Im Tirzu…
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Read Bill’s Hess’s Presidential Address
Beginning early on Sunday morning October 18, Zionists from New York, New Jersey, and as far away as Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Louisiana and Jerusalem, Israel came together to welcome in the Year of Herzl. This year Jews across the world will mark the 150 anniversary of the birth of Theodor Herzl, the visionary of the Jewish people and father of the Jewish State. The Assembly used Herzl’s vision of the Jewish state as a starting point to look at the accomplishments of the Jewish People over the last 112 years, while looking forward to the challenges and possibilities ahead.
(l to r) Dr. David Breakstone, Head, WZO Department for Zionist Activities; Noam Dolgin, Executive Director, Green Zionist Alliance; Ariel Beery, PresenTense Group; Liran Avidar, JAFI Aliyah Department, and David Krantz, President of the Green Zionist Alliance.
Dr. David Breakstone, head of the WZO Department of Zionist Activities, quoted Herzl’s own words to remind participants of the kind of Jewish state Herzl envisioned in Altneuland. He was followed by three panelists who looked at the past and future of particualr areas. Noam Dolgin, Executive Director of the Green Zionist Alliance, looked at ecological and environmental issues, Liran Avisar, of the Aliyah Departmentloked at Israel’s new pioneers, the young Israelis settling the Negev and Galilee, and Ariel Beery, co-founder of the PresenTense Group, considered technological advances and how they impact our ability to organize and inspire.
Addressing participants via videoconference, Natan Sharansky, Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency, spoke of the importance of outreach to students and young people. Videoconferencing was also used to create a dialogue with young olim in Tel Aviv and the New York based Assembly.
William "Bill" Hess delivers his acceptance speech after being re-elected to the Presdiency of the American Zionist Movement.
The afternoon attracted young Jews seeking positions in the Jewish community with an internship fair, as well as presentations by Aharon Horwitz, co-founder of the PresenTense Group, who spoke about the need for a reinvigoration of ideological thinking and ferment in the Zionist Movement, and J.J. Goldberg, of The Forward.
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
-OF-
AMERICAN ZIONIST MOVEMENT, INC.
As approved at the Assembly of the AZM in Miami on
January 31, 1993, in Boca Raton on December 20, 1995, in Washington D.C.
on June 14, 1998, in New York City on February 5, 2003 ,in Washington, DC
on September 14, 2003 by the AZM National Board, at in Newark, New Jersey
on October 22, 2007
Download the full AZM Constitution as a PDF
The American Zionist Movement: Past and Future
The American Zionist Movement is a coalition of groups and individuals committed to Zionism: the idea that the Jewish people is one people with a shared history, values and language. AZM is the American affiliate of the World Zionist Organization, the Zionist Federation in the United States.
Mission Statement
The mission of the American Zionist Movement is to strengthen the connection of American Jews with Israel; develop their appreciation of the centrality of Israel to Jewish life worldwide; deepen their understanding of Israeli society and the challenges it faces; encourage travel, long-term visits and Aliyah to Israel; and to facilitate dialogue, debate and collective action to further Zionism in the United States and abroad
What We Do
- AZM Acts On Behalf Of Israel
AZM defends Israel’s cause with vigor and confidence, supporting Israel as a rightful ally and trusted partner of the United States; we work tirelessly on behalf of Jews in distress or living under oppression inspired by the hope that they will ultimately reach Israel.
- AZM Involves Future Generations
AZM offers the next generation of young Zionists opportunities for leadership and action in the Zionist cause; we help young Jewish students bring Israel and the Zionist vision to their campus. We also work to involve the next generation of post-college young people in programs and projects to reinvigorate the Zionist vision and make it relevant to the next generation.
- AZM Strengthens Jewish Identity
AZM promotes and enhances creative Jewish continuity, using the magnetic force of Israel as a weapon against the destructive trends of assimilation and intermarriage; we are creating a new sense of Jewish self through identification with the people and the State of Israel.
- AZM Promotes The Israel Experience
Stronger bonds between American Jews and Israel will result from personal contact with Israel. This includes travel to Israel for short visits and whole summers, learning Hebrew, spending a college year or more, planning family visits and sabbaticals, volunteering, and investing in the economic development of the State of Israel.
Read on about Zionism and the Jerusalem Program
AZM Officers
William D. Hess | President
Marlene E. Post | Chair, National Board
Bobi Klotz | Vice President
Evelyn Seelig | Vice President
Rabbi Leor Sinai | Vice President
Sondra Sokal | Treasurer
Ben Mirman | Secretary
AZM Executive Staff
National Headquarters, NY
Karen J. Rubinstein | National Executive Director
Susie Baumohl | National Program Director
Eliav Rodman | Young Leadership Director
Shlomo Schwartz | Educational Shaliach
Cherie Fischer | Executive Assistant
Chicago Region
Becky Adelberg | Director, AZM Chicago Region
Jessica Wainer | Program Associate, AZM Chicago Region
