There are several important questions that need to be asked and responded to in order to clarify the differences between Habayit Hayehudi, Likud and the National Union parties. We believe that every religious Zionist should support Habayit Hayehudi, as was originally agreed upon by all of the religious Zionist parties until the National Union broke away.

Here are some of the questions that were asked of Habayit Hayehudi leadership:

Why this divisiveness; why this dissension?

The dissension was caused by those who resisted the call to unity and change within the religious Zionist

Under no circumstances will we support a political move that will include the giving away of parts of Eretz Yisroel.

community. After a public committee that every party had agreed to completed its complex discussions and finally reached unanimity of choice of candidates' positions on the Habayit Hayehudi political list, a group of dissenters, some of whom wanted their relatives and friends as candidates, demanded that the list positions be changed in their favor. This, of course, was not possible after the public committee unanimously made its choices.

Despite this, serious attempts were made to strengthen the positions of these dissenters to retain the unity, but in the end it was clear that unity was not the goal of those who broke away to recreate their old parties. All of the dissenting parties left Habayit Hayehudi and only the Mafdal (the National Religious Party) remained, even though not all of the Mafdal leaders had been given realistic positions on the party list.

Who are the candidates of Habayit Hayehudi?

Rabbi Professor Daniel Hershkowitz from Haifa is a man of Torah and science and he specifically represents the philosophy of Habayit Hayehudi. His resume and his personality are a perfect expression of the combination of Torah and Avodah, faith and science, and what we continually demand: to be a modern man with deep religious roots.

Knesset member Zevulun Orlev is a member of the Knesset who excels in the fields of education and welfare. Uri Orbach is a popular Israeli newsman who is responsible for the development of many communications tools that serve the religious Zionist community. Nissan Slomiansky is a member of the Knesset who has excelled in his support for religious Zionist institutions and for the settlements of Judea and Samaria.

Sar-Shalom Gerbi is a representative of the smaller communities, the general manager of the Mafdal, and is a young leader of the organization. Liora Minka is the chairwoman of the Emunah Women's organization, which was recently awarded the Israel Prize. Shela Shorshan-Roznik was a victim of terrorism who leads an organization to support terror victims. Dr. Avraham Negusa is a social activist among the Jews of Ethiopia.

Rabbi Dr. Ofir Cohen was expelled from Gush Katif and is the leader of the Torah study movement in Ashkelon. Elyashiv Reichner is a reporter and a social services activist in Yerucham.

The remainder of the list is replete with quality supporters of Torah V'Avodah and represents all that is good in religious Zionism. The list includes women representatives, settlers and residents of the periphery, and signifies the relevance of Habayit Hayehudi for every Israeli community.

After all this divisiveness, why not just vote Likud?

The Likud is a secular party and its leaders are not concerned about Judaism. No one in the Likud will concern himself with the Jewish character of the State. They will not concern themselves with the status and importance of the Chief Rabbinate, nor of the strengthening of religious education, and definitely will not dare criticize the Supreme Court over its decisions on religion and state.

Habayit Hayehudi is not embarrassed to deal with the Jewishness of the state and considers Judaism an inseparable aspect of education, security, society, national economy and culture. Habayit Hayehudi is the natural home of every religious Israeli who wants to live in a normal state that does not forget its origins.

In this election, Binyamin Netanyahu is leaning to the center and we must keep him to the right. His own party members will not be able to control Netanyahu if he swings toward dangerous political misadventures. A political

We will deal with education, with the Jewish character of the State of Israel, and with socioeconomic disparities....

party like Habayit Hayehudi will join the coalition (unlike the Ichud Haleumi with its extreme-right-wing partners) and will be able to prevent Netanyahu from straying from the right.

Will you leave a government that enters negotiations about the territories?

Under no circumstances will we support a political move that will include the giving away of parts of Eretz Yisroel. That is our fundamental position. All the rest is tactics.

Where will you concentrate your parliamentary activity?

Habayit Hayehudi Knesset members will concentrate on those issues that we are stressing in this campaign. We will deal with education, with the Jewish character of the State of Israel, and with socioeconomic disparities, and we will strive to strengthen greater Israel.

We will prove that Jewish values are important in every sphere of life and these values cannot be interpreted to mean just another "traditional" program on Saturday night TV.

What is your attitude to the temporary settlements in Judea and Samaria, and to the renewal of the settlement of northern Samaria?

Habayit Hayehudi supports the settlement of all parts of Eretz Yisroel. We will strive to strengthen the settlements in Judea and Samaria, and to make the temporary settlements permanent. Habayit Hayehudi is aware that the major struggle for the land of Israel will take place at the government table and in the Knesset.

You placed education as your highest priority. How will this be carried out?

First we will try to get the Education Ministry portfolio in the government that will be formed. Even if we do not receive the education portfolio, we will use our parliamentary skills to strengthen the Jewish identity in the educational system, to strengthen the state religious schools, to strengthen the Zionist Torah world, to reduce the payments required of parents, to strengthen the youth movements and to improve financial allocations to the educational system.

In this sphere, our party has much to contribute and even the non-religious are aware of our ability.

What is your social agenda?

Those of us in Habayit Hayehudi view social justice, mutual concern and compassion in finance as inseparable parts of Judaism. Habayit Hayehudi is a party with social values and will strive for social justice in the State of Israel in the spirit of Torah.

Our major goals include the strengthening of workers' rights in Israel by legislation which will also include the rights of the workers of independent contractors. We will strive to enhance the enforcement of existing labor laws, defend the rights of the disabled, and improve the economy in the peripheral towns of the south and north via investments in basic infrastructure, by reinstituting their building benefits and developing employment opportunities.

In order to improve the spiritual and cultural levels, we will inaugurate and strengthen the Torah nucleus of the developing towns.

Habayit Hayehudi does not believe in the effectiveness of religious legislation.

Will you try to introduce religious laws?

Habayit Hayehudi does not believe in the effectiveness of religious legislation; rather, we believe in achieving a broad consensus that will result in the strengthening of the Jewish character of the state, and in an improvement in the relations between religious and non-religious citizens.

We will strengthen the status of the Jewish faith by streamlining religious services and the operations of the rabbinical courts. We will emphasize religious conversion as a timely necessity by strengthening special courts for conversion.

As a religious Zionist party, we will do all in our power to have religious Zionist judges appointed to positions in the Chief Rabbinate, in local rabbinical positions and in rabbinical courts. Habayit Hayehudi will strive for a real increase in the Jewishness of the state, not by legislation or large-scale struggles, but rather by influencing non-religious citizens through deeds, education and by serving as examples of what religious Judaism has to offer.