2012 The Jewish Home leadership election

2012 The Jewish Home leadership election
← 2008 5 November 2012 2015 →
 
Candidate Naftali Bennett Zevulun Orlev
Party Jewish Home Jewish Home
Popular vote 23,645 11,501
Percentage 67.27% 32.73%
Leader before election

Daniel Hershkowitz

 Elected Leader

Naftali Bennett

The 2012 The Jewish Home leadership election was held on 5 November 2012[1] to elect the leader of The Jewish Home party. The election took place in advance of the 2013 Israeli legislative election.[2] Naftali Bennett was elected as leader, defeating Zevulun Orlev.[1]

A month before the leadership election, incumbent leader Daniel Hershkowitz announced that he would not contend.[1]

Background

The Jewish Home was founded in 2008 as a merger of the National Religious Party and the National Union,[3] who previously ran on a joint ticket in the 2006 election.[4] The party's first leader was Daniel Hershkowitz, a mathematician who was chosen by a special committee led by Yaakov Amidror.[5] In the 2009 election, the party was elected to the Knesset, winning 3 seats.[6] The party then joined the newly-formed second Netanyahu government.[7]

On 19 April 2012, the party decided to hold a membership census, which would be followed by elections to the party's leadership and electoral list in September.[8] The census began on 22 April,[9] but ended in early September.[10] As a result, the leadership election took place in November.[11] On 17 May, Member of the Knesset Zevulun Orlev announced his intention to run for leadership,[12] challenging Hershkowitz.[13] On 21 May, former Yesha Council chairman Naftali Bennett announced his campaign.[14]

Candidates

Withdrawn

Campaign

On 19 October, Bennett, Orlev and Hershkowitz participated in a televised debate held on Channel 2 and hosted by Amit Segal. The debate took place a day after the National Union merged into the Jewish Home.[20] On 22 October, Hershkowitz announced his withdrawal from the election and endorsed Orlev.[19]

Results

The election was open to the party's nearly 54,000 members to vote in 168 polling stations across the nation.[1][21]

2015 The Jewish Home leadership election[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Jewish Home Naftali Bennett 23,645 67.27%
Jewish Home Zevulun Orlev 11,501 32.73%
Jewish Home Yehuda Cohen 79 0.22%

Aftermath

After his loss, Orlev announced that he would be retiring from the Knesset.[1] Following the primary, the party won 12 seats in the 2013 election, and remained in the coalition.[23][24]

In 2019, The Times of Israel reported on a potential police probe into potential unreported funds received by Bennett's 2012 leadership campaign.[25]

Bennett led the party until late 2018, when he left to co-found and lead The New Right.[26] He later became the prime minister of Israel, serving from 2021 through 2022.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Oster, Marcy (7 November 2012). "Naftali Bennett elected Jewish Home Party head". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Naftali Bennett | Biography, Politics, Party, & Coalition | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  3. ^ Meranda, Amnon (3 November 2008). "Right-wing parties unite". Ynet. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  4. ^ Shragai, Nadav (2 October 2006). "National Union, NRP Join Forces for Upcoming Ballot". Haaretz. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  5. ^ Wagner, Matthew (9 December 2008). "Habayit Hayehudi opts for Hershkowitz". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  6. ^ Weisman, Lilach (3 January 2013). "מי שני, יחימוביץ' או בנט?, לילך ויסמן". Globes (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  7. ^ Case Bryant, Christa (23 January 2013). "Centrists make strong show in Israel, tempering Netanyahu". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  8. ^ Nir, Tomer (19 April 2012). "המפדל בדרך לפריימריז: המפקד יתחיל ביום ראשון". Srugim (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  9. ^ Nir, Tomer (22 April 2012). "פאשלה במפקד הציונות הדתית". Srugim (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  10. ^ Schneider, Tal (11 July 2012). "הבית היהודי מציג: מהפכה בקצב הצ'ולנט". Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  11. ^ Schneider, Tal (28 September 2012). "המפד"ל החדשה: יותר צעירים, יותר נשים". Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  12. ^ Azulay, Moran (16 May 2012). "אורלב לראשות הבית היהודי, אבל רק כמס' 1". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  13. ^ Ahren, Raphael (26 July 2012). "The new great white hope of the religious right?". Times of Israel. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  14. ^ Azulay, Moran (21 May 2012). "נפתלי בנט יתמודד לראשות הבית היהודי". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  15. ^ Kalman, Aaron; Ser, Sam (7 November 2012). "Jewish Home chooses young face to lead old party". Times of Israel. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  16. ^ Kershner, Isabel (22 July 2007). "Israeli textbook to add mention of Arab 'catastrophe'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  17. ^ "חבר הכנסת זבולון אורלב". Knesset (in Hebrew). Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  18. ^ "חבר הכנסת דניאל הרשקוביץ". Knesset (in Hebrew). Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  19. ^ a b Nir, Tomer (22 October 2012). "הסכם הפרישה: אורלב יו"ר; הרשקוביץ ישתתף בהחלטות". Srugim (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  20. ^ Avraham, Efi (21 October 2012). "העימות בבית היהודי: שלושת המתמודדים אצל עמית סגל". Srugim (in Hebrew). Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  21. ^ Azulay, Moran (6 November 2012). "Naftali Bennett wins Habayit Hayehudi primaries". Ynet. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  22. ^ אזולאי, מורן (7 November 2012). "הבית היהודי: פי 2 תומכים לבנט לעומת אורלב". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  23. ^ Winer, Stuart. "Jewish Home gets the call it was waiting for". Times of Israel. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  24. ^ "Knesset approves Netanyahu's new government, ministers sworn in". Times of Israel. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  25. ^ "Police said probing possible criminality in Bennett's 2012 party leadership bid". The Times of Israel. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  26. ^ "Police said probing possible criminality in Bennett's 2012 party leadership bid". The Times of Israel. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Naftali Bennett Fast Facts". CNN. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2023.