If my child died before me, do their children inherit their share under Israeli law?

Israeli intestate succession divides the estate among classes of heirs set out in the Succession Law. Children share the estate as the first class of descendants, alongside the surviving spouse. When a child predeceases the parent, Section 14 substitutes that child's descendants in their place through representation, a mechanism often called per stirpes distribution. The grandchildren of that branch collectively inherit only the portion their late parent would have taken, then divide it among themselves. This keeps each family branch equal at the level of the deceased's children, rather than treating grandchildren as equal individual heirs. You can read how the wider framework operates in our guide to inheritance law in Israel for foreigners.

For a diaspora family, representation matters most when documenting the family tree for a succession order. The Registrar of Inheritance Affairs needs the death certificate of any predeceased child, plus birth certificates proving which grandchildren descend from that child. Foreign documents generally require an apostille and a certified Hebrew translation. A common mistake is assuming all grandchildren inherit equally as one group. They do not. A branch with one child and a branch with four children each receive the same parent-share, then divide it internally. Where this outcome feels unfair, a will is the only way to change it, because Israel has no forced heirship for descendants.

From the full guide: Inheritance Law in Israel for Foreigners

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