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The race for 61
Final resultsIsrael election 2026 · Knesset seats
Opposition bloc
Arab parties
Netanyahu bloc
Coalition seats
Full election coverage
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For one day each year, essential government, military and civilian services come together under one roof to serve and “pamper” dedicated soldiers.
“I unfortunately do see reports of these markings over the years, but I never thought it would happen in my town,” Scott Manley, a Jewish Republican running for town supervisor in Newburgh, told JNS.
“As a judge, and as a Jew, I consider that everything I do reflects God and affects His image,” the judge once wrote.
Federal prosecutors said that Anna Mochalova was a danger to “any observably Jewish person who crosses her path.”
Netanyahu’s Likud remains Israel’s largest party, the opposition lacks a clear path to power, and an enlarged Arab bloc complicates coalition arithmetic. With Trump backing Netanyahu and Iran still on the agenda, another election could carry high strategic costs.
“Don’t make this mistake. Don’t destroy the State of Israel,” said the Otzma Yehudit leader.
“There is not, and there will not be, a Palestinian state,” the Israeli prime minister pledged. He also called for the corruption trial against him to be dropped.
Nearly 5.7 million cast ballots, with turnout about seven percentage points higher than in the previous election.
Millions of Israelis turn out in record numbers for a watershed vote.
Benjamin Netanyahu, security and the battle for the nation’s right.
Gadi Eisenkot’s platform, partners and path to power.
Islamist and Palestinian-nationalist parties test opposition’s red lines ahead of the Oct. 27 election.
How Bennett and Lapid plan to challenge Netanyahu.
Party leader Yair Golan is a polarizing figure in Israeli politics, even as his party attempts to translate its ideological platform into political influence within a broader opposition alliance.
Passing a comprehensive draft law to shield yeshivah students from compulsory military service is the central demand of both lists.
Avigdor Liberman’s movement seeks secular right-wing role in post-Netanyahu government.
Itamar Ben Gvir campaigns on security, sovereignty and tougher anti-terror laws.
The joint slate is dominated by RZP candidates, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich first and former Likud MK Moshe Feiglin second.
Hendel and Zelekha pair military-service reform with economic overhaul.
Ofer Winter’s party seeks to reshape the Jewish state’s right from within.
The smaller parties could sway the election even if they fail to enter the Knesset.
“Think Twice” with Jonathan Tobin and guest Alan Dershowitz, Ep. 243
“Think Twice” with Jonathan Tobin and guest Dara Horn, Ep. 242
Manhattan Jewish elected officials, including Rep. Jerry Nadler and City Council speaker Julie Menin, endorsed the New York attorney general’s reelection bid.
“I will use the criminal and civil authorities of the attorney general’s office to protect Jewish New Yorkers,” Saritha Komatireddy told JNS.
“You’ve got to win Pennsylvania to win the presidency. Presumably, if you can win Pennsylvania, you can win Wisconsin and Michigan as well,” Berwood Yost, director of the Franklin & Marshall College poll, told JNS.
“The security establishment views the arrival of dozens of activists as an act intended solely to provoke, which undermines the harvesting process,” an Israeli military official told JNS.
A GOP consultant told JNS that “if the Democrats take the U.S. Senate, and that is far from certain, I would expect more criticism of Israel, especially if Netanyahu is still in charge.”
“In this political environment, he may be as reliable a supporter as possible that the Democratic caucus would sign off on for the position,” political science scholar Dan Schnur told JNS.
“I think that we can criticize what Israel did, but we can stand by the people of Israel,” former Reuters journalist Colleen Connaughton told JNS.

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Races to watch

An attorney for the Silver Spring Jewish Center, an Orthodox synagogue in a heavily Jewish county, told JNS that the ruling essentially prevents members from bringing guns to the center on Shabbat.
“Free speech matters. So does the right of Jewish Americans to live without intimidation,” Jayne Zirkle of the Lawfare Project told JNS.
The committee will advise the state on a permanent memorial at Albany’s Empire State Plaza, as the governor pledged to protect Jewish New Yorkers amid rising antisemitism.
Hasan Piker suggested that Scott Jennings attacked him to secure a role in the Trump administration.
According to city data, Jews, who make up an estimated 3.8% of Chicago residents, have been the targets of 81% of religion-based hate crimes in the Windy City this year.
“ISIS ravaged Syria and caused havoc across the globe. Our office will continue to prosecute those who supported its murderous reign,” the U.S. Justice Department said.
One of the Hamas Nukhba Force terrorists helped kidnap Israelis.
“Miraculously, she did not lose control of the vehicle,” a rescue services organization said, labeling the incident an attempted murder.
Locals explain their choices, from backing Smotrich’s settlement policies to seeking a government that will address IDF conscription and bridge political divides.
Israeli troops dismantled a structure in northern Gaza that served as a sniper position, the military said.
SPECIAL SERIES
Six Israeli-linked companies earned recognition alongside global technology companies whose Israeli operations signal confidence in the country’s talent.
Israeli cybersecurity firms raised about $4.3 billion in the first nine months of 2026 as investors back companies protecting data and controlling what AI systems can access.
