New Ultra-Orthodox Party 'HaKehel' Joins Forces with Noam Party

The ultra-Orthodox political landscape saw a significant development Tuesday as the new party 'HaKehel', led by Shlomo Elbaum, signed an agreement to run jointly with the Noam party, headed by MK Avi Maoz, in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. The merger, reported by Moti Castel on Channel 14, occurred on the final day for list submissions, following weeks of reported negotiations between emerging parties in the Haredi sector and Noam.

'HaKehel' aims to present an alternative model to established Haredi parties by selecting its representatives through primaries rather than internal appointments. The party held its primary election on August 19, with 14,469 voters participating. Elbaum secured the top spot with 5,282 votes, followed by Yitzhak Challah, Baruch Adler, David Gabay, and Eliyahu Ben Moyal.

Elbaum, a Bnei Brak city council member and opposition leader, has recently criticized the traditional Haredi parties' appointment system, arguing that the lack of direct public election undermines representatives' accountability to voters. The agreement with Noam alters 'HaKehel's' strategy, as the party had previously planned to compete independently as a new Haredi entity.

The full details of the agreement, including the placement of 'HaKehel' representatives on the joint list, have not yet been released.