Israel’s Ministry of Welfare and Social Security, through the Child Service, will hold its first conference on adoption in the LGBTQ community on June 21, 2026. The goal is to present adoption options to members of the community and encourage them to begin the adoption process.
The event comes after a major ruling by the High Court of Justice in December 2023, which broadened the interpretation of the Adoption Law and said all types of couples can adopt equally. Since then, male couples and female couples are treated as couples in every respect in adoption procedures and are eligible for the same chances to receive adoption offers as heterosexual couples.
Despite the legal change and expectations of a sharp rise in applications, the numbers remain low. In 2024 and 2025, requests from the LGBTQ community to the Child Service stayed very limited compared with total requests. In 2024, four babies and children were placed for adoption with LGBTQ couples out of 80 total adoptions that year, and in 2025 only one child was placed with an LGBTQ couple out of 88 total adoptions. The ministry stressed that these figures refer to couples already in the candidate pool, not necessarily to couples who applied in those years.
The conference, during Pride Month, follows a recent Knesset committee discussion on adoption in the LGBTQ community, which led to a decision to increase exposure and provide professional information. The Child Service said professional thinking has changed over time, and what was once seen as a combination of “difference upon difference” is now viewed as potentially beneficial, because LGBTQ families often offer children a safe and healthy environment for dealing with identity, belonging, and life story questions. The event will take place at Beit Zioni America in Tel Aviv on Sunday, June 21, 2026, from 3:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., and is free for LGBTQ community members with advance registration.
