World Zionist Organization. “History.” _WZO_. https://www.wzo.org.il/page/extraordinary-congress/history/en - World Zionist Organization. “125th Anniversary of the First Zionist Congress in Basel.” _WZO_. https://www.wzo.org.il/sub/fzc125/125/en - League of Nations. “The Palestine Mandate (1922).” _Avalon Project, Yale Law School_. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/palmanda.asp - Jewish Virtual Library. “Zionism: World Zionist Organization (WZO).” _JVL_. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/world-zionist-organization-wzo - Jewish Virtual Library. “Zionism: Jewish Colonial Trust.” _JVL_. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-colonial-trust - Bank Leumi. “Our History (Anglo-Palestine Company/Bank; Jewish Colonial Trust).” _Leumi UK_. https://www.leumiuk.com/about-us/our-history - “Bank Leumi.” _Wikipedia_. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Leumi - State of Israel. _World Zionist Organisation – Jewish Agency (Status) Law, 5713–1952_. English trans. (PDF). https://www.adalah.org/uploads/oldfiles/Public/files/Discriminatory-Laws-Database/English/18-World-Zionist-Organization-Jewish-Agency-Status-Law-1952.pdf - Center for Israel Education. “Volume XIV, Series A (July 1929–October 1930)” (on expanded Jewish Agency, parity with non-Zionists). _CIE_. https://israeled.org/volume-xiv-series-a-july-1929-october-1930/ - “Jewish Agency for Israel.” _Wikipedia_. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Agency_for_Israel - “History of Zionism.” _Saylor Foundation_ (PDF). https://resources.saylor.org/wwwresources/archived/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/History-of-Zionism.pdf --- - #### U.S. Jewry, AZC → AZF → AZM, and U.S. Politics/Lobbying - American Zionist Movement. _AZM Fact Sheet_ (PDF). 2018. https://www.azm.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/AZM-Fact-Sheet-November-2018.pdf - Jewish Virtual Library. “American Zionist Movement (AZM).” _JVL_. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/american-zionist-movement-azm - “American Zionist Council.” _Wikipedia_. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Zionist_Council - “AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee).” _Britannica_. [https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Israel-Public-Affairs-Committee](https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Israel-Public-Affairs-Committee?) - “AIPAC.” _Wikipedia_. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIPAC - Isaiah L. Kenen. _Wikipedia_. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah_L._Kenen ---- - #### Biltmore Program - United Nations. “Biltmore Declaration – Text.” _UN ISPAL_. [https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-206268/](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-206268/) - Yad Vashem, Shoah Resource Center. “Biltmore Resolution” (PDF). https://wwv.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%2097.pdf - Medoff, Rafael. “Biltmore and the American Struggle for a Jewish State.” _American Zionist Movement_ (PDF, 2022). https://azm.org/wp-content/uploads/Medoff-BILTMORE-AND-THE-AMERICAN-STRUGGLE-FOR-A-JEWISH-STATE.pdf --- - #### WZO Platform & Governance (Jerusalem Program; Congress Today) - ARZA. “The Jerusalem Program Explained.” _ARZA_. https://arza.org/the-jerusalem-program/ - World Zionist Organization. “Zionist Congress (powers; elections).” _WZO_. https://www.wzo.org.il/page/zionist/congress/en - Israel Policy Forum (Atid). “The World Zionist Congress and the 2025 Elections.” _IPF_, Mar. 10, 2025. https://israelpolicyforum.org/atid/the-world-zionist-congress-and-the-2025-elections/ --- - #### Israeli Founding, Intelligence & Economic Nation-Building - Jewish Virtual Library. “Reuven Shiloah (Zaslani).” _JVL_. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/shiloa-x1e25-zaslani-reuben - Jewish Virtual Library. “Israel Intelligence & Security: The Mossad” (founding directive; Shiloah appointed 13 Dec. 1949). _JVL_. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-mossad - Jewish Virtual Library. “Palestine Electric Company (Pinhas Rutenberg).” _JVL_. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/palestine-electric-company --- - #### Funding - Keren Hayesod–United Israel Appeal. “A Shared History of the Jewish People and Israel.” _KH-UIA_. [https://www.kh-uia.org.il/about-us/our-history/](https://www.kh-uia.org.il/about-us/our-history/) - Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Nathan Straus $100,000 Gift for United Palestine Appeal Announced.” _JTA Daily Bulletin_, Feb. 1, 1928. [https://www.jta.org/archive/nathan-straus-100000-gift-for-united-palestine-appeal-announced](https://www.jta.org/archive/nathan-straus-100000-gift-for-united-palestine-appeal-announced) - Jewish Virtual Library. “Jewish Colonization Association (ICA)” (re: Baron Edmond de Rothschild transfer, 1899). _JVL_. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-colonization-association-ica - -- - #### Settlement Division - World Zionist Organization, Settlement Division. _English Briefing Book_ (PDF; organizational history; 1968 creation; state-funded). https://www.wzo.org.il/Upload/media/Files/2018-eng_1.pdf - Zrahiya, Zvi. “Police Raid WZO Settlement Division Offices.” _Haaretz_, Dec. 31, 2014. https://www.haaretz.com/2014-12-31/ty-article/.premium/police-raid-wzo-settlement-division-offices/0000017f-e4bf-d568-ad7f-f7ff4fdf0000 - Foundation for Middle East Peace. “Settlement & Annexation Report: September 1, 2023.” _FMEP_. https://fmep.org/resource/settlement-annexation-report-september-1-2023/ - Peace Now. “What Is the Settlement Division?” _Peace Now_, December 2024. https://peacenow.org.il/en/what-is-the-settlement-division - Peace Now. “Funding Annexation: Additional 700 Million NIS Earmarked for Settlements in 2023–2024.” _Peace Now_, Aug. 17, 2023. https://peacenow.org.il/en/funding-annexation-additional-700-million-nis-earmarked-for-settlements-in-2023-2024