We (myself and my husband) came to Mr. Joshua Pex – for his professional advice – and we received such human warmth and caring attitude, that our hearts melted …
His attention to our details and our situation peculiarities, combined with his professionalism and knowledge, helped us to map out what needs to be done on our part: we appreciate and recommend You, Mr. Joshua!
Shaltiel Devorah
Mr. Joshua Pex is knowledgeable and Professional. I really appreciate his courteous and direct approach.
Sergei m Vashkevich
We came to Mr. Joshua with so many questions (and most of all, with so many concerns and worries) …
When we explained our case to him, first of all, he calmed us down and helped us to see the big picture, which took away our fears;
Then he presented us with a detailed explanation and a few options to explore, and a timeline, how things work and necessary steps to undertake on our part,
We thank and highly recommend Mr. Joshua for showing us so much empathy, care and professionalism (!)
Matthias Oppliger
I have been receiving services from this Law Firm for several years now and I want to say THANK YOU to the team, especially Joshua Pex. They are doing outstanding work. The services I have received for both our Israeli non profit association but also our social business have helped us solve many issues at hand and provided solutions in complicated situations. Personally, I am grateful for support in visa issues as a foreigner living now in Israel for many years.
Alexander P Gutterman
EU PASSPORT ! Big news! Thanks to Michael Decker and the other good people at the law office, as well as to the virtue of my ancestors, the cruelty of the Inquisition, reparations issued in the Iberian Peninsula, and etc, I am delighted to be on track for Portuguese and European Union Citizenship! A truly incredible development and one which brings me deep joy.
Gáspár Erőss
If you need to solve any complicated legal issue in Israel, don't hesitate to contact them. Otherwise you will loose hours/days/weeks with things that they can solve in minutes. They helped me to obtain my expert working visa in Israel and even after that they responded further questions and gave me advices related to administrative issues in Israel which saved me a lot of time. Irena Rosenberg and Michael Decker worked on my case, they are very professional and helpful. They will not let you down, feel free to contact them.
Morgan Jones
The team at Decker, Pex & Co have been awesome to work with in helping our US company establish banking in Israel and in providing counsel for legal needs in Israel. I highly recommend!
Prima Lorenzo
I admire the Austrian citizenship team in Tel-Aviv branch! They deserve more then 5 stars!! They are very friendly and professional. I've got Austrian citizenship in 4 months for all family members which consists of 12 people! The entire team is very friendly and responsive. They are always answering questions and support during the process. I recommend to everyone. Was 100% satisfied.
TarcisioePotira Freitas
I really recommend the law office's services. The service is very professional and efficient, the price is right. I am satisfied with the services I needed and happy to have known them.
Halvor Ronning
Courteous, clear, efficient service.
Joshua Pex was both an amazing human being and an inspiring human rights attorney. I reported directly to him for various activities I performed as in intern. I was impressed with his incredibly solid character. He is trustworthy, fair, and goes above and beyond to advocate for the vulnerable. He is completely trustworthy and high caliber in his work. His partners and employees are very blessed to work with him. I am honored to know them.
Heather Lebrun
Yossi Montrose
Very knowledgeable and professional
Dumitrascu Cristina
Best lawyer house from Israel! I couldn’t dealt with my situation without their professionalism and effectiveness. Their dedication to every legal aspect and their drive it’s how a true lawyer house can be!
Working in European market and international now, I couldn’t dare to let myself wide my wings on countries unknown to me. Definitely they’ll be the lawyers representing me, my business at every international aspect and on personal development.
When you hear Decker,Pex,Ofir &Co, you hear 10+ class services, luxurious professionals, confidentiality and exclusive attention to your needs.
Kfir Cohen
We were searching for a law firm that will be honest with us and really work hard for a satisfying result, it wasn't an easy task
We found them online; they were the only law firm from all of our searchings which were completely honest and NOT gave us just what we wanted to hear
Using them guaranteed honesty above all. A legal team that is friendly and cares for a superb result
They really care about helping their customers without any other interest
Nadia gave us service behind what we expected; she was professional which lead to fast and easy process with great result
We definitely recommend using them
Priscilla Moses
competent consulting, fast processing, reliable, warm & good team. highly recommended
Sophie Cooperman
Oded Ger did an excellent job by reviewing a modeling contract I was offered. Explained the bad clauses in the contract, and their possible consequences. Thank you for your amazing job, your professionalism, your consultation and honesty. You showed me from your experience how it can be done differently. It was the best decision choosing you as my lawyer.
