The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home

Founded in 2008

The Jewish Home ("HaBayit HaYehudi") was founded in 2008, before the elections for the 18th Knesset, in order to formally merge the National Religious Party (the Mafdal) and the National Union (HaIchud HaLeumi) —which had already been operating as a joint faction in the 17th Knesset—into a unified right-wing party. Two key figures, however, refused to participate in the merger: Effi Eitam of the National Religious Party, who joined the Likud, and Aryeh Eldad of the National Union, who chose to form the HaTikvah party instead. The merged party's list of Knesset candidates was determined by a public council. Disappointed by the council's decision, the members of the National Union resigned from the new party and ran for the 18th Knesset together with HaTikvah as part of the National Union's list. 

 

In November 2012, in the lead up to the elections for the 19th Knesset, the party underwent a transformation. The party conducted for the first time primary elections for its leadership and lists of candidates. Naftali Bennett, who was elected as the party leader, led the party in an impressive achievement of 12 mandates in the Knesset elections. The party's final list for the 2013 elections also included representatives of the National Union, headed by Uri Ariel. In the 2015 elections the party gained just 8 seats, but was a key coalition partner in Netanyahu's 4th government. In late 2018, Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, left the party to establish The New Right. The party appointed Rafi Peretz as its new chairman and shortly afterwards decided to extend its cooperation with the National Union, and to run also with far right Otzma Yehudit under the Union of Right-Wing Parties. The party did not compete in the 2021 elections. In the 2022 elections it competed with Ayelet Shaked's party. 

table
Election Year Votes Count Number Of Seats Share Of Votes List Of Candidates Platform
2022 56,775 - 1.2 Candidates Candidates
2015 283,910 8 6.7 Candidates Candidates Platform Platform
2013 345,985 12 9.1 Candidates Candidates Platform Platform
2009 96,765 3 2.9 Candidates Candidates Platform Platform

Note that in the table above, the list of candidates and platform for 2009 are in Hebrew, while the candidates and platform for 2013 are in English.

Naftali Bennett, Zevulun Orlev, Daniel Hershkowitz, Ayelet Shaked, Rafi Peretz.

 

Following the elections of 2009, The Jewish Home was one of the six parties that made up Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's second government. Its representative in the government was Daniel Hershkowitz, who served as Minister of Science and Technology.

In Netanyahu’s third government, which took office in March 2013, the party was allocated with two ministerial positions: Naftali Bennett was appointed Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor; and Uri Orbach was appointed Pensioners Minister. In Netanyahu's fourth government (2015-2019) Bennett was appointed as the Minister of Education, and Ayelet Shaked as the Minister of Justice.