My wife was born in the US, and has lived her whole life here except for two years studying in seminary in Jerusalem.

According to something I just read (on the Nefesh b'Nefesh website), any child born to an Israeli parent is considered an Israeli citizen, even if the child has never set foot in Eretz Yisrael.

(So long as the parent didn't renounce his/her Israeli citizenship.)

My father-in-law (alav ha-shalom) was Israeli. That makes my wife Israeli. When I told me wife, she was very surprised.

I think that's nonsense. My grandchildren who have an Israeli-born father are not Israeli citizens. They visited Israel earlier this year using US passports. If you are an Israeli citizen you are required to enter Israel with an Israeli passport.

Israeli parents can register their foreign born children as Israeli citizens, if they choose to do so. That's true in many countries. And in Israel particularly it's nothing extraordinary because all Jews have a right to Israeli citizenship anyway.

Of course, if a non-Jewish Israeli citizen wants to register his foreign born children as citizens I bet the interior ministry will refuse.

Elan