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Allowances for Prisoners of Zion and Their Family Members Law, 5752-1992

חוק תגמולים לאסירי ציון ולבני משפחותיהם, תשנ"ב-1992

Published: 1992-04-09Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-08-09 · Last amended 2017-02-27✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-06
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.

Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Chapter I: Interpretation

Definitions§

1.
(a)In this Law –

"Prisoner of Zion" means any of the following:

(1)a person who was under imprisonment or who was for at least six months under detention or in exile on account of his Zionist activity in a country in which such activity was prohibited, provided that he is an Israeli citizen by virtue of the Law of Return and a resident of Israel;
(2)a person who was under imprisonment or who was for at least six months under detention or in exile in an enemy country on account of his being Jewish or on account of that country's hostile relations towards Israel, provided that he is an Israeli citizen by virtue of the Law of Return and a resident of Israel;
(3)a person who is under imprisonment, detention or in exile for a reason among the reasons referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2), or who was imprisoned, detained or exiled as aforesaid and whose whereabouts have become unknown and six months have elapsed from the date of his detention, provided that the Law of Return, 5710-1950, would have applied to him;
(4)a person who was a resident of the Land of Israel before the establishment of the State and who, on account of his activity in favour of the establishment of the State, was under imprisonment or was for at least six months under detention or in exile, provided that he is an Israeli citizen and a resident of Israel;

"widow" means as defined in section 238 of the Insurance Law, provided that she is an Israeli citizen and a resident of Israel;

"widower" means as defined in section 238 of the Insurance Law, provided that he is an Israeli citizen and a resident of Israel;

"family member" means a family member within the meaning of section 1 of the Families of Soldiers who Fell in Battle (Allowances and Rehabilitation) Law, 5710-1950 (hereinafter – the Soldiers' Families Law), who is an Israeli citizen and a resident of Israel;

"exile" means being sent to a distant place outside the place of regular residence, in separation from the family, under a special way of life imposed by a personal exile order prohibiting departure from the place of exile;

"income" means income from the sources listed in section 2 of the Income Tax Ordinance [New Version], including income from an asset, provided that the following shall not be regarded as income –

(1)a principal allowance within its meaning in section 10;
(2)children's allowance within its meaning in Chapter IV of the Insurance Law;
(3)a monthly grant paid by the Jewish Agency for the Land of Israel to a Prisoner of Zion under the Allowances for Prisoners of Zion and Their Family Members Regulations;
(4)a payment under the agreement of 9 October 1992 signed by the Federal Finance Minister of Germany and by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany;

"income from an asset" means income from an asset as defined in section 9(c) of the Income Assurance Law; for this purpose, a sum of money exceeding the amount that is not taken into account as defined in the said section 9(c) shall also be regarded as an asset, even if no income is actually derived therefrom;

"martyr" means any of the following:

(1)a person who, after the establishment of the State, was executed or put to death by the authorities of a foreign state on account of his Zionist activity;
(2)a person who, after the establishment of the State, was executed or put to death in an enemy country, by the authorities of that country or by a hostile organisation, on account of his connection with Israel or on account of his being Jewish or on account of that country's hostile relations towards Israel;

"child" means as defined in section 238 of the Insurance Law, provided that he is an Israeli citizen and a resident of Israel;

"disability" means the loss or reduction of a person's capacity to perform a normal function, whether physical or mental, that a person of his age and sex is capable of performing, as a result of an injury, illness or aggravation of illness caused during a period of imprisonment, detention or exile;

"disabled person" means a person in respect of whom a degree of disability entitling him to an allowance under section 10 has been determined;

"the Institute" means the National Insurance Institute operating under the Insurance Law;

"the Authority" means the authority established under section 2;

"the Minister" means the Minister of Labour and Welfare;

"the Insurance Law" means the National Insurance Law [Consolidated Version], 5755-1995;

"the Nazi War Disabled Law" means the Nazi War Disabled Law, 5714-1954;

"the Income Assurance Law" means the Income Assurance Law, 5741-1980.

"resident of Israel" includes a resident of Israel in the Area as defined in section 378 of the Insurance Law.

(b)A person who became disabled by reason of being under detention or in exile for a reason among the reasons listed in paragraphs (1) and (2) of the definition of "Prisoner of Zion", and whose degree of disability is not less than 25%, shall be recognised as a Prisoner of Zion under one of those paragraphs even if he was under detention or in exile for a period shorter than six months.

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Chapter II: The Authority

The Authority§

2.
(a)The Minister of Immigrant Absorption, in consultation with the Minister, shall appoint an authority that shall have the power to recognise a person as a Prisoner of Zion or as a martyr (hereinafter – recognition); notice of the composition of the Authority and its address shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
(b)An application for recognition may be submitted by a Prisoner of Zion or by a family member of a Prisoner of Zion or of a martyr.
(c)The Authority shall issue a certificate in respect of the recognition.
(d)The Authority shall determine its own rules of procedure to the extent that they have not been prescribed by Regulations.
(e)In this section, "martyr" includes a person who before the establishment of the State was executed or put to death by the authorities of a foreign state on account of his Zionist activity.

