Civic Service Law, 5777-2017
חוק שירות אזרחי, תשע"ז-2017
Published: 2017-04-05Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2025-08-06 · Last amended 2025-08-05✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-17
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Chapter VI: Recognised Body
Section A: Recognition of a Recognised Body
Recognition of a Recognised Body§
48.
(a)An association or a public benefit company, of at least seven members or shareholders, as the case may be, who are not family relatives, that holds a valid certificate of proper management from the Registrar of Associations or from the Registrar of Endowments, as the case may be, may apply for recognition as a recognised body; and in the case of an association or company as aforesaid in respect of which two years have not yet elapsed since the date of its incorporation – a certificate of submission of documents from the relevant Registrar; in this Section –
"public benefit company" – as defined in the Companies Law, 5759-1999, provided that it is registered with the Registrar of Endowments as a public benefit company;
"association" – as its meaning in the Associations Law, 5740-1980.
(b)The Minister, after receiving the opinion of the Authority, may recognise a body as referred to in subsection (a) that has submitted to the Minister a detailed written application (hereinafter – the applicant for recognition) as a recognised body, subject to the maximum number of recognised bodies and the volunteer quotas prescribed in the multi-year development plan, if the Minister has found that all of the following conditions are met in the applicant for recognition:
(1)the principal purpose of the applicant for recognition is to engage in the identification of volunteers for national service or community volunteering, in their referral to such service or volunteering and in their accompaniment within the framework of such service or volunteering, and the applicant has undertaken that its principal occupation is the identification, referral and accompaniment of volunteers as aforesaid and the performance of the functions of a recognised body under this Law (hereinafter – its principal occupation); however, the Minister may recognise the applicant for recognition as a recognised body even if it has additional occupations beyond the principal occupation, if the Minister has found that all of the following conditions are met in it:
(a)the additional occupations of the applicant for recognition contribute to the volunteers or to its principal occupation and do not detract from its ability to maintain its principal occupation;
(b)the financial scope for the performance of its principal occupation is at least 82% of the financial scope for the performance of all of the occupations of the applicant for recognition;
(c)the applicant for recognition manages its principal occupation with accounting separation from any other occupation, including by maintaining a separate system of recording income and expenditure, and all in accordance with accepted accounting principles, has taken measures ensuring that assets and resources designated for its principal occupation or received for the purpose of or as a result of such occupation shall be used solely for the purpose of its principal occupation, and has undertaken to be subject to ongoing audit on behalf of the Authority with respect to this sub-paragraph;
(2)the applicant for recognition has the economic capacity that will enable it to fulfil its functions under this Law over time and at an adequate professional standard, in accordance with criteria prescribed by the Minister;
(3)the applicant for recognition and the office holders therein have not been convicted of an offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders them unfit to serve as a recognised body or as office holders in a recognised body, as the case may be, and no indictment for such an offence is pending against them; for this purpose, "office holder" – any one of the following: director general, deputy director general, assistant director general, any person performing any of the said functions in the applicant for recognition even if their title is different, a member of the board of an association or a director in a public benefit company;
(4)the director general of the applicant for recognition and the chairperson of the board of the association or the board of directors of the applicant for recognition, as the case may be, are not members of the active management of a political party or of a political body or of an electing body of a political party; for this purpose, "political party", "political body" and "electing body of a political party" – as their meaning in the State Service (Restriction of Party Activity and Collection of Funds) Law, 5719-1959;
(5)there is nothing in the purposes or acts of the applicant for recognition that constitutes denial of the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, support for armed struggle or acts of terror by an enemy or a terrorist organisation against the State of Israel, or incitement to racism, violence or terror;
(6)the applicant for recognition has declared that it does not engage and will not engage in activity that constitutes election propaganda, or in activity of a political-party nature, and has no legal or financial connection with a political party as defined in section 34(d)(1);
(7)the additional conditions for recognition prescribed under subsection (d) are met in the applicant for recognition, insofar as such conditions have been prescribed.
(c)The Minister, in consultation with the Council, may prescribe as a condition for the recognition of a new recognised body, compliance with a minimum number of volunteers that the recognised body must refer to operating bodies, within periods to be prescribed; without derogating from the provisions of section 52, if a recognised body has not referred the minimum number of volunteers within such periods as aforesaid, the Minister may, in consultation with the Council, revoke the recognition of the recognised body.
(d)The Minister, with the approval of the Committee, may prescribe additional rules and conditions for the recognition of a recognised body.