I highly recommend this firm, especially Oded Ger.
Наталья Мажуга
Great lawyers Joshua Pex and Nechama and Michael Deker who really want to help you and I have very trustful relationships with them. All my cases they took they won. Thank you and let’s keep working together
Dongdiet & Nellie
We are very happy with the services. Somehow they managed to translate the law lingo into language we actually understand 😉 and their outstanding YouTube videos helped us to have a better grasp of what process we had to go through. Their patience, clear explanation and experience are very valuable. It's also very nice to know that you will receive response promptly; it made us feel we can really trust their services. We recommend all those looking for immigration lawyers to get in touch.
Paul Prince
The team of lawyers and assistants are incredibly professional. Aiming to give their clients the advice possible regarding the normative and the law of Israel. With well trained and professional secretary at the front desk to the lawyers team, I could say that I had one of the most professional services possible. I'm super glad of choosing Joshua Pex of Law office for immigration solution, lawyers to advise in my case, to me, it is remarkable.
Arielle Bosch
Incredibly knowledgeable, approachable, accessible, and evident across the board that they truly care about the people they are helping. They are quick to respond, engaged, and obviously top-notch lawyers. I couldn't recommend them highly enough. Thank you, Joshua and Itamar for your help with our Joint Life Application. You were a calming energy during a storm - always breathed a sigh of relief after speaking with you. It is so difficult to get straight answers from the Misrad Hapnim, but you guys are straight shooters. I appreciate your candor and evident integrity. Hope to work with you in the future, and will send everyone I know in need of legal aid your way. Thank you for your guidance and support.
Genaan Abdelall
I cannot recommend Nechama enough! Her expertise, professionalism, and dedication to her clients is unparalleled. From the moment I reached out to her, she provided clear and concise communication, and helped me navigate through a complex legal issue with ease.
Throughout the entire process, Nechama went above and beyond to ensure that I was informed and comfortable with every decision. She demonstrated a deep knowledge of the law, and was able to offer sound advice that ultimately led to a positive outcome.
What sets Nechama apart is her compassionate and empathetic approach to her clients. She truly cares about the well-being of her clients, and it shows in the way she handles every case.
If you are in need of a lawyer, I highly recommend Nechama.
Greg Olson
We highly recommend Adv. Mike Decker and have know him for many years. He has helped our family with many battles over the years. We recently received our permanent residency after 23 years in Israel. We so much appreciate Mike’s representation of us.
Lilian Granovsky
I can highly recommend these services!
Every time we turned to Joshua we always got a professional quick and helpful respond.
Schruuf
We were very pleased and content with the services of this law firm. They supported us 100% and solved our case successfully, we couldn't be happier.
YK C
We had a pleasure of working with Irena Rosenberg who assisted in getting our two U.S. born children registered in Israel and supported visa process for my wife in 2021. During the pandemic, my wife and I decided to move to Israel where I am originally from after living in the U.S. for over 20 years, but we had no idea how to go about securing visas before and after arriving in Israel. Irena is knowledgeable, reliable and competent lawyer who always had answers to all our questions which made us feel confident that everything would be fine with her assistance. We are now happily living in Israel and are so grateful to have Irena who is a genuinely nice person as our lawyer.
Michael and Ariellah Waizman
For Advocate Joshua Pex.
We were in a devastating situation when my wife received an order from the immigration office to leave Israel within 30 days, without any explanation, after we have been married and in the process for six and a half years. We heard of Advocate Pex through a friend of a friend. We contacted Mr. Pex and he was ready to help us when he heard of our situation.
The service is amazing! Always ready to assist without regard to the time it takes. The advice Mr. Pex gave us was great, such as what to do, he gave useful links, and advice about which officials to contact. The price for the service was great!
The process until we received the extension for another year for my wife was not long (3 months). Things started moving once Mr. Pex came into the picture.
We highly recommend Advocate Joshua Pex! We achieved our goal and the fear of deportation has been lifted!
Eden Weiss
Extrmely friendly, professional and helpful. A big thank you to Irina especially from the Jerusalem office. Highly Recommended.
lynn vonne
Excellent service, very friendly and helpful, fast responding and very patient. Highly recommend. I will choose them again next time if needed.
