For decades, the corridors of the Knesset had only a limited number of Religious Zionist members of parliament. Nearly all of them were members of the National Religious Party (Mafdal), and because they were relatively small in numbers, their impact was limited.

That has changed dramatically in recent years. The outgoing Knesset had a record number of Religious Zionist Knesset members, with 31 coming and going over the past four years. 

The slate that billed itself as the Religious Zionist Party, which included Knesset members from the mixed religious and secular Otzma Yehudit and nationalist Charedi Noam parties, won 14 seats in the last election in 2022, the third most of all lists that ran, bringing 12 national religious MKs to the Knesset. 

The Likud had a minyan of kippot in its faction, plus a female Religious Zionist in Environment Minister Idit Silman. The party headed by Benny Gantz had six Religious Zionist MKs before it disintegrated, and Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid had two.

How each of the 31 represented and served Religious Zionists in Israel and the Diaspora is, of course, up to interpretation, but their sheer numbers made their presence felt – and they had less of a problem getting a Mincha minyan in the synagogue on the first floor of the Knesset. 

Now, with elections on the horizon on October 27th, it is looking like the number of Religious Zionist members of parliament will go down, in part because there are only three kippot in realistic slots on the Likud list. But what will rise is the number of parties represented in the new Knesset with Religious Zionist MKs.

Depending on how the current parties unite and how Israelis vote, the next Knesset could hold a record ten separate factions with Religious Zionist representation. Together they span the full spectrum of Religious Zionist Israelis, who disagree sharply on almost every key issue. What unites them is a shared conviction: advancing the Torah of Israel for the People of Israel in the Land of Israel, each as they see fit.

To put the election into perspective, here is a primer of the Religious Zionist candidates in each slate who realistically could be elected into the next Knesset on Election Day, based on polls at the time this was written:

Amcha Yisrael

Laly Derai, 51, had six children, including her son Saadya, a yeshiva student who fell in battle in Gaza. She made Aliyah from France at age 15. She is a member of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, a journalist, motivational speaker and advocate for service in the IDF. She earned a Master’s degree in psychology from the University of London. She is 6th on the list.

Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, 53, was born in London and raised in Gibraltar, where her father was mayor and first minister. She studied law at King’s College London before making Aliyah. She lives in Jerusalem, where she served as deputy mayor. She is now the special envoy of the Foreign Ministry for Innovation. She is 5th on the list. 

Ofer Winter, 55, was born in Rechasim and raised in Kiryat Ata, both near Haifa. The eldest of four siblings, he lives in Mitzpe Netofa in the Lower Galil with his wife, with whom he raised eight children. He attended the National Security College, served in the Sayeret Matkal and Maglan units and then headed the Givati Brigade. He studied at the IDF preparatory academy in Eli and earned degrees from Bar-Ilan and Hebrew University. He is first on the list.

B’Yachad 

Naftali Bennett, 54, was born in Haifa and raised there as well as in San Francisco, Montreal, and Teaneck, and lives in Ra’anana with his wife and four children. He served in the Sayeret Matkal and Maglan commando units and earned a law degree from Hebrew University. He co-founded a successful software company and headed the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria. He was Prime Minister from 2021 to 2022 and has also served as Minister of Defense, Economy, and Education. He is first on the list.

Jeremy Saltan, 42, studied at the Mateh Binyamin yeshiva in Beit El and Kiryat Malachi yeshiva, and earned an MA in international security and diplomacy from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Born and raised in Skokie, IL, he has worked closely with Bennett since he first entered electoral politics in 2012 as a political adviser, legislative aide, faction secretary, and coordinating his English-language media, diplomatic and field operations. A resident of Mevaseret Zion, he has served as a company commander in the IDF reserves, serving 636 days since October 7th. He is 23rd on the list.

Moshe Tur-Paz, 54, was born in Philadelphia to British parents and raised in Jerusalem, Haifa, and England. He lives in Kfar Etzion with his wife and five children. He studied at the Har Etzion and Neve Shmuel yeshivot and earned two degrees from Hebrew University. He served as director-general of the Jerusalem Education Authority, of the World ORT education network in Israel, and of the school system of the Religious Kibbutzim Movement. A Yesh Atid MK in the outgoing Knesset, he is 24th on the list. 

