| The Jewish Home הבית היהודי |
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|---|---|
| Leader | Daniel Hershkovitz |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Jerusalem, Israel |
| Ideology | Religious Zionism, Modern Orthodox Judaism |
| International affiliation | Mizrachi |
| Official colours | Orange |
| Knesset |
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| Politics of Israel Political parties Elections |
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The Jewish Home (Hebrew: הבית היהודי, HaBayit HaYehudi) is a new right-wing national religious Zionist political party in Israel. It was formed by a merger of the National Religious Party, Moledet and Tkuma in November 2008. However, after its top representative was placed 17th on the new party's list, Moledet broke away from the party, and instead ran on a joint list with Hatikva called the National Union.[1] Tkuma also rejoined the National Union whereas the Ahi faction have joined Likud.
The National Religious Party and the National Union originally allied in order to run a joint list for the 2006 elections. On 3 November 2008 it was announced that the NRP and the Moledet and Tkuma factions of the Union would merge to form a new party.[2] However, the Ahi and Hatikva factions of the Union rejected the merger – their leaders, Effi Eitam and Aryeh Eldad respectively, were both opposed to the party being a religious one,[3] while Eitam was also unhappy that the new party would not hold primaries.[4]
The party was initially nameless. Five names were proposed: HaBayit HaYehudi ("Jewish Home"), Shorashim ("Roots"), Atzma'ut ("Independence"), Shalem ("Whole"), and Amihai ("My Nation Lives"). In an on-line ballot, the members chose "Jewish Home".[5]
Ya'akov Amidror was chosen to head a public committee formed to choose the party's list for the 2009 elections.[2] On December 8, 2008, Rabbi Daniel Hershkovitz, a mathematician from the Technion, was chosen to head the new party.[6]
When Jewish Home announced its candidate list for the upcoming elections, five of the top six slots went to ex-NRP members. MK Uri Ariel of Tkuma was the sole exception: he received the third slot. Polls then indicated Jewish Home would get five to seven seats, thus making the first six spaces highly contested. The ex-National Union members again complained. Ex-Moledet MK Benny Elon stated that he would not seek reelection and was replaced on the candidate list by American immigrant Uri Bank. The remaining Moledet members broke away and allied with Hatikva in a revived Union. (Bank also later switched to the Union.)
On December 25, Tkuma MK Ariel left Jewish Home and joined the Union.[7] This left Jewish Home as little more than a renamed NRP.
In the 2009 election, Jewish Home won three seats.[8]
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