Women in Israel: A State of Their Own

Law Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, who spoke at the recent International JOFA Conference, heads the Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women at Bar-Ilan University. She authored Israel’s official report to CEDAW (the United Nations Convention on the Elimination Of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) and this book is a revised and expanded version of that study. Halperin-Kadarri explores the legal status of women throughout Israeli government and society, combining statistical data and a sociological perspective with her legal description and analysis. In her view, Israel lags behind other Western countries in concern for and sensibility towards women’s rights. She discusses the effect of the integration of religion and state on women’s lives in both public and private spheres. An important chapter deals with marriage and family life, detailing how Israeli family law is governed by principles of religious personal law. Halperin-Kadarri skillfully analyzes Jewish marriage and divorce laws, issues of child and spousal support, as well as developments in reproductive technology and surrogacy. She examines the possibilities for women’s inclusion in the rabbinical court system, assesses the effect of women’s certification as rabbinical advocates, and analyzes the court decisions that allowed female participation in the committees for the selection of Chief Rabbis and in municipal religious councils. She sees the internal mobilization of women within the religious community itself as vital for the movement towards change.