Table of Contents
| Introduction | An overview of the types of heirs and their significance in inheritance law in Israel. |
| Invalid Heir | Explanation of what constitutes an invalid heir and the reasons for ineligibility.Consequences of being an invalid heir, including the distribution of their share. |
| Heirs According to Law | Description of how legal heirs are determined when a deceased person leaves no will.Overview of the rules of inheritance law to distribute assets among family members. |
| The Order of Heirs According to Law | The sequence of priority for legal heirs based on family relationships.Explanation of the order of inheritance within each family head. |
| The Manner of Distribution of the Estate | Details on how the estate is divided among various combinations of family members.Special cases and scenarios of estate distribution. |
| Important Information | adopted children and the role of blood relationships. |
Invalid heir
- An invalid heir is an heir (determined by law or in a will) who is found to be ineligible to inherit, due to one of the following reasons:
- He was convicted of attempting to intentionally cause the death of the testator.
- He was convicted of causing the death of the testator.
- He was convicted of removing, destroying or falsifying the testator’s last will.
- He claimed an inheritance based on a forged will.
- The share of the ineligible person cannot even pass to his heirs, but is divided among the rest of the other heirs.
- If there are no other heirs – his share goes to the ownership of the state.
- Whoever was convicted of trying to cause the death of the testator and the testator forgives him, in writing or by making a will in his favor, returns and becomes kosher to inherit him.
Important Information
| Additional Considerations | Key Points |
| Adoption | Adopted children inherit like biological children. |
| Unmarried Parents | Marital status doesn’t affect inheritance rights. |
| Timing of Descendants | Descendants born within 300 days after death may inherit. |
Heirs according to law
When a deceased person does not leave behind a will, his heirs are determined by law according to the rules of the inheritance law
The legal heirs are the family members left by the deceased, according to the degree of family kinship
In cases where a deceased person did not leave behind a will that determines who will inherit him, the inheritance law will determine who among his family members are his heirs according to law.
- The legislator established the rules of inheritance according to law, so that they resembled as much as possible the way in which most people were interested in dividing their assets after their death.
- In order to exercise the right of inheritance, an application for an inheritance order must be submitted.
Types of Invalid Heirs
| Reason for Ineligibility | Consequences of Ineligibility |
| Convicted of causing testator’s death | Share cannot pass to heirs, goes to state |
| Convicted of attempting testator’s death | Share cannot pass to heirs, goes to state |
| Convicted of tampering with the will | Share cannot pass to heirs, goes to state |
| Claimed inheritance based on forged will | Share cannot pass to heirs, goes to state |
| Testator’s forgiveness | Can regain eligibility through forgiveness |
The order of heirs according to law
- First, whoever was present at the time of the testator’s death inherits his spouse – the movables of the house, the car and part of the rest of the estate (determined according to the family relationship of the other heirs). For more, see Spouse’s Inheritance.
- Second, the distribution of priorities is done according to the heads of the father (“parentals”) to which the family members belong, in accordance with the following rules:
- The heads of the father are arranged according to the order of inheritance according to law, so that the testator’s children and grandchildren precede the testator’s parents and siblings, and the testator’s parents and siblings precede the testator’s grandfathers and uncles.
- Do not pass to the head of the next father if there are heirs in the head of the father before him.
- The order of priorities within the head of a father is such that the parent inherits first and only if he dies – his offspring inherits.
- The order of priorities according to the father’s heads will be, therefore:
- The testator’s children – if the children are deceased, their descendants inherit – his grandchildren, and if they are deceased – his great-grandchildren.
- The testator’s parents – inherit only if the deceased left no children. If the parents are deceased, their descendants will inherit – the testator’s brother, and if they are deceased – the testator’s nephews.
- The testator’s parents (grandparents) – inherit the deceased only if he was not survived by a spouse, parents or siblings. If the grandparents are deceased, their descendants inherit – the testator’s uncles, and if they are deceased – the testator’s cousins.