Jacob Newberry
A really excellent firm. They knew exactly how to handle my situation effectively and efficiently, and we got the result I needed without much fuss. Adi Berger was a wonderful advocate for me and I am deeply grateful for her help!
Michelle Long
Josh has been helping me on and off for a few years now. I have needed legal advice and assistance with immigration due to a complex situation of mine, and he has been extremely available and responsive, honest and clear about my route and how to proceed. Very much recommended!
Israel iluz
We were very satisfied with the service of Nehama. She was very professional in all her dealings and kept us informed all the way.
We highly recommend this law firm. They proved to be reliable, efficient and pleasant to work with.
Andreas Kelling
We have been working with Decker, Pex & Co - Law Firm in Tel Aviv for many years very well. Because we appreciated their lawyers services, we recommended businesses and individuals again and again to go there as well.
Amir Abt
The best lawyer firm I’ve had dealt with. I would like to thank Anat Levi and Ariel Galili from the Jerusalem branch for all of their efforts and patience, we could not have been Able to reach to where we are now without them
Marce Ruth St. Rey
Party time in the heart, my beloved husband received his residence after so much time of battles and faith. Gratitude, God has blessed us with wonderful beings who have accompanied us, including a "precious angel" who touched our hearts, our excellent and fantastic lawyer: Maria Chernin Dekel, sweet and wonderful human being, who has guided us and stayed On our side. side in this intense legal transit whom we bless on every occasion. God bless you dear Maria, you have exceeded your professional duty by containing us and collaborating with us in hard times, very hard, for that we want to thank you publicly, you are unique!!!
We bless and thank the entire team at Decker Pex Tal Ofir Law Firm.
Stuart Safft
I am delighted to report that my wife and I have just obtained our Israeli citizenship. We will be forever grateful for all of the help, guidance and support which Ariel Galili of Decker, Pex & Co. provided through this process.
I am a Jewish, 80-year-old American, and my wife is not Jewish. We had started the process on our own back in November 2020 via the Jewish Agency and Nefesh B’Nefesh, but soon became entangled in the delays and often-changing regulations due to Covid-19. The pandemic also caused delays in obtaining the required apostilles for various documents from various state agencies and the US State Department.
We found Decker, Pex & Co. On the internet and began working with Ariel in late November 2021. Ariel did a superb job of leading us through the process, helping us to understand which documents were essential, which would most likely be required, and which, though included on the list of required documents, were rarely required. He helped us several times to understand what was likely and unlikely to occur as “the next step.” Helping us manage our expectations was extremely useful to us.
Besides his knowing the laws, regulations and procedures, Ariel also made us feel that he was truly interested in helping us to successfully work through this process in as smooth, timely, and frustration-free manner as possible.
My wife and I strongly recommend anyone planning to go through this process seriously consider hiring Decker, Pex, Ofir & Co. and, specifically, Ariel Galili.
This article addresses German citizenship eligibility. At the end of June of this year (2021), the German parliament set new regulations for the process of obtaining German citizenship for victims of the Nazi regime and their descendants. Under the new regulations, the pool of eligible people has expanded significantly, and the vast majority of people with a Jewish connection to Germany in the middle of the previous century are eligible for a European passport. What are the conditions for eligibility for a German passport, and who is entitled to receive German citizenship? Find the answers in this article.
Obtaining German citizenship for descendants of Nazi victims according to the German citizenship law can be done with the help of our offices in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Our law office specializes in obtaining European citizenships based on family roots. If your family has a German background, you are most likely eligible to receive German citizenship.
Eligibility for German citizenship
Following the reforms legislated by the Austrian parliament in 2019 regarding the broadening of conditions for receiving Austrian citizenship for Nazi persecution victims and their descendants, the German legislature decided to follow suit, significantly easing the requirements for citizenship in a similar way. (For information on the history of Jews in Germany, see the linked page.)
The reforms signal the loosening of past restrictions, including nullifying restrictions based on dates of birth, forfeiting existing citizenships, army service, and gender discrimination. The nullification of the former gender discrimination has in fact opened the door to hundreds of thousands of people who were previously barred from declaring and obtaining citizenship.
Some details on the issue of gender discrimination: In the past, descendants of men who lost their citizenship during the years of the Third Reich regime in Germany were eligible for German citizenship at any age, but descendants of women were only able to obtain German citizenship if those descendants were born before 1953. As a part of the historic “amending grievances” policy in Germany, this restrictive clause has been canceled, even in cases where the mother was married to a foreigner.