(e)Recognition as referred to in this Section shall be granted for a period of seven years, and the Minister may extend its validity for additional periods of up to seven years each, if the applicant for recognition has submitted to the Minister an application no later than six months before the expiry of the recognition; an application for the extension of recognition shall be examined in accordance with the provisions of this Section.
(f)If the number of recognised bodies falls below the maximum number of recognised bodies prescribed in the multi-year development plan, the Authority shall conduct a competitive, equal and public procedure for the recognition of additional recognised bodies in accordance with the provisions of this Section.
(g)The Minister may prescribe criteria for the performance of the functions of the recognised body and also provisions on the following matters:
(1)procedures for submitting an application for recognition;
(2)rules regarding the submission of an application for the extension of the validity of recognition;
(3)guarantees that the applicant for recognition must furnish in order to ensure fulfilment of the conditions for recognition and in order to safeguard the rights of volunteers, and the means and conditions for the realisation of the guarantees; Regulations under this paragraph require approval by the Committee;
(4)conditions and provisions regarding the transfer of information from the recognised body to the Authority and regarding the security of information held by the recognised body and the preservation of its confidentiality.
Additional Conditions for the Activity of a Recognised Body§
49.
(a)If the Minister finds, at any time, after receiving the opinion of the Authority as referred to in section 48(b), that there is a need to impose additional conditions on the activity of a recognised body, the Minister may, after affording the recognised body an opportunity to present its arguments, impose such conditions, and order their observance during the entire or part of the period of validity of the recognition, and the Minister may also, if the Minister finds that it is necessary due to a change of circumstances, reduce or alter those conditions.
(b)If the Minister has imposed conditions as referred to in subsection (a) and the recognised body has not fulfilled those conditions, and the Minister considers that non-fulfilment of the conditions harms volunteers or their ability to perform national service or community volunteering, the Minister may, after affording the recognised body an opportunity to present its arguments, instruct the Authority to fulfil those conditions at the expense of the recognised body.
Duty of Loyalty and Conflict of Interests of a Recognised Body§
50.
(a)A recognised body shall not prefer its own interests or the interests of another over the interests of the volunteer, and shall not act in a manner that gives rise to an apprehension of a conflict of interests between its occupation under this Law and any other occupation it has.
(b)The Minister, with the approval of the Committee, may prescribe additional provisions for the prevention of a conflict of interests of the recognised body and of office holders therein, including with respect to the activity of the recognised body.
Duty of a Recognised Body to Give Notice of Change of Particulars§
51.
A recognised body shall notify the Minister, in writing, of any change that has occurred in a particular of the particulars it furnished to the Minister under section 48, within 30 days of the date on which it became aware of the change, and shall attach the documents relevant to the matter.
Revocation of Recognition of a Recognised Body, Refusal to Extend Validity of Recognition and Suspension of Recognition§
52.
(a)The Minister may revoke recognition of a recognised body, refuse to extend the validity of recognition, or suspend recognition, after receiving the opinion of the Authority and after affording the recognised body an opportunity to present its arguments, if the Minister has found that any one of the following has occurred:
(1)the recognised body has contravened a provision of the provisions under this Law;
(2)a condition of the conditions for the grant of recognition under section 48 has ceased to be met in the recognised body;
(3)the recognised body has contravened a condition of the additional conditions that the Minister imposed under section 49;
(4)the recognition was granted on the basis of false or incorrect information.
(b)The Minister shall not revoke recognition of a recognised body or suspend it under the provisions of subsection (a)(1) to (3), except after demanding that the recognised body fulfil the condition or provision that was contravened or ceased to be met as referred to in that subsection, in the manner and within the period prescribed by the Minister, and the recognised body has failed to do so; the provisions of this subsection shall not apply if it is not possible to fulfil the condition or provision that was contravened or ceased to be met.
(c)If the Minister has revoked or suspended the recognition of the recognised body, the recognised body shall act in accordance with the guidelines of the Authority in order to prevent harm to the rights of volunteers and in order to ensure, as far as possible, continuity during their period of service; revocation of recognition and suspension thereof shall take effect at the end of the service year, unless the Minister has ordered otherwise due to an apprehension of harm to volunteers; for this purpose, "service year" – from 1 September to 31 August of the following year.
Cessation of Activity as a Recognised Body§
53.
If a recognised body has decided to cease its activity as a recognised body –
(1)it shall give written notice thereof to the Authority, at least six months before the planned date of cessation of its activity;
(2)it shall notify the Authority of the arrangements it has formulated for the purpose of performing its obligations under the provisions of this Law after the cessation of its activity, at least three months before the planned date of cessation of activity as aforesaid, and shall act in accordance with the Authority's guidelines in order to prevent harm to the rights of volunteers and in order to ensure, as far as possible, continuity during their period of service.