Order of Heirs According to Law
| Sequence of Priority | Family Relationship |
| 1st: Spouse | Inherits movables, car, part of estate |
| 2nd: Children & Grandchildren | Inherit after spouse, or directly if no spouse |
| 3rd: Parents | Inherit if no children or spouse |
| 4th: Grandparents | Inherit if no children, spouse, or parents |
| 5th: Siblings & Nephews | Inherit if no closer relatives |
| Note: Blood relationship is key, regardless of gender or marital status. |
pay attention
- Descendants born after the death of the testator will be entitled to inherit it, if they were born within 300 days of the death.
- For example, a grandson who was born a year after his grandfather’s death, will not be able to inherit him. A grandson born eight months after the grandfather’s death will be considered his heir.
The manner of distribution of the estate
- The estate of a deceased person who left behind a spouse and children is divided equally between the spouse and the children and their children.
- The estate of a deceased who left behind a spouse but left no children, is divided equally between the spouse and the deceased’s parents.
- If the deceased left only a spouse and siblings, the estate will be divided 2/3 to the spouse and the remaining 1/3 is divided equally between the siblings.
- The spouse inherits the entire estate only if the deceased left no children, grandchildren, siblings, nephews, parents and parents.
- The children will inherit the entire estate if the deceased did not leave behind a spouse.
- The deceased’s parents, brothers and sisters share in the entire estate only if the deceased did not leave a spouse and had no children.
- The inheritance of a deceased person who had no children and was not survived by a spouse, parents or siblings, is divided equally between the deceased’s parents and their descendants (deceased’s uncles).
The Manner of Distribution of the Estate
| Family Composition | Distribution of Estate |
| Spouse and Children | Equally divided among spouse, children, and grandchildren. |
| Spouse and No Children | Equally divided between spouse and parents. |
| No Spouse, Only Children | Entire estate goes to children. |
| No Children, Parents, Siblings | 2/3 to spouse, 1/3 equally among siblings. |
| No Eligible Family Members | Assets transfer to the state ownership. |
example
A deceased woman left a husband, parents and a sister. The husband will inherit the movable property and part of the estate (in this case half). The parents will divide the remainder of the estate between them in equal parts (a quarter for each).
example
A widower died and left a brother, one daughter and a grandson from his son who also died. The estate will be divided equally between the daughter of the testator and his grandson – 1/2 of the estate to each of them.
Important Information
- If the deceased has no family members left among those mentioned, his assets are transferred to the ownership of the state.
- The rules do not differentiate between men and women and between a child outside of marriage and a child from marriage.
- An adopted child inherits his parents.
- The fact that a child’s parents are not married to each other is not important – the blood relationship is the determining factor.
| What is an “invalid heir” in the context of inheritance in Israel? | An “invalid heir” is a person designated as an heir by law or in a will who becomes ineligible to inherit due to specific reasons, such as being convicted of attempting to cause the death of the testator or tampering with the testator’s will. |
| What happens to the share of an invalid heir’s inheritance? | The share of an invalid heir cannot pass to their heirs and is instead divided among the other eligible heirs. If there are no other eligible heirs, the share may go to the ownership of the state. |
| How can an invalid heir regain eligibility to inherit? | An invalid heir who was convicted of attempting to cause the testator’s death may regain eligibility if the testator forgives them, either in writing or by making a new will in their favor. |
| Who are “heirs according to law” in Israel? | Heirs according to law are family members of a deceased person who inherit when the deceased did not leave a will. These heirs are determined based on the rules of inheritance law and their degree of family kinship with the deceased. |
| What determines the order of heirs according to law in Israel? | The order of heirs according to law is determined by the legislative rules of inheritance, prioritizing the spouse first, followed by various family heads, such as children, parents, and siblings, in a specified order. |
| How is the estate of a deceased person distributed in Israel if they left behind a spouse and children? | In such a case, the estate is typically divided equally between the spouse and the children, including their grandchildren if any. |
| What happens if a deceased person has no eligible family members left among the specified heirs? | If a deceased person has no surviving family members among the specified heirs, their assets may be transferred to the ownership of the state. |
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