Decoration§

3.

Where the Authority has recognised a person as a Prisoner of Zion or as a martyr as defined in section 2(e), the Authority shall award a decoration to him or to his family members, as the case may be.

Appeals Committee§

4.
(a)A person who considers himself aggrieved by a decision of the Authority, as well as a person authorised to do so by the Minister of Immigrant Absorption, may appeal against the decision, within 90 days from the date on which notice thereof was delivered to him, before an appeals committee to be appointed by the Minister of Immigrant Absorption in consultation with the Minister; notice of the composition of the committee and its address shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
(b)The appeals committee shall consist of three members:
(1)a person qualified to be a judge of a District Court – chairperson;
(2)a person well versed in Zionist activity in countries abroad;
(3)a representative of the Minister of Immigrant Absorption.
(c)The appeals committee shall determine its own rules of procedure to the extent that they have not been prescribed by Regulations.
(d)The provisions under the Administrative Tribunals Law, 5752-1992 (hereinafter – the Administrative Tribunals Law), except section 45 of that Law, shall apply, with the necessary modifications and with this modification, to an appeal under this section and to the appeals committee: Regulations under section 54 of that Law, in respect of an appeal under this section and the appeals committee, shall also be made in consultation with the Minister of Immigrant Absorption, and instead of "the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset" there shall be read "the Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Committee of the Knesset".

Appeal to the Administrative Affairs Court§

4a.

A final decision of an appeals committee on an appeal under section 4 may be appealed before the Administrative Affairs Court.

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Chapter III: Application for Recognition and for Allowance

Application to the Authority§

5.
(a)An application for recognition shall be submitted to the Authority on a form prescribed for that purpose by the Authority and the Institute, which shall also serve as an application for an allowance under this Law (hereinafter – the application); the form shall set out, among other things, the illnesses and injuries sustained by the applicant for recognition during the period of his imprisonment, detention or exile and the circumstances thereof.
(b)The Authority shall take steps to obtain the documents required for reaching a decision on the recognition and also on the grant of the allowance.
(c)Where the applicant has not produced the evidence required for recognition or for the grant of an allowance, the Authority shall be entitled to reject the application or to defer its processing at its discretion.
(d)Where the Authority has reached a decision on the recognition, it shall transfer the application together with all its documents to the Institute.

Medical Committee§

6.
(a)The disability of a Prisoner of Zion and his degree of disability shall be determined by a medical committee.
(b)Degrees of disability and the periods of their application shall be determined in accordance with criteria and rules to be prescribed by the Minister.

Medical Appeals Committee§

7.
(a)A person who considers himself aggrieved by a decision of a medical committee may, subject to the conditions prescribed in Regulations, appeal against it before the medical appeals committee.
(b)The Institute may, subject to the conditions prescribed in Regulations, appeal against a decision of a medical committee before the medical appeals committee.

Appointment of Committees and Their Powers§

8.

The Minister shall prescribe by Regulations –

(1)the manner of appointment, composition and rules of procedure of the medical committees and of the medical appeals committee;
(2)the powers of the committees and the principles and rules that shall guide them;
(3)the time limits and methods for submitting an appeal to the medical appeals committee.

Appeal to the Regional Court§

9.
(a)A decision of the medical appeals committee may be appealed, on a question of law only, before a regional court within the meaning of the Labour Court Law, 5729-1969 (hereinafter – the Labour Court Law); the judgment of the court may be appealed before the National Labour Court, if leave to do so has been granted by the President of the National Labour Court or his deputy.
(b)The Minister of Justice, in consultation with the Minister, may prescribe by Regulations time limits for the submission of appeals against decisions of the medical appeals committee before the Labour Court.

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Chapter IV: Allowances

Principal Allowance§

10.

A Prisoner of Zion who has been recognised as a disabled person shall be paid, for as long as he is a disabled person, allowances at the rates prescribed under section 4a of the Nazi War Disabled Law (hereinafter – the principal allowance), provided that his degree of disability is not less than –

(1)10% – in respect of a person recognised as a Prisoner of Zion under paragraph (1) or (4) of the definition of "Prisoner of Zion";
(2)25% – in respect of a person recognised as a Prisoner of Zion under paragraph (2) of that definition.

Income-Based Allowance§

11.
(a)In this Chapter –

"maximum income" means one of the following:

(1)in respect of a person who has no spouse – income in an amount equal to 20% of the average wage;
(2)in respect of a person who has a spouse – income, of him and of his spouse, in an amount equal to 30% of the average wage;

"the average wage" means as defined in sections 1 and 2 of the Insurance Law;

"full principal allowance" means a principal allowance paid under section 10 to a Prisoner of Zion who has been recognised as a disabled person and in respect of whom 100% disability has been determined.

