“It’s obvious today that family law must go beyond marriage and divorce law, to include international and immigration law”, said Professor Daphna Hacker, speaking at the annual conference of the Ruth & Emanuel Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women this week.
The topic of immigration and relocation by Israeli families is particularly relevant today, and we chose to focus on it this year in light of events in recent years in Israel and worldwide.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Yaacov Habba, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University, noted the great importance of the Rackman Center’s activities in promoting justice in Israeli society, and especially since October 7th.
Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Head of the Center, said “We continue with our daily work, and we are holding an academic legal conference precisely because business is not as usual. We must continue now especially because we are in very bad times; 59 hostages have still not returned and the war is exacting an unbearable toll.”
The first session dealt with steps that can be taken in advance, including drafting agreements before moving abroad to secure the rights of all parties in the event of conflict.
Professor Daphna Hacker from Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Law spoke about cross-border family dynamics and legal challenges. The retired judge the Honorable Shaul Shochat, former Deputy President of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa District Court, emphasized the importance of drawing up agreements that anticipate migration. Professor Sharon Shakargy, from the Hebrew University Faculty of Law, addressed the legal problems of common-law partner status when emigrating abroad.
The second part of the conference focused on retrospective aspects and especially on children’s rights.
The Honorable Judge Iris Ilotovich-Segal of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa District Court shared the great emotional difficulty, alongside the legal challenge, that she encountered as a family court judge dealing with issues of children and migration. Professor Rhona Schutz from the Academic Center for Science and Law focused on the Hague Convention, and Attorney Edwin Freedman spoke about children in war zones, including recent prominent examples from Ukraine and Israel.
The conference was moderated by Attorney Keren Horowitz, CEO of the Rackman Center, who will soon be relinquishing her role, making this the last annual conference under her leadership. Keren used the platform to introduce Attorney Shelly Blatt Zak as the new CEO of the Center and welcome her appointment.
We thank the legal professionals, academics, and many students who came and participated in the conference. Recordings of the lectures will be available soon and will be sent to registrants. We hope for better days and look forward to seeing you at future conferences.
