Former Jewish Home Deputy Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan told Arutz Sheva that his name was put on the Yemina list without his knowledge. "The word candidate is a little funny. They didn't even ask me and I was put on the list without being notified. I guess they needed names and put me on the list."
Ben-Dahan expressed his disappointment with the last-minute political maneuvering that led the Jewish Home to offer high places on the list to National Religious media personalities, knocking down other candidates to unrealistic spots on the list, and to breach its agreement with Otzma Yehudit.
He is considering whether to continue being a member of Jewish Home or to form or join another party. He is meeting with MK Moti Yogev who announced on Wednesday that he leaving the Jewish Home to discuss their options.
"Moti and I talked yesterday and met today (Thursday). Both of us are the only ones who were officially elected by the Jewish Home election committee and we will consider together what to do. The name Jewish Home now belongs to Rabbi Rafi Peretz and Nir Auerbach. We have to discuss whether we'll use the name - building something new - or we'll let someone else rebuild the home for Religious-Zionism. I think that ultimately this is the eulogy for the community and the entire state of Israel."
"The Jewish Home has a voice that no other party has, which connects between the holy and secular, which sees the State of Israel as the beginning of our salvation... It is a name with a tradition and it's reached its end unless we can revive it."
"I admit that the Jewish Home can't run alone [in the elections]. I felt that there should be a full merger between the National Union and the Jewish Home three months ago. We need to consider how to accomplish this."