Marriage and Divorce in Israel: The Case for Reform

About the lecture: In this lecture, Professor Shifman will pay special attention to the ways civil courts allow people to circumvent religious law, among them performing a civil ceremony abroad and living as “reputed spouses.” We will examine the reaction of Rabbinical Courts and the various suggestions to establish in Israel civil marriage and divorce.

About Pinhas Shifman: Pinhas Shifman was born in Jerusalem in 1944. He completed his bachelor’s degree studies at theHebrew University in 1967 and completed a master’s degree in 1969. In the years 1966-1967 Shifman served as an intern for Moshe Silberg, deputy presi- dent of the Supreme Court. He completed hisdoctorate studies at the Faculty of Law in 1972 and was appointed a lecturer in 1973 and a professor in 1989. After retiring from teaching at the Faculty, Prof. Shifman served as president of the Academic Center for Law and Business in Ramat Gan. Shifman is among the founders of the civil theory of family law in Israel, both in relations between partners and in the field of parent-child relations, including artificial reproductive techniques. In 2006 Science Minister Haim Ramon appointed Shifman head of a committee to examine alimony law in Israel. Shifman has written books and articles on issues relating to family and inheritance law, Jewish law, and interreligious law. His works are frequently quoted in Supreme Court rulings and have exerted a profound influence over the development of case law in various areas, such as in civil partnership arrangements. In 2013 the organization Mavoi Satum awarded Shifman a certificate of appreciation for his work on behalf of women denied a Jewish religious divorce by their husbands.