Divorce, inheritance, and intergenerational rift: The new center at Bar-Ilan University

Bar-Ilan University is establishing the Center for the Protection of Family Ties, founded by Alex Sklar and led by Professor Shachar Lifshitz from the Faculty of Law. The center will promote academic research in the field of supporting, strengthening, and preserving family ties throughout the life cycle.

Its activities will focus on deepening the understanding of the factors influencing the quality of family relationships, examining ways to strengthen them, and dealing with the challenges facing families in changing life situations. Within this framework, the center will address parent-child relationships, connections between family members across generations, and the role of family ties in personal and social resilience.

This is a unique multidisciplinary center that brings together researchers from the fields of law, social work, psychology, and medicine. The center combines academic research, mentoring, professional training, and public influence, including the development of regulations and treatment methods aimed at strengthening, supporting, and protecting family ties.

Professor Shachar Lifshitz, who heads the center, is a jurist and one of Israel's leading researchers in the fields of family law, inheritance law, and dispute resolution. Over the years, he has published numerous books and articles, influencing the development of research and discourse on the subject.

"Research proves that intergenerational ties are essential for the well-being of children, the elderly, and family members throughout the life cycle," says Professor Lifshitz. "Precisely in stressful situations, including divorce and inheritance disputes, these ties can be damaged. The establishment of the center reflects the need to deepen the understanding of the threats to them and to develop knowledge and practical tools for their strengthening and protection, while joining hands between academic research and practical life."

Advocate Romi Kanbel, Chair of the Israel Bar Association's Central District and co-chair of the center's advisory committee, adds:

"The establishment of the center is a significant step for social recognition of the importance of family ties and the need to protect children and the elderly in situations of divorce or inheritance disputes. Thus, children must be protected in situations where a divorce conflict leads to a lack of response to the child's needs, or worse — to intentional damage to their connection with one of their parents."

She further emphasizes: "We believe in Bar-Ilan University's ability to create a research infrastructure that will allow for the understanding of the phenomenon and subsequently the design of policy and responsible regulation. This move is intended to place the phenomenon at the heart of research and social activity, so that professionals will have the knowledge, tools, and multidisciplinary training to deal with the challenges in the field."