Zionist movement US
The organised Zionist movement in the United States: its federation, national institutions, funders, lobby groups, community bodies and links to "Israel"
The US Zionist movement is the largest outside "Israel".[1]
The American Zionist Movement (AZM) describes itself as "The Zionist Federation in the United States affiliated with the World Zionist Organization (WZO)".[2] In the 2025 elections to the 39th World Zionist Congress, 224,969 valid votes were cast in the US for 22 slates, electing 155 delegates, which the AZM described as "almost one-third" of the Congress.[3] Sergio DellaPergola put the core Jewish population of the United States at 6,300,000 at the start of 2023, the second largest in the world.[4] For other countries see Zionist movement by country.
History
The AZM says it has been known by that name since 1993, and that it is the successor to the American Zionist Federation, founded in 1970, and to the American Zionist Council, which started in the 1940s.[5]
National institutions
The AZM says that it and its constituent organisations represent American Zionists within the national institutions, including the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael - Jewish National Fund.[5]
39th Zionist Congress election, 2025
The AZM certified the US results on 3 September 2025. Its executive director, Herbert Block, said the Zionist movement in the United States was "stronger than ever".[3]
| Slate | Votes | Delegates |
|---|---|---|
| VOTE REFORM | 47,648 | 33 |
| Am Yisrael Chai | 30,114 | 21 |
| Eretz HaKodesh | 28,165 | 19 |
| MERCAZ USA | 27,765 | 19 |
| OIC-Mizrachi | 26,640 | 18 |
| Hatikvah | 11,505 | 8 |
| ZOA Coalition | 8,402 | 6 |
| Aish Ha'am | 6,564 | 5 |
| Kol Israel | 5,278 | 4 |
| IAC | 5,275 | 4 |
| VISION | 5,214 | 4 |
| AID Coalition | 4,844 | 3 |
| Beyachad | 3,048 | 2 |
| SHAS | 2,492 | 2 |
| Israel365 Action | 2,322 | 2 |
| Dorshei Torah V'Tzion | 1,939 | 1 |
| The Jewish Future | 1,787 | 1 |
| ANU | 1,504 | 1 |
| American Forum for Israel | 1,472 | 1 |
| Herut North America | 1,100 | 1 |
| Americans 4 Israel | 382 | 0 |
| Achdut Israel | 1,509 | Disqualified |
| Total valid votes | 224,969 | 155 |
Youth movements, education and aliyah
DellaPergola gives 3,449 immigrants to "Israel" from the United States in 2021 and 2,920 in 2022.[4]
Hillel International, listed below as the Hillel Foundation, says it "is steadfastly committed to the support of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure and recognized borders as a member of the family of nations" and that it "views Israel as a core element of Jewish life and a gateway to Jewish identification for students".[6]
Zionist Education, indoctrination and radicalisation
- Main article: Zionist movement US: Big Israel data
The Israel Lobby Archive data list 14 education groups, with 2,309 employees and forecast revenue of $762,385,848 in 2020.[7]
Money
Data compiled by Israellobby.org
- Main article: Zionist movement US: Big Israel data
The Israel Lobby Archive's Big Israel project lists 337 US groups with 14,076 employees, 353,337 volunteers and forecast revenue of $6,273.7 million in 2020, grouped as subsidy for 'Israel' (116 groups), fundraising and political action (139), advocacy (68) and education (14).[7] It does not include disclosures under the Foreign Agents Registration Act or federal lobbying disclosures, which are given at Zionist movement US: Foreign Agents Registration Act data and Zionist movement US: lobbying and election spending data.
| Employees | Volunteers | Israel Affinity Organizations by Segment | Number of groups | $ Million 2012 | $ Million 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,984 | 287,810 | Subsidy for 'Israel' | 116 | 2,005.3 | 3,831.6 |
| 7,701 | 57,841 | Fundraising and Political Action in US and 'Israel' | 139 | 946.6 | 917.5 |
| 2,082 | 6,633 | Advocacy | 68 | 403.5 | 762.2 |
| 2,309 | 1,053 | Education | 14 | 316.7 | 762.4 |
| 14,076 | 353,337 | Total | 337 | 3,672.1 | 6,273.7 |
IRS data on non profit groups in the US
The Internal Revenue Service of the US registers all non profit groups and provides a searchable database of registered groups.[8]
Below are results for various search terms:
- 'Zionist' non profits in the US 228
- 'Israel' non profits in the US 1,969
- 'Tzion' non profits in the US
- 'Yisrael' or 'Yisroel' non profits in the US 486
- Antisemitism or Anti-Semitism non profits in the US 24
- Ameinu non profits in the US
- BBYO non profits in the US 786
- B'nai B'rith branches in the US - 728
- Bnei Akiva non profits in the US - 7
- 'Emunah' non profits in the US - 65
- Habonim non profits in the US
- Hashomer non profits in the US
- Herut non profits in the US - 2
- Israel Scouts-Tzofim non profits in the US
- Maccabi non profits in the US - 13
- Mercaz non profits in the US
- Na'amat non profits in the US
- WIZO non profits in the US
- Mizrachi non profits in the US - 7
- Non profits registered with an address in Israel - 88
Haredi groups
- Main article: Haredi and Hasidic groups in the US
IRS search results for Hasidic groups, including 1,313 Chabad/Lubavitch non profits, are listed at Haredi and Hasidic groups in the US.
