Young leaders call for calm at World Zionist Congress
TWO young Australians helped soothe tensions at the World Zionist Congress in Israel last week, when a debate on settlements descended into fervid argument.
TWO young Australians helped soothe tensions at the World Zionist Congress in Israel last week, when a debate on settlements descended into fervid argument.
With a left-wing majority, a resolution on a two-state solution and a settlement freeze was passed, causing the right-wing bloc to revolt and members of the left-wing bloc to subsequently oppose them.
Witnessing the division in the room, chairman of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) Liam Getreu and former Melbourne Bnei Akiva leader and new immigrant Jacob Wytwornik took to the stage to call for calm.
“People ran into the middle of the room and onto the stage and demanded from the steering committee that they revoke the vote, or take a revote,” Getreu told The AJN. “The left, wanting the vote to remain, similarly charged in. At this point around 15-20 people were huddling around the front and on stage, starting to get heated with each other,” he explained.
“It was at this point that Jacob and I were watching, thinking that punches were about to be thrown, partly in shock and disbelief, and very disappointed with where the Zionist movement had come to.
“It was that impetus — that feeling helpless — led us to do something.”
Previously told that the committee had deep respect for the opinions of the youth, Getreu and Wytwornik felt compelled to take to the stage.
“It seemed that as soon as we introduced ourselves and began to speak about what we were seeing on stage and the build-up in tension throughout the day, how it disappointed us and how we felt that it was betraying the spirit of Zionism and calling into question our ability to achieve the ideals of our movement and of Herzl, that the room was actually listening,” Getreu said.
“It was very difficult to believe that after such a long day of shouting, people were actually listening.”
Pleading for calm and highlighting the similarities between everyone in the room, their appeal was met by applause.
“Everyone on stage, and as we were walking back to our seats, everyone in the aisles, was eager to come up, shake our hands, and tell us ‘kol hakavod’. It was a wonderful feeling,” he said.
“Thankfully, even though people weren’t on their best behaviour afterwards, the room, as a whole, was much better. It could have been because of what we said, or because we weren’t discussing such controversial and divisive issues anymore, or a combination of the two. But I think that what we did was a great thing to do.”
DALIA SABLE
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