Publication of Notices regarding Recognition of a Recognised Body and Cessation of Its Activity§
54.
(a)The Minister shall publish in Reshumot (Official Gazette) and on the website of the Authority, a notice of recognition of a recognised body, its suspension or its revocation.
(b)The Authority shall publish on its website a notice of the cessation of activity of a recognised body as referred to in section 53.
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Contact Us →Section B: Recognised Body – Functions, Powers and Duties
Functions of a Recognised Body§
55.
A recognised body shall perform the functions imposed on it under this Law, as set out below, in order to enable a person in whom the conditions referred to in section 3(a) are met to serve in national service or in community volunteering:
(1)it shall identify candidates for service in national service or in community volunteering;
(2)it shall verify that the conditions prescribed in section 3(a) are met in candidates for service in national service or in community volunteering;
(3)it shall screen the applications of candidates as referred to in paragraph (2), and shall refer them to service in appropriate operating bodies;
(4)it shall identify operating bodies, verify that they hold an operating body approval under Chapter VII or under section 19(b), as the case may be, and shall receive from them an undertaking regarding the operation of volunteers as referred to in section 56(3);
(5)it shall enter into an agreement with volunteers that it has referred to operating bodies, as referred to in section 58;
(6)it shall train volunteers in accordance with the provisions of section 13;
(7)it shall provide professional accompaniment to volunteers during the period of service;
(8)it shall pay volunteers pocket money and reimbursement of additional expenses in accordance with the tariff, and travel expenses in accordance with the provisions of section 9(a);
(9)it shall pay on behalf of the volunteers national insurance contributions and health insurance contributions in accordance with the provisions of section 9(b);
(10)it shall conduct ongoing inspections to ensure that volunteers are provided with all the rights and conditions of service to which they are entitled, and in order to examine the functioning of operating bodies with respect to the proper operation of national service and community volunteering, including conducting inspections to verify compliance with the provisions of sections 6(b), 7(c), 8, 14, 16(d)(1) and 57(b);
(11)it shall conduct ongoing inspections to ensure that volunteers in service abroad under section 19 are provided with all the rights and conditions of service to which they are entitled;
(12)it shall maintain records on the performance of national service or community volunteering and on the utilisation of the entitlement to days of absence during the period of service, and shall transmit the records to the Authority upon completion of service or if the volunteer has been transferred to the care of another recognised body, and also in additional cases, upon the Authority's demand;
(13)it shall store the information that has come to its possession under this Law in a database as its meaning in the Privacy Protection Law, 5741-1981;
(14)it shall report to the Authority on any conflict of interests of a volunteer by reason of family proximity as referred to in section 57(a), within two weeks of the date on which it became aware of its existence;
(15)it shall submit reports to the Authority on the matters specified in section 62;
(16)it shall perform any other action that the Director has imposed on it in connection with the performance of its functions under this Law, including with respect to the examination of the granting of rights to volunteers and the ensuring of their conditions of service, including under the First Schedule, and the examination of compliance with a provision of the provisions of this Law by operating bodies.
Referral of Volunteers by a Recognised Body§
56.
A recognised body shall not refer a volunteer to national service or to community volunteering unless all of the following conditions have been met:
(1)it has verified that the operating body has been approved as an operating body under the provisions of Chapter VII or under section 19(b)(1), as the case may be;
(2)it has verified that the conditions prescribed in section 3(a) are met in the volunteer;
(3)it has received from the operating body an undertaking in the form set out in the Third Schedule;
(4)it has entered into an engagement agreement with the volunteer as referred to in section 58.
Conflict of Interests of a Volunteer§
57.
(a)A recognised body shall not refer a volunteer to national service or to community volunteering in an operating body, if a family relative of the volunteer is an employee of that operating body or an office holder therein, and the volunteer is expected to be directly subordinate to that person or in administrative subordination to that person during the course of service (in this Law – conflict of interests by reason of family proximity).
(b)If an operating body becomes aware of the existence of a conflict of interests by reason of family proximity as referred to in subsection (a) with respect to a volunteer who has been referred to it or who is serving with it, the operating body shall report thereon to the recognised body that referred the volunteer to it, within two weeks at the latest.
Engagement Agreement with a Volunteer§
58.
