10 things you didn’t know about the World Zionist Organization 

The World Zionist Organization (WZO) and its legislative arm, the World Zionist Congress (WZC), are pillars of modern Jewish history, but they remain shrouded in mystery for many. This was the first card in an adult deck founded by Theodor Herzl in 1897, whose institutions have defined the Jewish state and global Jewish identity for more than a century. With the 39th World Zionist Congress coming up in October 2025, here are 10 fun facts you may not know about the WZO and WZC.

1. It All Started in a Casino

The First Zionist Congress did not meet in an impressive synagogue or hall in Jerusalem: it met in the Stadtcasino Basel, a concert hall and casino in Switzerland, on August 29–31, 1897. Herzl picked this neutral, accessible location to bring together 200 delegates from 17 countries and found what would become the Zionist Organization (though this was renamed the WZO in 1960).

2. Women Were There from Day One, Just Not Voting

Seventeen women were at that first Congress, some as delegates, some with representatives. However, they did not have voting rights until the Second Zionist Congress in 1898. Women’s voices are now represented through organizations such as WIZO, Hadassah, both of which have permanent voting seats at the WZC.

3. A Universal Currency Of the Earth, You Are a Messiah

WZO membership has always been open, democratic and economical. For a nominal fee, the membership, which was originally known as the “Zionist Shekel,” after an ancient Hebrew coin, is open to any Jew over 18 who accepts the Jerusalem Program. American Jews are allowed to vote for WZC delegates in 2025 for only $5. That’s a deal for a voice in more than $1 billion in annual spending!

4. It’s the Knesset of the Jewish People

The WZC is colloquially known as the “parliament of the Jewish people,” and for good reason. At 525–750 delegates from Israel (38%), the U.S. (29%), and the diaspora (33%) it’s a global deliberative body. Meeting once every four to five years in Jerusalem, it guides the policy of the WZO, the Jewish Agency and other immensely important institutions, whcih essentially means that it is a rare arena where Jews worldwide mold their communal future.

5. What Israel’s Election Chaos Says About the Future of the Nation

In the U.S., delegates are elected online, but not with the WZC, where Israel’s 200-some delegates are picked according to Knesset party strength. Critics like the late Shulamit Aloni have pointed out how this slight is obscured to voters: the WZC is directly connected to Israeli politics, whether most Israelis know it or not (and whether they like it or not).

6. You Have More Money Than You Think

The WZO administers an annual budget of more than $1 billion, paying for everything from aliyah programs to rebuilding communities devastated by crises (such as after October 7, 2023). The WZC determines how this money is distributed, such as to education, security for Jewish institutions around the world, or settlement projects. Your vote in the Congress elections literally moves millions.

7. It Once Considered Uganda

The controversy over the plan took place at the Sixth Zionist Congress in 1903, during which Herzl proposed the "Uganda Scheme" in 1903 as a potential temporary refuge for Jews to escape pogroms. Backed by Britain, that idea lost traction after Herzl’s death, in 1904, thankfully. Palestine was always the center of Zionism, but practicality had temporarily created other options.

8. A Congress Every Five Years — Except When It’s Not

The WZC is meant to convene every four years, according to the WZO Constitution, but wars and pandemics have gotten in the way, extending it to five. Covid meant voting for the 38th Congress was online, Zooming in from 35 countries. The 39th, taking place Oct. 28–30, 2025, is bound to engage postwar recovery and rising antisemitism, hot-button issues for our moment.

9. There’re Political Factions Like Jewish Parties

Delegates cluster in the ideological huts, “Zionist World Unions,” that are like political parties, think Labor Zionists, Mizrachi, or progressive Hatikvah (affiliated with the New Israel Fund). The 2025 U.S. election has the most slates ever, 22 so far, from Orthodox Eretz HaKodesh to more pluralistic reformers, scrapping for whatever influence they can exert over WZO priorities. It’s a lively, occasionally messy democracy.

10. Still Changing After 128 Years

From translating the Balfour Declaration in 1917 to helping found Israel in 1948, the WZO has adapted to history. Today it encourages aliyah from wealthy countries (the Jewish Agency manages troubled areas), supports Jewish education, and combats antisemitism worldwide. The 39th Congress will mirror today’s challenges, reconstruction after conflict, and reconnect a fractured diaspora.