Can a rabbinical court decide an inheritance case in Israel instead of the Registrar or Family Court?

One civil statute governs succession for every religious community, and the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs handles most applications, with the Family Court taking contested files. Section 155 is the only route for a rabbinical, Sharia, Christian or Druze court to take over a succession file. Consent must come from every person whose rights the order would affect, whether they inherit under a will or on intestacy. Two agreements are involved: one moving the file to the religious court, and a second allowing religious rules of division to replace the civil shares. Classical Jewish law does not let a daughter inherit alongside sons or a widow inherit from her husband, so the second consent carries real financial weight.

Families abroad usually meet this when a relative in Israel sends a short Hebrew consent form and asks everyone to sign. An heir who does not want the file in a religious court needs no reason; a written refusal keeps it with the Registrar or the Family Court, where the civil shares apply. Heirs who accept the religious forum can still refuse religious division, so the Hebrew text should be checked for both points before signing. A foreign heir's signature normally has to be verified by a notary with an apostille or by an Israeli consulate. Our guide to rabbinical court jurisdiction over an Israeli inheritance explains how consent is withdrawn and how decisions are appealed.

From the full guide: Rabbinical Court Inheritance in Israel: Section 155 Guide

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