Professor of Law, graduate of Yale Law School, and Founding Head of the Rackman Center at Bar-Ilan University, Israel, Ruth Halperin-Kaddari is a family law expert in both the civil legal system and traditional Jewish law, and has recently completed three terms as a member (twice Vice President) of the UN Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). She publishes on family law in Israel, legal pluralism, feminism and halacha, and international women's rights
This article examines the case of Israeli Jews who choose to marry in ceremonies outside the stat... more This article examines the case of Israeli Jews who choose to marry in ceremonies outside the state-authorized rabbinical establishment. Formally speaking, these private marriages are not recognized by the State. We focus on the ways in which these marriages become legitimate. The study is based on interviews with forty such couples. Our findings show that these couples tend to attach far more weight to achieving social legitimacy for their marriage than legal recognition and legitimacy. While most sociological and legal analyses of these concepts do not distinguish between the two types of legitimacy, our study reveals a more nuanced and complex interplay in which these processes are perceived as separate (by the couples) while, in fact, they are interconnected. We show that couples are able to experience their weddings as socially legitimate due to the social recognition of their weddings as “traditional.” Additionally, their de facto relations as cohabitant partners grant them sim...
This article argues that one of the many &amp... more This article argues that one of the many "idiosyncrasies" of the Israeli case, namely Israel's continuing, violent conflict with its Arab neighbours, is of highly influential relevance to the issue of gender relations. Viewed by many Israeli Jews as a struggle for the very existence of the Jewish state, the Arab-Israeli conflict has overshadowed most other civil and social issues, rendering them "secondary" to the primary concern of securing the safe existence of the state. This has pushed such pressing issues as gender equality and women's rights aside, thus allowing for the perpetuation of discriminatory, sometimes rather repressive treatment of women in Israel. The most blatant expression of this is the turning of the struggle for civil marriage and divorce into a non-issue. Following a short introduction of the relevant political context, we discuss women's positivist and legal status, then conclude with an analysis of the women's movement, highlighting the emergence of religious feminism.
This paper examines child support in situations of shared physical custody, from the perspective ... more This paper examines child support in situations of shared physical custody, from the perspective of the existing law and the ideal law. This issue is part of a public debate following the Shifman Committee's recommendations, which also include replacing the rule of personal-religious law over child support with territorial uniform civil law. Caselaw had concluded that shared physical custody entailing equal time spent with each parent, leads to reduction of 25% of the common level of support. There have been lot of variations and deviations from this principle in recent years. We identify three schools in the caselaw, led by the district courts of Te-Aviv, Haifa, and Center. We present and criticize these three schools in our paper. The second part of the paper presents the Shifman Committee Report's conclusions and proposed formula, and points to some of what we view as its faults, primarily in cases of shared physical custody. We end by proposing a more suitable approach, ...
מאמר זה בוחן את שאלת הכללים המשפטיים הרצויים לגבי אחריות הורית בגירושים. שאלה זו נמצאת בלב הוויכו... more מאמר זה בוחן את שאלת הכללים המשפטיים הרצויים לגבי אחריות הורית בגירושים. שאלה זו נמצאת בלב הוויכוח הציבורי הסוער סביב המלצותיה של ועדת שניט לבטל את חזקת הגיל הרך ולהמיר את המושגים "אפוטרופסות", "משמורת" ו"הסדרי ראייה" במושגים "אחריות הורית משותפת" ו"זמני הורות". הטענה שבבסיס המאמר היא כי אימוץ כללי משפט המתעלמים מהמציאות המגדרית בספרה הפרטית, בשוק העבודהבשכר ובמשפט יוביל לפגיעה ברווחתם הנפשית של ילדים ולעוני של ילדים ונשים. בחלקו הראשון של המאמר נציג את המלצותיה של ועדת שניט, ולצידן את השינויים המשמעותיים שהתחוללו בשנים האחרונות בתסקיריהן של העובדות הסוציאליות ובפסיקה, אשר מחלישים את חזקת הגיל הרך חרף העובדה שהיא קיימת עדיין בספר החוקים. בחלקו השני של המאמר נבחן, אחת לאחת, את ההצדקות הנשמעות מפי התומכים בכללי משפט המתעלמים מקיומו של הורה מטפל עיקרי, ונראה כי הן אינן נתמכות במחקר הסוציולוגי והפסיכולוגי. בחלק השלישי נסקור את כללי האמנה בדבר זכויות הילדואת השינויים המשפטיים שהתחוללו במדינות אחרות בקשר להסדרת היחסים בין הורים גרושים וילד...
