The Religious Orders department in our firm represents a large number of Churches and Christian religious institutions, providing legal support for a variety of activities. We have extensive expertise and decades-long experience in an array of unique matters relating to the operations and activity of religious institutions in Israel. We advise clients in areas such as taxes, labor, planning and construction and rely on close cooperation between our departments to attend to all of the institutions’ legal needs.
The department provides legal service, on a daily basis, to some of the largest religious institutions in Israel and around the world, including the Holy See, Custodia Terrae Sanctae, and many other Orders, Churches and Monasteries. In all areas of our activity, an emphasis is placed on the unique provisions of law that apply to Christian institutions, including Turkish firmans and international treaties.
Our clients enjoy legal support and professional solutions that run the full gamut of activity of religious institutions in Israel, including in advancing construction projects, formulating unique tax arrangements, and conducting legal proceedings to protect real estate interests. Our solutions rely on in-depth knowledge and thorough understanding of the field, close cooperation between the firm’s departments, and excellent working relationships that we have developed over the years with the relevant government authorities (the Department of Christian Communities in the Ministry of Religious Services/Prime Minister’s Office, the special taxation departments at the Tax Authority and the International Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and relevant departments in local government).
Main areas of activity:
Preserving and attending to institutions’ assets
• Conducting property surveys: identifying properties, examining the rights, manner of registration and planning status pertaining to them.
• Preventing harm to institutions’ land: initiating a range of actions to identify infringements of church land rights (through expropriation or detrimental urban building plans and so forth) and seeking their cancelation and/or compensation for the infringement or harm.
• Assisting in property management: filing eviction lawsuits, filing lawsuits to increase rents, inspection of leased-out properties and so forth.
• Transactions: comprehensive legal representation in transactions involving religious institution’s assets.
Taxation of religious institutions
In this area our office acts to obtain tax benefits and privileges for religious institutions in all areas of their activity, such as taxes to local authorities, income tax and taxes entailed in real estate transactions.
Legal Entity
Obtaining recognition as a legal entity for religious institutions in accordance with Israeli law, so that the legal activity of such religious institutions (as such that were incorporated under religious law), is recognized and valid in all aspects of Israeli law.
