Historic First: Women Sit for Israel’s Chief Rabbinate Exam
April 27, 2026 — a historic day in Israel and the Jewish world.For the first time ever, women were allowed to sit for the Chief Rabbinate certification exam.This moment didn’t happen overnight. It came after years of legal struggle, a petition to the High Court, and a landmark ruling that made it clear: excluding women […]
The Knesset approved the expansion of rabbinical court jurisdiction.
Last night (March 23rd, 2026), amid an ongoing war on multiple fronts, the Knesset voted and approved, in its second and third readings, the bill to expand the jurisdiction of rabbinical courts. What it means: Rabbinical courts will have the authority to adjudicate civil disputes — contracts, labor relations, property — according to Jewish […]
Breakthrough: The Chief Rabbinate Opens Rabbinical Exams to Women
Breakthrough: The Chief Rabbinate Opens Rabbinical Exams to Women. Following a High Court of Justice ruling, in response to a petition we filed at the Rackman Center together with Itim and Kolech on behalf of six petitioners, the Rabbinate has announced the opening of exam registration to women as well. The High Court ruled […]
Following The Dinah Project (Rackman Center) Report: UN will add Hamas to blacklist of groups that commit sexual violence as weapon of war
After the Dinah The Dinah Project, that operates under the auspices of The Rackman Center, revealed dozens of testimonies of rape, sexual assault and intentional mutilation on October 7 and against hostages, the UN secretary-general will add Hamas to the list of perpetrators of sexual violence in wars. The extensive report, published in full […]
Year-End Celebration at The Rackman Center Psychotherapy Internship Program
Last week, we marked the completion of the psychotherapy internship year at the Rackman Center in the Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University. Through our academic collaboration with Seminar HaKibbutzim and the Shiluv Center, our psychotherapy students have been providing free treatments to women going through separation and divorce processes.This year, three psychotherapy students completed […]
Law as a Tool for Social Justice: End of Year Project of The Rackman Center Women & Family Law Legal Aid Clinic
The Women & Family Law Legal Aid Clinic at the Rackman Center has completed another year of activity. We invited our students to share the legal issues they have dealt with and their personal experiences of working in family law. Since sometimes one picture is worth a thousand words, we took their words and used […]
Family Court Decisions must be transparent – says adv. Shelly Blatt Zak, CEO, The Rackman Center
In Israel, all proceedings in family court cases are conducted behind closed doors and are subject to confidentiality restrictions. As a result, most decisions and rulings in this field do not reach the knowledge of the public, litigants, attorneys, and judges. This limits legal certainty, research in the field, and public oversight.For over a decade, […]
Important Legal Achievement: High Court Ruling – Women must be Allowed to take Rabbinic Exams
Important Legal Achievement: High Court Ruling – Women must be permitted to take the Rabbinic Certification Exams Israel’s High Court of Justice has ruled that women must be allowed to take the rabbinical certification exams. This was in response to a petition filed by the Rackman Center at the Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University, […]
A Special Discussion by the Subcommittee on Foreign Policy and Public Diplomacy about The Dinah Project Report
The Knesset Subcommittee on Foreign Policy and Public Diplomacy held a special discussion following the publication of The Dinah Project Report about the sexual crimes committed by Hamas terrorists during the October 7th attack. The discussion included the shocking testimony of Ilana Gritzewsky, a hostage survivor and partner of kidnapped Matan Zangauker, alongside statements from […]
In Times of Crisis Women’s Rights and Safety Take a Back Seat
Dear Partners and Friends, Israelis are no strangers to change, threats and upheaval. The last two years – and definitely the last few days – have been a rollercoaster. Again, our reality and our physical and emotional safety have been shaken. As always, we adjust. But as the cease fire takes hold and the […]