Lobbying and advocacy
Lobbying and campaign contribution data from Open Secrets
- Main article: Zionist movement US: lobbying and election spending data
OpenSecrets groups most of these organisations under its "Pro-Israel" category.[9] Among them the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has declared the most federal lobbying spending, $58,949,026 in 1998–2023. The AIPAC political action committee, registered in 2021, accounts for $84,923,254 in campaign contribution data, including $53,699,475 in the 2023–2024 cycle.[9]
Zionist advocacy, lobbying and propaganda
- Main article: Zionist movement US: Big Israel data
The Israel Lobby Archive data list 68 advocacy groups, with 2,082 employees and forecast revenue of $762,176,760 in 2020. These are the groups most often thought of as the 'Israel lobby'.[7]
Antisemitism organisations
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) says it was "Founded in 1913" and that its mission is "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all". It also says: "We promote Jewish security worldwide and support a secure, Jewish and democratic State of Israel."[10]
The Simon Wiesenthal Center says: "Every gift advances our mission to combat antisemitism, defend Israel, and promote tolerance." Its leadership page names Jim Berk as chief executive, Rabbi Abraham Cooper as associate dean and global social action director, and Rabbi Marvin Hier as founder and dean emeritus.[11]
The AMCHA Initiative describes itself as "a non-profit organization dedicated to investigating, documenting, educating about, and combating antisemitism at institutions of higher education in America". Tammi Rossman-Benjamin is its cofounder and director.[12]
All three are listed in the Israel Lobby Archive tables above.
Israeli state presence
Lobby spend data from the Foreign Agents Registration Act database
Filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act record $161,630,752 paid in the US for the foreign principals listed on that page in 2016–2023, led by the Government of 'Israel' ($78,699,009), the Jewish Agency for Israel ($46,006,741) and the World Zionist Organization ($32,690,766).[13]
Religious Zionism and Chabad
Religious Zionist and Orthodox slates won seats in the 2025 Congress election, including Eretz HaKodesh (28,165 votes, 19 delegates) and OIC-Mizrachi (26,640 votes, 18 delegates).[3]
The Lubavitch World Headquarters lists 53 regional Chabad entries for the US, whose institution counts add up to 1,513.[14] Chabad figures in the synagogue survey and census tables below and in the IRS search results at Haredi and Hasidic groups in the US. See Chabad-Lubavitch movement.
Satmar is anti-Zionist. In 2017 the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that a rally of 15,000 to 20,000 people in Brooklyn was mostly made up of members of "the Satmar Hasidic sect, whose Central Rabbinical Congress of the USA and Canada organized the rally", and that "The Hasidic sect believes a state of Israel should not exist until the Messiah comes."[15]
See also Haredi and Hasidic groups in the US.
Synagogue movements and schools
There are four main synagogue movements in the US, each of which is formally Zionist. The Reform movement's Zionist body, ARZA, describes itself as "the Zionist arm and voice of the Reform Movement", operating "under the umbrella of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)", and says "ARZA unconditionally supports Israel".[16] MERCAZ USA says it is "the United States branch of MERCAZ OLAMI, the Zionist organization of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement", representing Masorti Judaism within the WZO, the Jewish Agency, the AZM and the JNF.[17] The Orthodox Union's advocacy centre lists "Supporting Israel" among its issues.[18] Reconstructing Judaism, the successor to the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, says it "is a progressive Zionist organization".[19]
Orthodox Union (Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America) | Union of American Hebrew Congregations (Reform) | The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism | Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
Synagogue survey, 2001
Data here are from a 2001 Synagogue survey.[20]
| Orientation | Movement name | Zionist | Number of synagogues | Percentage of Synagogues |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orthodox | Orthodox Union | Yes | 352 | 9.4 |
| Orthodox Hasidic | Chabad Lubavitch | Yes | 346[21] | 9.3 |
| National Council of Young Israel | Yes | 150 | 4.0 | |
| Orthodox Haredi (ie both Misnagdim and Hasidim) | Agudath Israel of America | Yes | 55 | 1.5 |
| Orthodox | Independent – ‘both Hasidic and non-Hasidic. ‘The Hasidic groups include Satmar, Ger, Bobov, Vishnitz, Bratslav, Skver, and Boston | Satmar is anti-Zionist.[15] | 542 | 14.5 |
| Orthodox | American Sephardi Federation | 120 (though 4 are said to be ‘non-orthodox’) | 3.2 | |
| Orthodox | Total | 1,501 | 40.3 | |
| Traditional | Union for Traditional Judaism | 2 | 0.1 | |
| Traditional | Traditional - independent | 44 | 1.2 | |