HaDemokratim (The Democrats)

Yaya Fink, 42, was born in Jerusalem to a father from Scranton, Pennsylvania, and a mother from Brooklyn, and is the youngest of five siblings. He lives in the northern city of Yokneam with his wife and two children. He served in the IDF’s Paratroopers Brigade, studied at Yeshivat Ma’ale Gilboa, earned an MBA from Hebrew University, and founded Darkei Noam, a liberal parasha sheet distributed in synagogues. He is 5th on the list.

HaTzionut HaDatit-Zehut (Religious Zionist Party-Zehut)

Itamar Eitam, 45, a father of six and the son of former cabinet minister and National Religious Party chairman Effi Eitam. He was raised in the Golan and lives in the Galil. A lieutenant colonel who commanded units in the IDF, he was wounded in Gaza and served close to 700 days in reserve duty since October 7. He has a Master’s degree from Bar-Ilan University and studied at the IDF preparatory academy in Eli and at the Hispin yeshiva in the Golan. He is 6th on the list.

Moshe Feiglin, 60, was born in Haifa to Australian immigrants, raised in Rehovot, and lives in Karnei Shomron, where he and his wife raised five children. He studied at Or Etzion yeshiva and served as an officer in the IDF Engineering Corps. A former Likud MK, he is 2nd on the list.

Tzvika Mor, 50, was born in Bnei Brak and raised eight children with his wife in Kiryat Arba. He studied at the Kiryat Shemonah Hesder yeshiva and Yeshivat Shavei Chevron and served in the Sayeret Matkal unit. Mor holds a PhD in psychology from the University of Cordova and degrees from Herzog College and Lifshitz College of Education. He is the chairman of the Tikva Forum, an association of families of Israeli hostages abducted to Gaza during the October 7th massacre, which he formed after the kidnapping of his son Eitan from the Nova music festival massacre to Gaza, where he was a hostage for two years. He is 5th on the list.

Simcha Rothman, 46, was born in Bnei Brak and lives in Pnei Kedem in Gush Etzion with his wife and five children. He studied at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh and earned a law degree from Tel Aviv University. He served as a religious-affairs NCO at the IDF Military Engineering School. The chairman of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee in the outgoing Knesset, he is 4th on the list.

Betzalel Smotrich, 46, was born in Chispin in the Golan Heights, raised in Beit El and lives in Kedumim in Samaria with his wife and seven children. He studied at Yeshivat Kedumim and Merkaz HaRav and earned a law degree from Ono Academic College. He served in the IDF Operations Division of the General Staff, in a shortened period of service. The Finance Minister in the outgoing government, he is first on the list.

Orit Strook, 66, was born in Jerusalem and lives in Chevron, where she and her husband raised 11 children and has been an activist for decades. She served national service at Bikur Cholim Hospital and Migdal Ha’emek, briefly lived in Yamit in Sinai, and studied at Michlalah College in Jerusalem. The Minister of Settlements and National Missions in the outgoing government, she is 3rd on the list.

Ohad Tal, 44, was born and raised in Eilat and lives in Efrat with his wife Tamar and their four children. He served in the IDF’s Armored Corps as a tank commander, taking part in Operation Defensive Shield. He holds a BA in education administration from Bar-Ilan University and an executive MBA in public policy and administration from Hebrew University. A former shaliach to the Netherlands for the Jewish Agency and World Bnei Akiva, he went on to serve as deputy director of World Mizrachi and director of World Bnei Akiva. The chairman of the Religious Zionism faction and of the Public Enterprises Committee in the outgoing Knesset, he is 12th on the list.

Kachol Lavan (Blue and White)

Aliza Bloch, 59, was born and raised in Kiryat Gat and lives with her husband and four children in Beit Shemesh, the city where she served as mayor. She has also taken a second residence in Kiryat Shemonah to show solidarity with residents of the bombarded northern development town. She earned a doctorate from Bar-Ilan University and has been principal of two schools. She is 3rd on the list.

