Azf Election to Be Conducted by American Arbitration Association

The American Arbitration Association has been designated by the American Zionist Federation to conduct a nationwide postal election of American delegates to the World Zionist Congress to be held in Jerusalem next January, it was announced by Rabbi Israel Miller, president of the AZF. “The 700,000 enrolled members of the American Zionist movement will each receive a ballot by mail from the American Arbitration Association in mid-November,” Rabbi Miller said. “The American Zionist Federation election committee has worked out detailed procedures in consultation with the American Arbitration Association on the basis of its long experience in conducting elections for a wide variety of professional associations, unions and other voluntary organizations,” Rabbi Miller continued.

A procedure has been worked out, Rabbi Miller said, “to ensure that each member returns his or her own ballot and that only one ballot per voter is allowed, even in the case of multiple memberships in several Zionist organizations. The vote will elect the majority of the 152 delegates from the United States with the balance to be elected by the constituent organizations of the American Zionist Federation on the basis of their verified strength.”

Rabbi Miller also pointed out that any 500 members of the Zionist movement will be entitled to nominate their own slate in the same manner that the constituent organizations of the AZF will select slates for the nationwide postal election, Rabbi Miller declined to comment on the controversy within the AZF on the election, except to say that the controversy is “now before the Tribunal of the World Zionist Congress under the distinguished chairmanship of Israel Supreme Court Justice Moshe Landau. Therefore no further comment on this matter would be appropriate except to stress that the Tribunal has not ordered any suspension for preparation for the elections.”