Jerusalem Court Orders Father to Pay Child Support After Falsely Claiming Poverty as Haredi Scholar

A Jerusalem Family Court recently ruled against a father of five who falsely claimed to be a poor Haredi scholar (avrech) to avoid paying child support. The father, who described himself as a full-time Torah student with a monthly income of about 1,100 shekels, filed a rare lawsuit demanding child support from his ex-wife, arguing she earned around 15,000 shekels monthly and should pay for the children’s expenses. He also sought her contribution to rent, medical, and educational costs, claiming the children lived mostly with him.

The couple, who have five children aged 5 to 15, had previously agreed to split custody equally. However, the mother’s lawyers presented evidence that the father concealed his true financial situation, which included multiple income sources totaling between 30,000 and 50,000 shekels per month. They showed the family lived on a monthly budget of about 40,000 shekels, with the father covering all household expenses. Documents and a private investigator’s report revealed undeclared income from sales of religious items and luxury trips abroad.

The court found the father had withheld key financial documents and bank statements, describing his conduct as lacking good faith. It rejected his claim of low income and instead estimated his monthly earnings at around 50,000 shekels, with at least 30,000 shekels disposable after expenses. Consequently, the court dismissed his claim and ordered him to pay his ex-wife 9,000 shekels monthly in temporary child support, cover all educational and medical costs for the children, and transfer all child-related government benefits to her. He was also ordered to pay 5,000 shekels in legal fees.

This case highlights tensions around the social status of "avrechim" in the Haredi community and the legal scrutiny of financial claims in family disputes involving child support.