An analysis of rabbinical court activity in 2020 finds that despite increased tensions due to lockdowns and restrictions imposed in an aim to rein in the coronavirus outbreak, Israel saw a slight decrease in divorces and family disputes last year.
With the outbreak of the pandemic, many commentators and family counselors predicted Israel's first lockdown and the stress of being holed up with family members in an apartment for weeks would lead to a dramatic increase in family crises and raise the divorce rate.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
But an analysis of rabbinical court activity has revealed that the number of couples who sought a divorce in 2020 was in fact 3% lower than those who did so in 2019. In 2020, 11,076 couples were divorced through rabbinical courts compared to the 11,451 who did so in 2019.
In 2020, 3,852 couples began divorce proceedings compared to the 4,158 couples who did so in 2019, for a decrease of 7%.
The number of couples that filed for an uncontested divorce also decreased 1%, from 5,701 in 2019 to 5,660 in 2020. There was also a decrease in the number of joint petitions filed for a divorce in 2020, according to the report.
Although on its face, the report seems to bode well for the state of Israel's married couples, the decrease in the divorce rate may be partially due to the rabbinical courts operating according to coronavirus, and at times emergency, guidelines.
In addition, many people likely avoided government buildings during a lockdown, preferring to stay away out of fear of infection or because they were uncomfortable with the idea of being inside a closed, public space during a pandemic.
The data may also be misleading because it does not relate to the potential for the divorce rate to increase once the pandemic is over. Many couples separated during the outbreak, foregoing technical divorce proceedings, due to difficulties in either getting to the court or meeting with a lawyer in the first place. Others, one can assume, have decided to hold off on divorce until after the outbreak to avoid the possibility of dealing with their children on their own.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
