Habayit Hayehudi race back on Nov. 6

Habayit Hayehudi will hold its race for party leader on November 6, despite the US presidential election’s taking place the same day, retired judge Sarah Frisch, who is overseeing the former election, decided Wednesday.

Party officials had wanted to shift the election to a date when it could attract more attention. Habayit Hayehudi’s election committee decided Tuesday to delay the leadership race to November 13, the same day the party intends to elect its Knesset slate.

But Frisch overruled the committee and called its decision illegal and improper.

Frisch’s ruling was a victory for Habayit Hayehudi candidate Naftali Bennett, the only leadership contender who intends to run for the Knesset if he loses the leadership race.

Bennett’s associates said combining the race would have been unfair to him. They blamed rival candidate MK Zevulun Orlev for trying to use the party’s bureaucracy to his advantage.

Orlev wrote a sharply-worded letter to Frisch condemning her decision. His associates said he was considering legal action against the party or using the party institutions he controls to block the move.

Habayit Hayehudi hired more staff Wednesday to process the membership forms of the 52,000 people who recently joined the party, in order to prepare for the November 6 primary.

“We are going to be ready, especially now that [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu decided to advance the Knesset race,” said Habayit Hayehudi election committee chairman Daniel Tropper.