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Family Law

Are family court hearings in Israel private, and can divorce records be kept confidential?

Family proceedings are the main exception to Israel's open-court rule. Section 68 of the Courts Law [Consolidated Version] 5744-1984 directs that family matters be heard behind closed doors unless the judge decides otherwise, so the public and the press are not admitted. Section 70 makes it a criminal offense to publish anything from a closed hearing. Judgments that reach the public database are anonymized, with the parties shown by initials or as Ploni and Plonit. The parties themselves can still obtain certified copies of their own file.

The default rule of Israeli procedure is that justice is done in public, and Section 68(a) of the Courts Law states it plainly. Family matters are carved out because the material before the judge is financial, medical and often about children. Hearings in the Family Court are therefore closed, and the same applies to the Rabbinical Court when it deals with a Get. Only the parties, their lawyers, the welfare officer and any witness while testifying are in the room. A judge can admit a relative or a support person on request, and can lift the closure where a genuine public interest exists, which almost never arises in a routine divorce.

For a foreign national going through an Israeli divorce, the practical effect is that neither an employer nor a business partner abroad can pull the file. Court files are closed to non-parties without a judge's order, and published decisions strip out names, addresses and identifying details. Two things still leak. A settlement given the force of a judgment can be quoted in later proceedings, and financial disclosures filed in the Family Court can be ordered produced in a separate civil or tax matter. Anyone who needs the judgment abroad should ask the registry for a certified copy with an apostille rather than relying on the anonymized public version.

⚖ In Practice
  • Governing law: Sections 68 and 70, Courts Law [Consolidated Version] 5744-1984; Family Court Law 5755-1995
  • Competent authority: the Family Court (Beit Mishpat LeInyanei Mishpacha), and the Rabbinical Court (Beit Din HaRabani) for the Get, which also sits in closed session
  • Who may be present: the parties, their lawyers, the welfare officer, and witnesses while giving evidence; anyone else needs the judge's permission
  • Public record: family judgments in the Judicial Authority database appear anonymized, with parties named as Ploni and Plonit
  • Penalty: publishing material from a closed family hearing is a criminal offense under Section 70 of the Courts Law
  • Certified copies: a party can order a certified copy of the judgment from the court registry for a nominal fee, typically under NIS 50 (2026), and add an apostille for use abroad

From the full guide: Getting Divorced in Israel as a Foreign National: The Complete Legal Guide

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Get a Free Consultation with Adv. Eli ShimonyPrepared under the direction of Adv. Eli Shimony, Eli Shimony Law Office · Editorial policy

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