Israeli Inheritance Law

Any Israeli who believes they are about to die can make an oral will by telling at least two witnesses how they want their property disposed of. For obvious reasons, an urgent dying will requires far fewer formalities than a regular will. That said, it is also more vulnerable to reinterpretation and nullification. In this…

Most types of wills and testaments in Israel are somewhat formalized, official and exact affairs, requiring correct phrasing, verification and attention to detail. The notable exception is an oral will made when a person is about to die, also known as a deathbed will. As long as the testator (person making the will) clearly expressed…

What does the Polish law on property restitution stipulate? A law passed by Poland in 2021 establishes a 30-year statute of limitations on filing claims for the restitution of property nationalized by the communist government after World War II. The passage of the law  severely restricted the possibility that descendants of Polish Jews could file…

Can Polish Jews still reclaim their property? In 2021, new legislation greatly limited Jewish property restitution in Poland, limiting the reclamation of property that was nationalized during the period of communist rule. However, the new law doesn’t apply in all cases, and you may still be able to file a property restitution claim. Alongside this,…

A French resident passes away, and their estate contains property in Israel. What will happen to their property? How can the beneficiaries receive it and what actions must they take? In order to prove their right to the inheritance, the beneficiaries must provide a French foreign legal opinion, drafted by an expert in French law.…

A foreign expert legal opinion for Panama is required by an Israeli court in a number of situations; for example, regarding the inheritance of a foreign resident of Panama who left property in Israel. In this article, attorneys from our office answer the questions of what is a foreign legal opinion, when does an opinion…

A Canadian resident passes away, and it turns out that her estate contains property in Israel. The question arises, what will happen to the property? How can her beneficiaries receive it? What actions must they take? This article by the attorneys from our office addresses the issue of foreign legal opinions on Canadian wills and…

When a petition for probate or succession is submitted in Israel to the Inheritance Registrar regarding a person who was a foreign resident (living outside of Israel) at the time of death, it is necessary to attach a foreign legal opinion. If the deceased was a foreign resident living in the USA, then an American…