(a)A recognised body shall draw up a written engagement agreement with every volunteer that it refers to service, which shall regulate the relations between them; this agreement shall include, inter alia, all of the following:
(1)the address and telephone number of the operating body and of the place where the volunteer will actually serve;
(2)a description of the position in which the volunteer will serve;
(3)the date of commencement of the volunteer's service and the duration of service;
(4)the volunteer's rights under section 9;
(5)the period of service and the conditions of service of the volunteer under the provisions of sections 7 and 8, including the days of the week and the hours during which the activity will take place;
(6)the details of the volunteer's bank account to which the payments to which the volunteer is entitled under section 9 will be transferred;
(7)the name of the employee of the recognised body responsible for accompanying the volunteer, and the means of contact with that person;
(8)a declaration by the volunteer regarding a conflict of interests by reason of family proximity to an employee of the operating body or an office holder therein as referred to in section 57(a);
(9)an undertaking by the volunteer to comply with additional conditions that the recognised body may impose, with the approval of the Authority.
(b)A recognised body shall provide the volunteer with a copy of the agreement it has drawn up with the volunteer as referred to in subsection (a), promptly after its signature.
(c)An agreement as referred to in subsection (a) shall include, inter alia, provisions in the form directed by the Director.
Power of a Recognised Body regarding Volunteers§
59.
(a)
(1)Without derogating from the provisions of section 18, a recognised body may refuse to accept a candidate for service or to terminate the service of a volunteer, after having considered, inter alia, the existing options for the operation of the volunteer, the conduct of the volunteer, the volunteer's medical condition and suitability for service;
(2)a recognised body shall not terminate the service of a volunteer except after affording the volunteer an opportunity to present arguments and after considering the possibility of transferring the volunteer to service in another operating body or at another location, or of making the required adjustments to enable the continuation of the volunteer's service;
(3)the decision of a recognised body under this subsection shall be delivered to the volunteer or the candidate for service, as the case may be, in writing, accompanied by the reasons for the decision.
(b)A volunteer or candidate for service who considers themselves aggrieved by a decision of a recognised body as referred to in subsection (a) may object thereto before the Objections Committee under the provisions of section 27.
Criteria for the Action of a Recognised Body§
60.
Without derogating from the provisions of section 18, a recognised body shall act towards candidates for service and volunteers under this Law, in good faith, fairly, without favouritism and without discrimination.
Recognised Body – Audited Body§
61.
A recognised body shall be an audited body as its meaning in section 9(6) of the State Comptroller Law, 5718-1958 [Consolidated Version].
Reporting to the Authority§
62.
(a)A recognised body shall report to the Authority on the matters set out below, at the time and in the manner that the Minister shall prescribe, provided that the report shall be submitted in a computerised and uniform manner:
(1)with respect to each volunteer that it has referred to an operating body –
(a)the personal details of the volunteer and, if the volunteer received an exemption from security service – the date on which the exemption was received;
(b)the name of the operating body to which it referred the volunteer, and the place where the volunteer is actually performing the service;
(c)the role and activity performed by the volunteer in the framework of his or her service;
(d)the date of commencement of the volunteer's service, the date of completion of his or her service, and the date of termination of his or her service – if terminated;
(e)the number of leave days and the number of sick days that the volunteer utilised during the service period;
(2)a list of the operating bodies to which it referred volunteers and the number of volunteers it referred to each operating body;
(3)the names of all employees of the recognised body who are responsible for accompanying volunteers, the means of contact with them and a list of the volunteers that each employee accompanies.
(b)If a recognised body becomes aware that a condition from among the conditions for the grant of approval as an operating body under Chapter VII has ceased to be fulfilled in an operating body, or that an operating body or a volunteer is not complying with a provision of this Law, it shall notify the Authority accordingly, within a reasonable time in the circumstances of the matter, and no later than 21 days from the day on which it became aware thereof.
(c)A recognised body shall provide the Authority with any information that has come to its knowledge that is connected to a volunteer or to the activities of an operating body, being exceptional and significant information, which it has reasonable grounds to believe is required by the Authority for the purpose of fulfilling its functions, immediately after the information has come to its knowledge.
(d)A recognised body shall submit to the Authority, at its request, a report detailing its income and expenditure, and shall provide it with any information required by it for the purpose of examining its financial, accountancy and economic conduct, and the Authority may examine the report and the information, either itself or through a person acting on its behalf; the Minister may prescribe rules regarding the details to be included in such a report and also regarding the provision of information under this subsection, including the manner of its preparation, the methods of its compilation and the times of its submission.
(e)A recognised body shall report to the Authority, at its request, on any additional matter connected to its activities that relates to the provisions of this Law.
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