A Jew married a non-Jewish in Uzbekistan and adopted her son who was close to 18 at the time. The authorities in Uzbekistan registered the son as Jewish but when he sought to receive an Israeli citizenship he was refused.
The Supreme Court held that the Israel Law of Return enables Jews to receive Israeli citizenship. The son was not born to a Jewish mother, nor was it contended that he converted to Judaism, and therefore he does not meet the definition of "Jew" under the Law of Return. For this purpose, it is of no significance if the authorities of Uzbekistan, or any other foreign authority, recognized him as a Jew. A different route under the Law of Return is a family relationship with a Jew but the status of family members is not sufficient; rather, it is necessary to examine and verify that this is a real family unit. As stated, this is an adoption and therefore, it should be examined whether this is a genuine and sincere adoption, lest the Law of Return be abused, and fake adoption relationships will be created only for the purpose of obtaining status in Israel. Here the son left the family unit soon after the adoption and for 16 years was not part thereof and thus the mere adoption will not entitle for Israeli citizenship.