Likud

Shlomo Karhi, 44, born in Ramat Gan and raised in the southern religious moshav of Zimrat, is the eldest of 17 siblings. He lives in Zimrat with his wife and seven children. He studied at the Kisse Rahamim and Merkaz HaRav yeshivot and the Lev Academic Center and earned a PhD in industrial engineering from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, after serving in the IDF’s religious Netzach Yehuda battalion. The Communications Minister in the outgoing government, he is 23rd on the list.

Elisha Medan, 47, is the son of Rabbi Ya’akov Medan, the dean of the Har Etzion Hesder yeshiva in Alon Shvut. A founder of the community of Avigail in the Hebron Hills, he is married to Miriam and the father of six. An elite IDF commando, he was critically wounded in November 2023 in Beit Hanoun and lost both his legs. He has a Master’s degree from Bar-Ilan University and studied at the IDF preparatory academy in Eli and at the Hispin yeshiva in the Golan. He is 15th on the list. 

Moshe Saada, 54, was born in Ramot Meir, near Rehovot, to Rabbi Nissim Saada, and lives nearby in Mazkeret Batya with his wife and five children. He studied at Yeshivat Sha’alvim and served as a combat soldier in the IDF’s Nachal Brigade. He holds a law degree from the Academic Center for Law and Science (Sha’arei Mishpat) and served 24 years in the Police Internal Investigations Department. He is 17th on the list.

Noam L’Yisrael 

Avi Maoz, 70, was born in Haifa and lives in Jerusalem. He and his wife have 10 children. He studied at the Merkaz HaRav and Har HaMor yeshivot, served as a combat soldier in the IDF’s Nahal Brigade, and was among the founders of Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion. A deputy minister in the outgoing government and a former director-general of the Interior Ministry and the Housing Ministry, he is first on the list.

Otzma Yehudit 

Itamar Ben Gvir, 50, was born in Mevaseret Zion and lives in Kiryat Arba with his wife and six children. He studied at the Jewish Idea yeshiva under Rabbi Meir Kahane, earned a law degree from Ono Academic College, and did not serve in the IDF. The Minister of National Security in the outgoing government, he is first on the list.

Chanamel Dorfman, 31, lives on a farm near Shiloh with his wife and five children. He is an attorney who served as Ben Gvir’s chief of staff for four years. He is 7th on the list.

Amichai Eliyahu, 47, was born in Jerusalem and raised in Shlomi. He and his wife live in Rimonim, in the Binyamin Regional Council, and have six children. He studied in several yeshivot, served in the Sayeret Matkal unit, and fought in the Second Lebanon War. The son of Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Tzfat, and grandson of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, who served as Israel’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi, he was Minister of Heritage in the outgoing government. He is 4th on the list.

Limor Son Har-Melech, 47, was born in Jerusalem and raised her 10 children in Homesh, the evacuated northern Samaria community, and now lives in Shavei Shomron. She performed national civic service as a Bnei Akiva youth coordinator and studied at Orot Israel College. She is 5th on the list.

Yitzchak Wasserlauf, 34, was born in Jerusalem, raised in the Old City, and studied at the Oz VeEmuna Hesder yeshiva in Tel Aviv, where he lives with his wife and three children. He served in the Golani Brigade. The outgoing Minister for the Development of the Periphery, the Negev and the Galil, he is 3rd on the list.

Yashar

Yoram Cohen, 65, was born and raised in Tel Aviv and lives with his wife in Jerusalem’s Ramot neighborhood, where they raised their five children. He graduated from the Noam yeshiva high school in Pardes Chana and the National Defense College and has two degrees from Haifa University and an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University. He served in the Golani Brigade and for 34 years in the Shin-Bet Security Service, which he headed from 2011 to 2016. He is 2nd on the list.

Orit Farkash HaCohen, 55, was born in Petach Tikva, raised in Ashdod, and lives in Jerusalem with her husband and four children. She performed national service at Shaare Zedek Hospital and earned a law degree from Hebrew University and a public administration degree from Harvard. She has served as Minister of Strategic Affairs, of Tourism, and of Science and Technology, and is an MK in Benny Gantz’s party in the outgoing Knesset. She is 3rd on the list. 

