I couldn't find a platform for this list. What it has put out is one statement, and it says the list has a single goal: stopping what it calls the "draft decree" against yeshiva students.5
Who is Black Color?
Tzeva Shachor, Black Color, with the subtitle Shield of the Torah World, runs under the ballot letters Nun and Resh, with eighteen candidates headed by Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Baumrind.124 The list was submitted by a registered party called Supporters of Bukharan Jewry.23
What has Black Color published?
I couldn't find a platform, a website, a social media account, or an interview with the list's leader.9
What there is: a statement the list issued when it filed its candidates on September 8, printed in full by two Haredi news sites.5 I couldn't find the original release, so this is the party's statement as quoted in the press.9
Black Color's positions, topic by topic
The same twelve topics, in the same order, for every party. Where nothing was published, the episode says so.
What does Black Color say about security and foreign policy?
I couldn't find a stated position on security or foreign policy.9
What does Black Color say about accountability for October 7?
On October 7 accountability, I found nothing published.9
What does Black Color say about the economy and the cost of living?
I found no position on the economy or the cost of living.9
What every party says about the economy and the cost of living
What does Black Color say about housing?
Nothing on housing either.9
What does Black Color say about religion and state?
On religion and state, the statement is about the Haredi draft. It says, and I'm translating: "The single overarching goal of our list is to prevent religious persecution in the matter of the draft decree, and to act in every legitimate way against the decree."5
It goes on: "We will not agree to any of the new formulas of compromises," other than "the old deferral arrangement as it was and as it was practiced since the founding of the state."5 So the demand is a return to the old system of deferring service for yeshiva students.5
The statement also says the list follows the view of leading Torah scholars "from all circles" on this issue, and names several rabbis.5 It doesn't address Shabbat, marriage, conversion, or religious funding.
What does Black Color say about the judiciary and governance?
I couldn't find a stated position on the courts or how government is run.9
What does Black Color say about education?
On education, I found nothing published.9
What does Black Color say about health?
I found no position on health.9
What does Black Color say about social welfare, pensions and the elderly?
Nothing on welfare, pensions, or the elderly either.9
What every party says about social welfare, pensions and the elderly
What does Black Color say about Arab citizens and minorities?
There's nothing published on Arab citizens or minorities that I could find.9
What does Black Color say about immigration, absorption and the diaspora?
On immigration, absorption, or the diaspora, I found nothing published.9
What every party says about immigration, absorption and the diaspora
What does Black Color say about the environment, energy and transportation?
I found no position on the environment, energy, or transportation.9
What every party says about the environment, energy and transportation
What Black Color puts front and center
What the list puts front and center is the draft, which the statement calls its "single" goal.5
One note on the name. "Tzeva Shachor" is also the name of an alert network that warns yeshiva students when military police are coming to make arrests. In August, that network said it "is not a political body."8
What Black Color hasn't published
So on everything except the draft, I couldn't find a stated position in the material I reviewed.9
Sources
Everything above comes from what Black Color made public: its platform, website and official accounts, and on-the-record statements by its leaders. Each line was checked against a saved copy of its source. Most sources are in Hebrew.
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- S9Queries, platforms and retrieval attempts, 2026-09-30 and 2026-10-02
Transcript
The words as spoken in the episode, from its captions. Select a time to listen from there.
Full transcript
Intro
I couldn't find a platform for this list. What it has put out is one statement, and it says the list has a single goal, stopping what it calls, quote, the draft decree, end quote, against yeshiva students. This is Close Read, and this is a series about what Israel's parties are promising to do in their own published words for
About this series
English-speaking voters ahead of the October 27th election. One party per episode. I only use the party itself has made public. Their platform, their website, their official accounts, and on-the-record statements by their leaders. If they didn't publish it, it doesn't count. And if they publish nothing, that's the episode. Tseva Shachor, black color, with the subtitle Shield of the Torah World, runs under the ballot letters Nun and Reish, with
Who they are
18 candidates headed by Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Baumreind. The list was submitted by a registered party called Supporters of Bukharin Jewelry. I couldn't find a platform, a website, a social media account, or an interview with
What they've published
the list's leader. What there is, is a statement, the list issued when it filed its candidates on September 8th, printed in full by two Haredi news sites. I couldn't find the original release, so this is the party statement as quoted in the press. In the material that I reviewed, only one topic has anything in it.
The positions
I couldn't find a stated position on security or on foreign policy. On accountability for October 7th, I found nothing published. I found no position on the economy or the cost of living. Nothing on the topic of housing either.
Economy, Religion and state
On religion and state, the statement is about the Haredi draft. It says, and I'm translating, quote, It goes on, quote, The statement also says the list follows the view of leading Torah scholars from all circles on the issue, and names several rabbis.
It doesn't address Shabbat, marriage, conversion, or religious funding. I couldn't find a stated position on the courts or how government is run. On education, I found nothing published.
Courts and governance, Education, Health: no stated position
I found no position on health. I found no position on welfare, pensions, or on the elderly either. There's nothing published on Arab citizens or any other minority that I could find. On immigration, absorption, or the diaspora,
Arab citizens, Immigration: no stated position
I found nothing published. They take no position on the environment, energy, or transportation. What the list puts front and center is the draft, which the statement calls its, quote, single goal.
What they put front and center
On one note on the name of the party, Seva Shachor, Black List, is also the name of the alert network that warns Yeshiva students when military police are coming to make arrests. In August, that network said, quote, It is not a political body. So in everything except the draft, I couldn't find a stated position in the material I reviewed. That's what Black Color, shield of the Torah
What's missing
world, has put on the record as of this recording. Every source I use is linked in the description. Most of them in Hebrew, so you can read them yourself. If they publish more before October 27th, Election Day, I'll pin an update in the comments. Next is list number 29, Likud, and the full playlist is linked below. The Close Read is free to watch and to listen, and if you'd like to support it, you'll find me on Patreon at patreon.com slash theclosedread, linked in the description.
