Don’t Stand Idly By – Vote

As Israel stood hushed in remembrance of its fallen on Yom HaZikaron, a dark note intruded upon national mourning. At the Reform synagogue Beit Samueli in Ra’anana, a screening of the joint Israeli–Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony erupted into chaos when a group of right-wing protesters hurled stones, set off fireworks, and physically assaulted congregants. Police intervened swiftly, detaining three suspects and treating four injured officers. The windows of a synagogue— a “mikdash me’at”—were smashed with rocks on a day meant for collective sorrow and unity. No ritual—or respect for the dead—can survive when we turn on our own.

This sectarian violence offends the core of Jewish ethics. “Lo ta’amod al dam re’echa”—“Do not stand idly by your neighbor’s blood”—commands more than rescuing innocents; it forbids causing harm, neglect, or indifference to another Jew’s peril. To threaten Jews in a synagogue in Israel on Israel’s Memorial Day is to desecrate both memory and faith, replacing solidarity with sedition. Sadly, this outrage is not unprecedented. In January 2014, vandals spray-painted the walls of the same Ra’anana Reform congregation with hateful slogans denouncing “heretics.”

For American Jews who reject extremism and support pluralism, this moment demands more than outrage—it demands leverage. The 39th World Zionist Congress election, open through May 4 for a $5 registration fee, offers every U.S. Jew the chance to shape Israel’s future by voting at zionistelection.org. Selecting slate #3—Vote Reform—is not a partisan gesture but a stand for democracy, religious equality, and the pluralistic vision that guards our synagogues against political mobs. When Reform voices hold weight at the World Zionist Congress, institutions like the Jewish Agency and Jewish National Fund must account for our values in funding decisions, including supporting the growth and safety of existing egalitarian Jewish communities in Israel.

We cannot afford complacency. Share the Vote Reform link with your shul, your campus group, and your social networks. Encourage first-time voters. Invite every Jerusalem program-supporting Jewish adult to register and cast their ballot before the May 4 deadline.

When Jews harm Jews, we see echoes of the worst downfalls of our history. Our covenant calls us to “not stand idly by,” even—and especially—when that threat arises from within. By voting Reform in the World Zionist Congress election, we reaffirm that pluralism is the lifeblood of our peoplehood. We refuse to let another Yom HaZikaron pass under the shadow of internal violence. Instead, we choose action: voting, organizing, and standing shoulder to shoulder in the synagogue courtyard and at the digital ballot box alike.