(b)A Prisoner of Zion shall be entitled to an allowance (hereinafter – income-based allowance) in an amount equal to 60% of the full principal allowance if he has no spouse, and in an amount equal to 90% of the full principal allowance if he has a spouse.
(c)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b), in the case of a person whose income exceeds the maximum income as applicable, the income-based allowance shall be in an amount equal to the difference between an amount equal to 60% of the amount of income exceeding the maximum income and the amount of the said allowance to which he would have been entitled under subsection (b) had he not had income exceeding the maximum income; for the purpose of this subsection, "income" includes the income of the spouse in the case of a person who has a spouse.
(d)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (b) and (c), the amount of the income-based allowance paid to a Prisoner of Zion where both he and his spouse are entitled to an income-based allowance shall not exceed an amount equal to the income-based allowance paid under subsection (b) to a person who has no spouse.
(e)A Prisoner of Zion who is entitled to a principal allowance under section 10 is also entitled, subject to the provisions of this section, to an income-based allowance.
12.§

(Repealed — תשנ״ח־2)

13.§

(Repealed — תשנ״ח־2)

Allowance for a Family Member of a Martyr§

14.

Family members of the following persons shall be entitled to allowances at the rates and under the conditions prescribed in the Soldiers' Families Law, with the necessary modifications:

(1)a martyr, excluding a martyr as defined in section 2(e);
(2)a person who was under imprisonment, detention or in exile for a reason among the reasons referred to in the definition of "Prisoner of Zion" and who died while under imprisonment, detention or in exile after the establishment of the State;
(3)a person who was under imprisonment, detention or in exile for a reason among the reasons referred to in the definition of "Prisoner of Zion", and a court has declared, after the establishment of the State, his death under the Declaration of Death Law, 5738-1978.

Allowance for the Spouse and Children of an Imprisoned Prisoner of Zion§

15.
(a)The spouse and children of a Prisoner of Zion as referred to in paragraph (3) of the definition of "Prisoner of Zion" shall be entitled to allowances –
(1)where the spouse has no income or his or her income does not exceed the maximum income, as set out below –
(a)to a spouse who is a prior beneficiary – in an amount equal to the benefit for income assurance under the Fourth Schedule of the Income Assurance Law, in accordance with the composition of his or her family, and if children are with him or her – in the amount prescribed in items 7 or 8 of that Schedule, as the case may be; for this purpose, "prior beneficiary" means a person in respect of whom all of the following apply:
(1)he or she received an allowance under this section in respect of December 2002, provided that after that month there was no interruption of his or her entitlement to the allowance for a consecutive period of six months;
(2)he or she has not yet reached the age of 55;
(3)he or she is not receiving a survivors' or dependants' pension under the Insurance Law;
(b)to a spouse who is not a prior beneficiary as defined in sub-paragraph (a) – in an amount equal to the benefit for income assurance under the relevant column of the Second Schedule of the Income Assurance Law, in accordance with his or her personal particulars;
(2)where the income of the spouse exceeds the maximum income – in the amount of the allowance as referred to in paragraph (1), less the additional income, provided that the allowance shall not be less than an amount equal to the pension under section 252 of the Insurance Law;
(3)where the children have no parent present in the country – in an amount equal to the benefit granted to children under the Income Assurance Law.
(b)Where a Prisoner of Zion is released, the allowance under this section shall be paid until the end of 12 months from the date of release, and if he immigrated to Israel within those 12 months – payment of the allowance to his spouse and children shall continue for six months from the date of his immigration to Israel.
(c)Where a Prisoner of Zion is entitled to an allowance under this Law, the amount of the allowance paid to his spouse and children in respect of the period after his immigration to Israel shall be deducted from the allowance due to him, but no amount exceeding the allowance due to him in respect of that period shall be deducted.
(d)(Repealed)

Allowance for the Widow of a Prisoner of Zion§

16.

Where a Prisoner of Zion dies abroad after being released from imprisonment or from detention, an allowance equal to the survivors' pension under the Insurance Law shall be paid to his widow and children, provided that they are not receiving another pension under that Law; the provisions of Chapter XI of the Insurance Law shall apply, with the necessary modifications, in respect of the payment of the allowance.

Allowance for Dependants and Death Grant§

17.
(a)Where a Prisoner of Zion dies and immediately before his death was entitled to an allowance under sections 10 or 11, his widow at the time of his death shall be entitled to all of the following:
(1)a grant in an amount equal to the grant paid under section 310 of the Insurance Law;
(2)an allowance in an amount equal to 60% of the amount of the allowances paid to the deceased immediately before his death under sections 10 or 11.
(b)Where a Prisoner of Zion to whom subsection (a) applies dies and there is no widow entitled to an allowance under this section, all his children in respect of whom the conditions of the definition of "child" are satisfied shall together be entitled to an allowance at the overall rate referred to in subsection (a)(2).
(c)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) –
(1)a grant under subsection (a)(1) shall not be paid to the children and widow of a Prisoner of Zion if a grant under section 310 of the Insurance Law or under section 15 of the Income Assurance Law was paid in respect of his death;
(2)an allowance shall not be paid to a widow who has remarried, from the date of her remarriage.
(d)For the purpose of payments under this section, a widower shall have the same status as a widow.

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