Mercaz USA, officially Mercaz - The Movement to Reaffirm Conservative Zionism Inc, is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

focused on

Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

and

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a Jewish religious movements, Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations ...

, headquartered in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Mission

The mission of Mercaz USA is to further the principles of the

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

program to affirm the goals of

and provide a vehicle through which Conservative Jews can express their commitment to Zionism.Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax
. ''Mercaz-The Movement to Reaffirm Conservative Zionism Inc''.

Guidestar Candid is an information service specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies. In 2016, its database provided information on 2.5 million organizations. It is the product of the February 2019 merger of GuideStar with Foundation Center. ...

. June 30, 2015.Mission
. ''Mercaz USA''. Retrieved January 11, 2017.

Program services

Mercaz USA publishes educational programs about

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

and Zionism for use with high school students and adults.Programs
. ''Mercaz-The Movement to Reaffirm Conservative Zionism Inc''. Retrieved January 11, 2017. Mercaz USA advocates for

religious pluralism Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religion, religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following: * Recognizing and Religious tolerance, tolerating the religio ...

funding Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm use ...

for Conservative Judaism, and Israel's right to security and peace. Mercaz USA encourages people to travel and make

aliyah ''Aliyah'' (, ; ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine (region), Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the Israel ...

to Israel. Members of Mercaz USA are eligible to elect other members to the

World Zionist Congress The Zionist Congress was established in 1897 by Theodor Herzl as the supreme organ of the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization (ZO) and its legislative authority. In 1960 the names were changed to World Zionist Congress ( ''HaKongres ...

. Mercaz USA, Association of Reform Zionists of America, and

Religious Zionists of America The Religious Zionists of America (Hebrew official name: Religious Zionists of America/Mizrachi-Hapoel Hamizrachi, also known as Mizrachi, is an American-based organization that is the official body for those, mostly Modern Orthodox Jews who id ...

comprise the three largest contingents of the American delegation to the World Zionist Congress."Care about Israel? Vote in the 'other' Israeli elections". ''The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California'' (San Francisco, California). April 24, 2015. p. 24.

History

Mercaz USA was founded in 1978"Kornfield, Cheryl L. "Mercaz head working for equal rights". ''MetroWest Jewish News'' (East Orange, New York). March 13, 1997. p. 8. and incorporated in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on June 4, 1979.Mercaz - The Movement to Reaffirm Conservative Zionism Inc - Initial File Number: 792061
''District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs''. Government of the District of Columbia. Retrieved January 11, 2017. In 1998, the Israel Policy Forum asked American Jewish groups to sign a letter encouraging

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

to continue his current policy toward the

State of Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and the

Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a c ...

."Conference Writes Letter to Clinton On Arab Bigotry: Foxman Demurs". ''Forward''. January 16, 1998. p. 1. Mercaz USA chose not to endorse the letter, saying, "It is not a reflection of the contents of the letter one way or another. It was not a letter coming out of the American Zionist Movement or the Presidents Conference, the two organizations to which Mercaz belongs." In 1999, the

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

passed legislature stating that individuals may sit on local religious councils only if they vow allegiance to the

Chief Rabbinate of Israel The Chief Rabbinate of Israel (, ''Ha-Rabbanut Ha-Rashit Li-Yisra'el'') is recognized by law as the supreme rabbinic authority for Judaism in Israel. It was established in 1921 under the British Mandate, and today operates on the basis of the ...

."Doron Invoking the Holocaust To Warn of Dangers of Reform: Federations Enter Fray Against Orthodox". ''Forward''. January 29, 1999. p. 1. In a letter to

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

, 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."

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.mercazusa.com American Zionist Movement Conservative Zionism Jewish charities based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in New York City