The Haredi Public (HaTzibur HaHaredi) הציבור החרדי
- Leader
- Moti Leitner, Party chairman; ranked 1. The list's top four include two women, a first for a Haredi party (Ynet, 2026-09-08) [source, 2026-09-08]
- Bloc
- Unaligned
- Founded
- announced 2026-07-19 with an advertising campaign in Haredi cities; Knesset run and campaign launched 2026-08-23 in Beit Shemesh (JPost https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/art... Ynet https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hjmjaqdwzl)
- Seats, 25th Knesset
- 0
- Status 2026
- sub-threshold in polls; running alone but in merger talks. Channel 12 poll of 2026-08-30 gave it 1.2 percent (1.5 percent in a Smotrich-Feiglin merger scenario), below the 3.25 percent threshold (Yeshiva World https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2592108/; Bhol https://www.bhol.co.il/news/1737809). A party source said it is in talks with Ofer Winter's camp about joining forces (VINnews https://vinnews.com/2026/09/01/talks-underway-between-tzibur... 2026-09-01). Ben Gvir said he has no plans to add new small Haredi factions to his list (Matzav 2026-08-17).
- List status
- Filed with the CEC on 2026-09-08; 12 candidates as submitted to the Central Elections Committee; not yet certified (CEC approval of lists due 2026-09-27). Ballot name: הציבור החרדי בראשות מוטי ליטנר.
- MEF poll average
- (below threshold in most polls); range to across 0 polls in the window
Background
The party was announced on 2026-07-19 by Beit Shemesh deputy mayor Moti Leitner with billboard campaigns in Haredi cities, stating a goal of representing working Haredim who feel unrepresented by Shas and UTJ (JPost https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/art...). Leitner initially sought representation on the Shas or UTJ lists and support for Haredi enlistment (JPost https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-905477, 2026-08-14). On 2026-08-23 it announced an independent Knesset run at a Beit Shemesh event under the slogan 'This time we take responsibility', promising a list of Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Hasidic candidates (Walla https://news.walla.co.il/item/3862641). Its first poll appearance on 2026-08-30 was 1.2 percent (Bhol). By 2026-09-01 it was in merger talks with Ofer Winter (VINnews).
Knesset list
Order and Hebrew names as filed with the Central Elections Committee (CEC list page, 2026-09-08). Lists are as submitted and not yet certified; the CEC is due to approve lists on 27 September 2026. Party of record in brackets for joint lists. † marks names whose English spelling is transliterated from the filing rather than taken from English-language press.
- Moti Leitner ליטנר פנחס מרדכי [source, 2026-09-08]
- Asher Freddy פרדי אשר [source, 2026-09-08]
- Nechumi Yaffe יפה מרים נחמה [source, 2026-09-08]
- Ziva Glantz גלאנץ זיוה רנית [source, 2026-09-08]
- Mordechai Rubinstein † רובינשטיין מרדכי [source, 2026-09-08]
- Yitzchak Adlerstein † אדלרשטיין יצחק [source, 2026-09-08]
- Aharon Ungar † אונגאר אהרן [source, 2026-09-08]
- Yehuda Oppenheimer † אופנהיימר יהודה [source, 2026-09-08]
- Chaim Yehuda Leib Gottlieb † גוטליב חיים יהודה לייב [source, 2026-09-08]
- Yona Shlomo Kaufman † קאופמן יונה שלמה [source, 2026-09-08]
- Eliyahu Goldberg † גולדברג אליהו [source, 2026-09-08]
- Reuven Ohana † אוחנה ראובן [source, 2026-09-08]
Platform and positions
| other | The party said its full platform and detailed proposals would be presented 'in the coming weeks' after the 2026-08-23 launch; none located as of 2026-09-03. Items below are launch statements. [source, 2026-08-23] |
| Haredi draft | Leader statement. 'Those who genuinely study Torah will receive full and absolute protection. Those who are not studying will serve. We will not establish only a Haredi brigade; we will establish an entire Haredi division.' [source, 2026-08-24] |
| religion-state | Campaign focus: protecting the Torah world while introducing mathematics and English studies in Haredi schools (Talmudei Torah) and expanding employment. [source, 2026-08-23] |
| economy | Leader statement. 'A father who wants to support his family with dignity must be able to do so'; the party names poverty in the Haredi sector as a core issue. [source, 2026-08-23] |
| other | Leader statement on rivals. 'A vote for United Torah Judaism or Shas is a vote for the extremists and bullies of the Jerusalem Faction'; Leitner said the existing leadership 'adopted detachment as policy'. [source, 2026-08-23] |
Recent moves
- 2026-07-19: Party announced with advertising campaign in Haredi cities [source, 2026-07-19]
- 2026-08-14: Leitner interview: seeks Haredi enlistment and core curriculum; open to representation within Shas or UTJ [source, 2026-08-14]
- 2026-08-23: Campaign launch in Beit Shemesh; announced independent run for the 26th Knesset [source, 2026-08-23]
- 2026-08-26: Campaign ads targeted Deri, Gafni and Goldknopf by name; Emess noted no poll had shown the party near the threshold [source, 2026-08-26]
- 2026-08-30: Channel 12 poll: 1.2 percent, 1.5 percent in one scenario [source, 2026-08-30]
- 2026-09-01: Party source confirmed talks with Ofer Winter about joining forces [source, 2026-09-01]
- 2026-09-08: Candidate list filed with the Central Elections Committee (12 names) [source, 2026-09-08]
What MEF has published
No MEF pieces matched in the archive since 2025.
Not verified
- Whether the party files a list at all or merges with Amcha Yisrael before the deadline.
- Any candidate names beyond Leitner.
- Registrar of Parties registration and official website; none located.
- Kikar HaShabbat poll item of 2026-09-01 is marked as sponsored content by the party.
Sources
- https://www.gov.il/he/pages/tzibur-charedi_list20
- https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-902998
- https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-905477
- https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hjmjaqdwzl
- https://www.mako.co.il/news-israel-elections/2026_q3/Article-aaa4dd2820f20a1026.htm
- https://news.walla.co.il/item/3862641
- https://www.i24news.tv/he/news/israel-elections-2026/artc-f5156c6a
- https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/new-moderate-haredi-party-launches-aims-to-pr
- https://vinnews.com/2026/08/24/the-charedi-public-party-announces-knesset-run-and-launches
- https://vinnews.com/2026/09/01/talks-underway-between-tzibur-hacharedi-party-and-ofer-wint
- https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2592108/surprise-poll-newly-launched-char
- https://www.bhol.co.il/news/1737809
- https://www.emess.co.il/radio/1921138
- https://www.thejc.com/news/world/have-the-strictly-orthodox-israelis-who-long-to-be-part-o