Who is eligible for German citizenship?
Any descendant of a Jew who was persecuted in Germany for being Jewish between the years 1933-1945 can apply for citizenship. This includes those who lost their citizenship in 1941 as a result of the racist policy which revoked the citizenships of most citizens who were not of “pure German” ancestry.
In addition, people who were permanent residents in Germany during the 1930s (even before 1933), but due to their ethnicity were not recognized as citizens by the German authorities, are also eligible to apply for citizenship, along with their descendants.
How does one obtain German citizenship?
First, you must make sure you have documents that prove the former German citizenship of the subject on whom the application is based. Documents such as a birth certificate, an old passport, a diploma from a certified German institution, a marriage certificate, etc. will be considered satisfactory evidence of a German connection.
If you do not possess such documents because they did not survive or because the subject was not able to take them when leaving Germany, documents can be found in the German archives. This service is also offered by our offices.
Afterward, a family connection between the applicant and the Nazi persecution victim must be proven by official documents in order to verify and clearly present a blood relation between the two.
How do you obtain German citizenship?
A significant portion of the required time is spent waiting for an available appointment at the German embassy for the interview you must undergo. You must contact the embassy, make an appointment, and prepare all the documents required for the process. The documents will then be sent by the embassy to Germany for processing, where they will be examined by a committee that is authorized to approve or reject the application.
Here we would recommend seeking the assistance of an experienced and expert attorney who is familiar with German bureaucracy and knows which documents are to be submitted, what needs to be translated, what needs to have an apostille stamp attached, etc.
The duration of the process for receiving citizenship–from beginning to end–is usually between a year and two years.
German and Israeli citizenship
One of the most common questions our offices receive since the legislation update is whether it is necessary to forfeit Israeli citizenship in order to receive German citizenship. The answer is no.
One aspect of the special status granted to people with a Jewish connection to Nazi Germany is that they do not need to forfeit their existing citizenship, including citizenships other than Israeli. Eligibility for a German passport is open today to the vast majority of the persecution victims and their descendants, and the German legislature does not generally pose many difficulties in the process.
Conditions for German citizenship
There are important ground rules which are mandatory for obtaining German citizenship. First, the applicant must not have committed felonies that are more severe than the limit stipulated by German law. Another condition is that the applicant has not committed financial crimes on a large scale and/or taken part in terrorist acts in Germany.
German citizenship for grandchildren
Grandchildren of Holocaust survivors can obtain a German passport without their parents becoming citizens first. In other words, it is possible to skip a generation when submitting an application. The conditions applied to the grandchildren are the same as those for first-degree relatives of survivors.
In general, we recommend that family members submit a joint application and not individual ones. Today the German legislature allows all family members to apply jointly and in one file, something which can significantly shorten the process.
The duration of the process for obtaining citizenship is about a year and a half. If you are considering waiting until the completion of the citizenship process of a family member before ordering your own passport, it is important to take into account something which may become crucial as time passes: the process of obtaining citizenship in a foreign country is naturally subject to change. In other words, it is possible that in the future new restrictions will be applied, which may prevent you from receiving the passport in the convenient and easy manner that is possible now. By potential future restrictions, we mean requirements such as a comprehensive language test, residence in Germany for a year or longer, the need to travel to the country in order to register citizenship, and other possible obligations that may hinder the process of receiving the coveted passport in the future.
German citizenship rights
As one of the most desired passports in the world and the one most highly rated in Europe, once you have a German passport, you will have available to you a wide spectrum of exclusive opportunities.
First, you will be able to enter countries that are not accessible on an Israeli passport, such as Qatar, Venezuela, Malaysia, and more.
You will have the right to live and work freely in all the European Union countries and study in any of these countries with partial or even full subsidization. There are high-quality academic institutions throughout Europe that exclusively recognize members of the EU and ease the entrance requirements for such applicants.
Additional rights include entering the USA without the need for a visa and receiving medical care in the advanced departments in Germany or in other European Union countries. Another prominent advantage is the ability to invest in local businesses or purchase real estate.
Contact us regarding German citizenship eligibility
Contact our offices if you are interested in obtaining German citizenship. We assist people to obtain German citizenship under the new law. If you wish to find out whether you are eligible, contact us at the email or phone number below, and we will be glad to help.
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German citizenship: Amendment that broadens eligibility