Matan Kahana, 54, was born in Haifa and raised in New York and then Moshav Beit Gamliel, where he lives with his wife and raised four children. He studied at Netiv Meir yeshiva and earned a law degree from Bar-Ilan University. He served in the Sayeret Matkal unit and in the Air Force as an F-16 pilot, flying in the Second Lebanon War and several operations. As Minister of Religious Services he reformed the kashrut industry, and he has been an MK in the parties of Naftali Bennett and Benny Gantz. He is 5th on the list. 

Tal Ohana, 42, was born in Yerucham, the southern development town where she served as the first female mayor and before that as deputy mayor at age 26. She is a graduate of the Stern Academic College of the Jezreel Valley and completed a master’s degree from the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at IDC Herzliya. She is 19th on the list.

Elyasaf Peretz, 39, is an educator and father of three who was raised in Givat Ze’ev and lives in Jerusalem. He founded and ran an organization of bereaved siblings after his brothers Eliraz and Uriel were killed in combat. He himself served in the Golani brigade and earned degrees from Bar-Ilan University and the Schechter Institute. His mother, Miriam Peretz, won the Israel Prize and ran for President. He is 20th on the list.

Shira Shapira, 51, an architect and city planner, led the national project memorializing October 7th. Her eldest son, Aner, 22, saved many lives at the Nova festival on October 7th and lost his own, catching and throwing back seven grenades hurled by Hamas terrorists at the shelter where he and others had taken cover, before the eighth exploded and killed him. He was the eldest of her seven children. Her husband’s grandfather, Chaim Moshe Shapira, was a signatory of Israel’s Declaration of Independence and later a cabinet minister for Hapoel HaMizrachi and the National Religious Party, which he helped found. She is 10th on the list.

Elazar Stern, 69, was born in Tel Aviv and raised five children with his wife in Hoshaya in the Galil, which he helped found. He earned degrees from Bar-Ilan University, the Kellogg-Recanati International program of Tel Aviv and Northwestern Universities, and the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. A reserve major-general, he served in the Sayeret Matkal unit, headed the IDF’s Personnel Directorate, and served as chief education officer. An MK since 2013, he served as Minister of Intelligence. He is 12th on the list. 

Yaffa Tebeje, 35, is among the eight children born to her parents who made Aliyah from Ethiopia in Operation Moses. Born in Karmiel, she is a socioeconomic activist who founded and runs an innovation and entrepreneurship center in Ashkelon, where she lives and was a student leader at the local college, where she earned two degrees. She speaks fluent Russian and Amharic and is 21st on the list.

Chili Tropper, 48, was born in Jerusalem and lives outside the city in Nes Harim with his wife and four children. He is one of 10 children born in Jerusalem to Faigie and Rabbi Danny Tropper, who made Aliyah from New York and founded the Gesher Center. Chili studied at Horev yeshiva, served in the IDF’s Duvdevan unit and earned degrees from Open University and Lander Institute. He was a high school principal before becoming an MK and Culture Minister in Gantz’s Blue and White party. He is 6th on the list.

Yisrael Beiteinu

Rafi Ben-Shitrit, 60, was born in Beit She’an, the city where he served as mayor, lives with his wife, and raised five children, one of whom was killed in battle in the IDF on October 7th. He served in the IDF’s intelligence unit, studied at Oranim College, and held senior roles in the Religious Zionist Bnei Akiva youth movement. He is 2nd on the list. 

Dan Illouz, 40, was born in Montreal and made Aliyah to Israel, where he lives in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood with his wife and two children. He earned a law degree from McGill University and in public policy from Hebrew University. He served as an MK with Likud in the outgoing Knesset and before that as a member of the Jerusalem city council. He is 10th on the list. 

Sharon Sharabi, 50, was born in Tel Aviv and lives in Alfei Menashe in Samaria. His brothers Yossi and Eli were held hostage in Gaza. Eli came home after 491 days but Yossi was killed in Gaza. Eli’s wife and daughters were murdered on October 7th. Sharon was a vocal voice to bring his brothers home. He is 6th on the list.

Gil Hoffman served as the chief political correspondent and analyst of The Jerusalem Post and executive director of HonestReporting and has lectured about Israel in all 50 US states.