(IsraelNN.com) The Jewish Home party is no longer attempting to unify the religious-Zionist camp, but rather to attract the “moderate” religious vote.

The party began with great fanfare three months ago as a "unification" of the various parties comprising the Zionist-religious camp.  However, after a series of controversial decisions, capped by the compilation of its list of Knesset candidates, the more Land of Israel-oriented wing of the party felt disenfranchised.  As a result, the leading member of this sector, MK Uri Ariel, quit and decided to re-establish the National Union party. 

He was not the only one to leave. Among the top ten, a full half left - Yesha Council head Danny Dayan, Alon Davidi of Sderot, Shuli Mualem of N’vei Daniel, and Rabbi Hillel Horowitz of Hevron - either directly or indirectly as a result of Ariel’s departure.  Dayan reportedly felt that that the party should have a more secular flavor, while Davidi and Horowitz ostensibly felt that their nationalist views were not sufficiently represented on the list.  Finally, Mualem left after she was moved down two slots by Jewish Home leaders to #6 – no longer considered a very realistic spot.

The party list now looks like this:

1.  Party leader Rabbi Prof. Daniel Hershkovitz, rabbi in the Ahuza neighborhood of Haifa and Professor of Mathematics at the Technion
2. MK Zevulun Orlev, leader of the former National Religious Party
3. Uri Orbach, writer and radio personality
4. MK Nissan Slomiansky
5. Sar-Shalom Jerby, secretary-general of the former NRP
6. Emunah Women Chairperson Liora Minke
7. Shella Shorshan
8. Avraham Negosa, a leader of Ethiopian Jewry in Israel
9. Rabbi Ophir Cohen, formerly of Kfar Darom in Gush Katif
10. Journalist Elyashiv Reichner
11. Elchanan Glatt

All of the candidates are either members of the National Religious Party or identify with it ideologically. The NRP has thus come nearly full-circle: From dissolving itself in order to meld into the Jewish Home, in which it had a major influence, to being left on its own – with new Knesset candidates in place of many of the old ones.

Slomiansky: Sad But Ready to Work
Speaking with IsraelNationalNews the morning after the National Union was re-created and his Jewish Home party was all but officially reduced to being the NRP once again, Slomiansky said he was a bit sad but ready to work: “On the one hand, the situation is not good, but on the other hand, at least all doubts have now been resolved, and we’re now ready to get to work.  What happened here was rather shameful, but the bottom line is that we have largely returned to the values and ideals of the original NRP – Jewish education, identity and outreach.  All this, of course, not at the expense of our commitment to the Land of Israel.”

Asked if the Jewish Home would now be considered like Meimad (a left-wing religious party) compared to the National Union, Slomiansky rejected this idea, but explained, “The differences between us will become clear.  We don’t want to be in the opposition just for the sake of being in the opposition, whereas they refuse to consider sitting in a government that will talk with the Palestinian Authority about giving away land. But it’s obvious that every Prime Minister in Israel has to talk with the PA; even I would talk with the PA, but I would just drag it out forever… We don’t just want to yell and protest from the Opposition, but rather have a real say.  Of course, if it appears that the government is truly going in a direction that we don’t like, we will leave.”

Hendel: A Vote for Either Party is Good
MK Hendel, for his part, said that he is planning to wage a campaign among the religious-Zionist youth in order to increase support for the religious-nationalist camp in general: “There will be those who feel more comfortable voting for one party, and others who lean towards the other, and that’s fine.  As long as we don’t besmirch each other, we will hopefully be able to take advantage of this situation to increase our strength all around.”

In the National Union, as well, there appears to be a consensus that the competition between the two parties must be kept tame and above-board.  National Union leaders Katz and Ariel have mentioned their plans to sign a surplus-votes agreement with the Jewish Home.

Five MKs are Out of the Running
Of the nine MKs of the former National Union/NRP, only four now have any chance of entering the next Knesset: Orlev and Slomiansky in the Jewish Home, and Ariel and Eldad in the National Union.  Of the others, Eli Gabbai of the NRP objected to the original merger from the beginning, and vied – unsuccessfully – for a place on the Likud list.  The Achi party, of Rabbi Yitzchak Levy and Effie Eitam, did not join the Jewish Home, trying instead to break in with the Likud; an agreement was ultimately signed between the two parties, but Levy and Eitam are not on the list of candidates.  MK Benny Elon left politics altogether after being chosen to the #17 slot in the Jewish Home. 

Hendel, on the other hand, who had been chosen for the 12th spot but is now not on the list at all, has decided not to leave the party, saying, “We made a commitment to remain, no matter what.”