Israel: Innovative family support

Providing support for children and families experiencing separation in Israel, In-between (balev.org) fills an enormous gap in the support available for vulnerable families at one of the most critical times in their lives.

In-between (Bein Le Vein in Hebrew) is a non-profit organization founded with the goal of supporting children and families undergoing divorce and further on as they adjust to their new families. They believe that supporting families going through divorce is an investment in three generations at the same time: the family members in the present, the children as future parents, and their children. In-between is the first-ever Israeli effort to deal systemically with this serious issue.

You can find their 2021 brochure and information about the program here.

Background

• A third of Israeli families today experience divorce and there around half a million children of divorced parents in Israel.
• The process of divorce has emotional, behavioral, health, and economic implications, many of which persist many years beyond the divorce.
• Research views this crisis as an experience of loss, not unlike mourning.
• Many couples going through divorce experience emotional distress which hampers their ability to function as parents.
• The effect of divorce on child development is mostly negative. hence, the tendency nowadays is to view children of divorced parents asat-riskyouth.
• In about a third of divorce cases the conflict intensifies after separation, with the children used as pawns in it (sometimes to the extent of ‘parental alienation’ or contact failure).
• As a result, they suffer prolonged trauma and yet their suffering often goes unnoticed.
• Unfortunately, awareness of the multiple implications that divorce has on children and society, is sorely lacking.
• Against this backdrop we’ve developed a holistic strategy to cope with this phenomenon and its widespread implications.