This article examines the case of Israeli Jews who choose to marry in ceremonies outside the stat... more This article examines the case of Israeli Jews who choose to marry in ceremonies outside the state-authorized rabbinical establishment. Formally speaking, these private marriages are not recognized by the State. We focus on the ways in which these marriages become legitimate. The study is based on interviews with forty such couples. Our findings show that these couples tend to attach far more weight to achieving social legitimacy for their marriage than legal recognition and legitimacy. While most sociological and legal analyses of these concepts do not distinguish between the two types of legitimacy, our study reveals a more nuanced and complex interplay in which these processes are perceived as separate (by the couples) while, in fact, they are interconnected. We show that couples are able to experience their weddings as socially legitimate due to the social recognition of their weddings as “traditional.” Additionally, their de facto relations as cohabitant partners grant them sim...
This article argues that one of the many &amp... more This article argues that one of the many "idiosyncrasies" of the Israeli case, namely Israel's continuing, violent conflict with its Arab neighbours, is of highly influential relevance to the issue of gender relations. Viewed by many Israeli Jews as a struggle for the very existence of the Jewish state, the Arab-Israeli conflict has overshadowed most other civil and social issues, rendering them "secondary" to the primary concern of securing the safe existence of the state. This has pushed such pressing issues as gender equality and women's rights aside, thus allowing for the perpetuation of discriminatory, sometimes rather repressive treatment of women in Israel. The most blatant expression of this is the turning of the struggle for civil marriage and divorce into a non-issue. Following a short introduction of the relevant political context, we discuss women's positivist and legal status, then conclude with an analysis of the women's movement, highlighting the emergence of religious feminism.
This paper examines child support in situations of shared physical custody, from the perspective ... more This paper examines child support in situations of shared physical custody, from the perspective of the existing law and the ideal law. This issue is part of a public debate following the Shifman Committee's recommendations, which also include replacing the rule of personal-religious law over child support with territorial uniform civil law. Caselaw had concluded that shared physical custody entailing equal time spent with each parent, leads to reduction of 25% of the common level of support. There have been lot of variations and deviations from this principle in recent years. We identify three schools in the caselaw, led by the district courts of Te-Aviv, Haifa, and Center. We present and criticize these three schools in our paper. The second part of the paper presents the Shifman Committee Report's conclusions and proposed formula, and points to some of what we view as its faults, primarily in cases of shared physical custody. We end by proposing a more suitable approach, ...
מאמר זה בוחן את שאלת הכללים המשפטיים הרצויים לגבי אחריות הורית בגירושים. שאלה זו נמצאת בלב הוויכו... more מאמר זה בוחן את שאלת הכללים המשפטיים הרצויים לגבי אחריות הורית בגירושים. שאלה זו נמצאת בלב הוויכוח הציבורי הסוער סביב המלצותיה של ועדת שניט לבטל את חזקת הגיל הרך ולהמיר את המושגים "אפוטרופסות", "משמורת" ו"הסדרי ראייה" במושגים "אחריות הורית משותפת" ו"זמני הורות". הטענה שבבסיס המאמר היא כי אימוץ כללי משפט המתעלמים מהמציאות המגדרית בספרה הפרטית, בשוק העבודהבשכר ובמשפט יוביל לפגיעה ברווחתם הנפשית של ילדים ולעוני של ילדים ונשים. בחלקו הראשון של המאמר נציג את המלצותיה של ועדת שניט, ולצידן את השינויים המשמעותיים שהתחוללו בשנים האחרונות בתסקיריהן של העובדות הסוציאליות ובפסיקה, אשר מחלישים את חזקת הגיל הרך חרף העובדה שהיא קיימת עדיין בספר החוקים. בחלקו השני של המאמר נבחן, אחת לאחת, את ההצדקות הנשמעות מפי התומכים בכללי משפט המתעלמים מקיומו של הורה מטפל עיקרי, ונראה כי הן אינן נתמכות במחקר הסוציולוגי והפסיכולוגי. בחלק השלישי נסקור את כללי האמנה בדבר זכויות הילדואת השינויים המשפטיים שהתחוללו במדינות אחרות בקשר להסדרת היחסים בין הורים גרושים וילד...
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