Mercaz USA

The mission of Mercaz USA is to further the principles of the Jerusalem program to affirm the goals of Zionism and provide a vehicle through which Conservative Jews can express their commitment to Zionism.[2][6]

Mercaz USA publishes educational programs about Hebrew and Zionism for use with high school students and adults.[7] Mercaz USA advocates for religious pluralism, funding for Conservative Judaism, and Israel's right to security and peace.[7] Mercaz USA encourages people to travel and make aliyah to Israel.[7]

Members of Mercaz USA are eligible to elect other members to the World Zionist Congress.[8] Mercaz USA, Association of Reform Zionists of America, and Religious Zionists of America comprise the three largest contingents of the American delegation to the World Zionist Congress.[9]

Mercaz USA was founded in 1978[8] and incorporated in Washington, D.C., on June 4, 1979.[4]

In 1998, the Israel Policy Forum asked American Jewish groups to sign a letter encouraging President Bill Clinton to continue his current policy toward the State of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.[10] Mercaz USA chose not to endorse the letter, saying, "It is not a reflection of the contents of the letter one way or another.[10] It was not a letter coming out of the American Zionist Movement or the Presidents Conference, the two organizations to which Mercaz belongs."[10]

In 1999, the Knesset passed legislature stating that individuals may sit on local religious councils only if they vow allegiance to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.[11] In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mercaz USA wrote that the legislature was a "deliberate slap in the face of the majority of world Jewry who are not affiliated with Orthodoxy. ... We are deeply concerned that Israel's image as a democratic country may be undermined by this bill."[11]

• Official website