Brain-IT uses recordings from functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to approximate the picture a person was viewing by analyzing patterns of brain activity associated with visual processing.
A Ben-Gurion University team has developed an aerogel “sponge” that can absorb about 80 times its weight in crude oil while helping bacteria break down the pollutants.
Built from a patient’s own cells, the technology is advancing toward its first human trial at Sheba Medical Center in 2027, pending regulatory approval.
An Elbit representative tells JNS how the company’s C-MUSIC system shields airliners from heat-seeking missiles, as global demand grows
From its home in Binyamin, Psagot Playgrounds combines Israeli ingenuity with decades of experience to create unique play spaces in Israel and the United States.
Benjamin Netanyahu, security and the battle for the nation’s right.
Gadi Eisenkot’s platform, partners and path to power.
The joint slate is dominated by RZP candidates, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich first and former Likud MK Moshe Feiglin second.
Itamar Ben Gvir campaigns on security, sovereignty and tougher anti-terror laws.
Passing a comprehensive draft law to shield yeshivah students from compulsory military service is the central demand of both lists.
How Bennett and Lapid plan to challenge Netanyahu.
Avigdor Liberman’s movement seeks secular right-wing role in post-Netanyahu government.
Party leader Yair Golan is a polarizing figure in Israeli politics, even as his party attempts to translate its ideological platform into political influence within a broader opposition alliance.
Islamist and Palestinian-nationalist parties test opposition’s red lines ahead of the Oct. 27 election.
Ofer Winter’s party seeks to reshape the Jewish state’s right from within.
Hendel and Zelekha pair military-service reform with economic overhaul.
The smaller parties could sway the election even if they fail to enter the Knesset.
Despite holding a fraction of Knesset seats, Shas and United Torah Judaism have become indispensable coalition partners, reshaping Israeli politics.
Originally intended to accommodate a few hundred Torah scholars, the exemption of ultra-Orthodox yeshivah students from IDF service evolved into one of Israel’s most contentious public policy issues.
At its core, the dispute is about what military service, Torah study and citizenship mean in the Jewish state.
The war transformed a decades-old legal and political dispute into an urgent fight over military manpower, equality of service and the future of Haredi society.
OCT. 7
7.10 Bound in Memory is an exhibit of books written by family and friends of those killed.
Daniela Adar set out to keep an Upper Galilee museum’s story alive during the war. Her encounters with displaced families sent her back to the classroom.
Avi Issacharoff warns that denial of the Hamas massacre and false narratives about Israel are taking hold in the United States and Europe.
“Captivity was too hard to handle, and every moment you didn’t know if it was going to get even worse,” she said.
At Nir Am’s Oct. 7 ceremony, the family of paratrooper Binyamin Meir Airley share his story and discuss the retreat center established in his memory.
A “Kan 11” documentary chronicles how Soroka’s medical teams treated 674 wounded during the Hamas massacre.
From Ofakim’s housing boom to startups tackling AI, stroke treatment and trauma, communities near Gaza are rebuilding with an eye toward expansion.
A terror attack, a car accident and the war against Hamas have brought repeated loss to the Mark family—and forged extraordinary resilience.
Anat Meir talks to JNS about building a life for herself and 3-year-old Shaked in the shadow of David’s death.
Luis Har was freed from captivity in Gaza in a daring Israeli military operation 129 days after he was abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
Memory and hope can coexist, and that choosing to live, rebuild and remain can itself become an act of defiance.
Three years after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, the families of Capt. Elay Adany and those he helped rescue remain bound by his final acts of courage.
A coffee cart in northern Israel honors Staff Sgt. Gal Hershko through the things he loved: Nature, friendship and bringing people together.
The Tel Aviv-based firm develops software that enables design of quantum applications without requiring extensive expertise in the underlying hardware or circuit design.
“You meet people who think Netanyahu has been an extraordinary wartime leader, something no American I know would dare speak out loud, but still want him gone,” Reuven Fenton told JNS. “You meet others, who hold him responsible for Oct. 7 but don’t see a credible alternative.”
Press releases from Israel, and around the pro-Israel and Jewish world
Organization backs 41 candidates from both parties who demonstrate support for the Jewish community, Israel and efforts to combat antisemitism.
A $1.5 million legacy donation establishes an endowed chair in biochemistry, commemorated during the university’s 89th Board of Governors Meeting.
It will serve as a lasting hub for Jewish life, learning and connection for generations of students.
Brooklyn rabbi and animal chaplain connects Jewish sacred literature with the preservation of Israel’s rare Kanaani cat breed.
Hundreds of Jewish leaders from around the world gather to discuss initiatives to strengthen Israel and rebuild its northern and southern regions.
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from an institution that has meant so much to me for more than two decades,” he said.
The time to reach young adults is now, before they embrace the denial of their full selves, because that lesson is already being taught.
They were presented with a certificate in Jewish Choral Conducting and performed in a recital at the North American Jewish Choral Festival.
JOIN Israel will bring together Jewish entertainment professionals on Nov. 12 to discuss identity, representation and stereotypes while raising funds for elderly Israelis in need.
Wall of Life ceremony honors the Jewish leader and educator whose family established an archaeology endowment in his memory.