My Pilgrimage to Jerusalem

Why the World Zionist Congress Matters Now More Than Ever

On the eve of my pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the 39th World Zionist Congress, I can’t — and won’t — be silent about what just happened in New York City.

Wannabe mayor and woefully inexperienced Zohran Mamdani, who has made no secret of his disdain for Israel, chose to spend Rosh Hashanah — the holiest day on the Jewish calendar — at a radically progressive synagogue infamous for its anti-Zionist activism, where students are literally taught to apologize for Jews “stealing Palestinian land.” Oh, yeah, and the rabbi is a member of Jewish Voice for Peace!

This heinous campaign stop — a shameless bid to raise money and score points with in-denial, self-loathing, Zionist-apologist Jews — was political provocation staged in a sacred space. And on Rosh Hashanah, no less — a day meant for renewal, reflection, and prayer.

To sit masked among the congregation, a la Violet Affleck — another entitled nepo baby — alongside smug enablers like Brad Lander, gloating beside his very own Frankenstein creation in Mamdani, was nothing short of sacrilege. This synagogue has a long record of elevating voices that reject Israel’s very existence. It borders on outright delegitimization of our homeland — cloaked in the language of faith.

While Jews worldwide were praying for peace, for the release of hostages in Gaza, and for all families torn apart by war, a garden-variety, democratic socialist political hack lent credibility to Jews who deny Jewish survival. It was a deliberate slap in the face to every Jew who understands Zionism not as a political preference, but as the lifeline of our people.

[SIDEBAR] My friend, Tova Dorfman, president of the World Zionist Organization, put it clearly: “Without Zionism, there is no Jewish future. We must super-fund Zionist youth movements worldwide, ensuring that a new generation grows up fluent in the moral vocabulary of the Declaration of Independence. Our task is to reclaim our story, renew our alliances, and return to the foundational values that made the State of Israel possible.”

I am so grateful that Tova invited me to run for this Congress. My family were Holocaust survivors. My mother survived the Vilna Ghetto and Dachau. My father escaped a Siberian work camp and risked everything to smuggle survivors into Israel through the Bricha movement in 1948. Zionism was their lifeline, and it is mine now, too. I am going on this pilgrimage to Jerusalem in their honor for their sacrifices and to ensure their fight was not in vain.

At the World Zionist Congress, my slate, The Jewish Future, will fight to reclaim Zionism as unapologetic and proud — working to build a community with partners who see Israel as a beacon of hope. I can’t wait to be part of history — because you know, I won’t be silent.

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