ACCOMMODATING RELIGIOUS LAW WITH A CIVIL LEGAL SYSTEM: LESSONS FROM THE JEWISH LAW EXPERIENCE IN FINANCIAL FAMILY MATTERS

The discussion of legal pluralism focuses on the coexistence of several legal systems, mainly religious and civil ones. But what happens when a process of assimilation-whether imposed or voluntary-characterizes the relationships between the systems? This article analyzes the fascinating process of assimilation of civil principles into religious law in the context of Jewish law and Israeli civil family law. Assimilation, as the article shows, is not the whole picture. The article reveals a corresponding (both open and implicit) struggle for the preservation of religious law principles despite the continuing efforts of civil law for their curtailment, or sometimes, elimination. The result, which is somewhat internally contradictory, suggests a normative pluralistic framework that enables both regimes-the civil and the religious-to preserve their core principles in family law matters.