| Traditional | Total | 46 | 1.3 | |
| Conservative | The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism | Yes | 684 | 18.4 |
| Conservative | Conservative independent | 181 | 4.9 | |
| Conservative | Total | 865 | 23.2 | |
| Progressive | Union of American Hebrew Congregations (Reform) | Yes | 882 | 23.7 |
| Progressive | ‘Reform’ - independent | 98 | 2.5 | |
| Progressive | Jewish Reconstructionist Federation | Yes | 99 | 2.7 |
| Progressive | Total | 1,079 | 32.9 | |
| Humanistic | 32 | 0.9 | ||
| World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organizations | 19 | 0.5 | ||
| Jewish Renewal | 14 | 0.4 | ||
| Other/not stated | 179 | 4.8 | ||
| Total | 3,727 [22] |
Congregation data from the US Census 2020
| Group Name | Congregations | Adherents | Adherents as % of Total Adherents | Adherents as % of Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chabad Judaism | 953 | |||
| Conservative Judaism | 529 | 417,316 | 0.26% | 0.13% |
| Independent Judaism | 130 | 8,486 | 0.01% | 0.00% |
| Orthodox Judaism | 914 | 941,480 | 0.58% | 0.28% |
| Reconstructionist Judaism | 90 | 39,441 | 0.02% | 0.01% |
| Reform Judaism | 690 | 662,104 | 0.41% | 0.20% |
| Total | 3,306 | 2,068,827 | 0.62% |
Source: US Religion Census 2020.[23]
Leaders
| Name | Position | Source date |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Levenson | President, American Zionist Movement[24] | October 2026 |
| Shoshana Dweck | National Board Chair, American Zionist Movement[24] | October 2026 |
| Herbert Block | Executive Director, American Zionist Movement[25] | October 2026 |
| Jim Berk | Chief executive, Simon Wiesenthal Center[11] | October 2026 |
| Abraham Cooper | Associate Dean and Global Social Action Director, Simon Wiesenthal Center[11] | October 2026 |
| Marvin Hier | Founder and Dean Emeritus, Simon Wiesenthal Center[11] | October 2026 |
| Tammi Rossman-Benjamin | Cofounder and director, AMCHA Initiative[12] | October 2026 |
See also
- Zionist movement by country
- Zionist movement US: Big Israel data
- Zionist movement US: lobbying and election spending data
- Zionist movement US: Foreign Agents Registration Act data
- Haredi and Hasidic groups in the US
- Chabad-Lubavitch movement
- Zionist movement Canada
- Zionist movement UK
Notes
- ↑ World Zionist Organization, "Delegates", 39th Zionist Congress, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ American Zionist Movement, "American Zionist Movement", accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "AZM: These are the certified results of the World Zionist Congress elections", Israel National News, 4 September 2025, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sergio DellaPergola, "World Jewish Population, 2023", American Jewish Year Book 2023, Berman Jewish DataBank, accessed 25 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 American Zionist Movement, "About", accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Hillel International, "Hillel Israel Guidelines", accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The Israel Lobby Archive The Israel Lobby: Israel Affinity Organizations - Data.
- ↑ https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 OpenSecrets, "Pro-Israel Summary", accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Anti-Defamation League, "About", archived 3 January 2026, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Simon Wiesenthal Center, "Leadership", accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 AMCHA Initiative, "About", accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ US Department of Justice, FARA eFile document search, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters, "USA – Centers", accessed 26 October 2026; the institution counts for its 53 regional entries add up to 1,513.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Thousands of anti-Zionist Haredi Orthodox Jews protest in Brooklyn against IDF conscription", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 12 June 2017, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ ARZA, "About Us", accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ MERCAZ USA, "MERCAZ USA", accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, "Israel", accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Reconstructing Judaism, "Frequently Asked Questions" on Reconstructionism, "Israel" and Zionism, accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ Jim Schwartz, Jeffrey Scheckner, And Laurence Kotler-Berkowitz ‘Census of U.S. Synagogues, 2001’, ‘’American Jewish Yearbook, 2002’’: 112-149.
- ↑ Among Orthodox Union synagogues, 56 are also members of another group, among Young Israel 35, among Lubavitch six, and among Agudath Israel five. See Schwartz et al, op cit.
- ↑ In 2001: https://web.archive.org/web/20030210185842/http://www.religioustolerance.org/jud_desc.htm
- ↑ US Religion Census 2020.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 American Zionist Movement, "Officers", accessed 26 October 2026.
- ↑ American Zionist Movement, "Staff", accessed 26 October 2026.