Filial Piety in Israel: Between the Law in the Books and the Law in Action

Abstract

This paper explores the main legal aspects of filial piety in Israel. Based on a socio-legal study, it traces a significant gap between the law in the books, which mandates that children support their parents financially if the latter cannot support themselves, and the law in action, which narrows this obligation to cases in which the parents must be cared for in a State nursing home. The study also highlights the relevance of religious and cultural norms in shaping filial piety in multicultural countries and thus points to the urgent need to tailor filial piety legal policies according to socially constructed, actual, and diverse filial piety perceptions and practices.

Keywords

filial piety / Israel / Jewish law / Sharia (Islamic law) / multiculturalism / the Family Law (Maintenance) Amendment Law of 1959 / Welfare Services Law of 1958

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2019 Higher Education Press