Spain has announced new measures to speed up the naturalization of Jews of Sephardic descent whose ancestors fled the Iberian peninsula five centuries ago when they were told to convert to Catholicism or go into exile.
The Cabinet approved a bill amending previous legislation that granted nationality by naturalization to Sephardic Jews who chose to apply for it. The reform will allow dual nationality, enabling people who can prove Sephardic ancestry to also retain their previous citizenships.
Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon said Friday the measure smooths the bureaucracy involved in obtaining Spanish nationality.
Applicants must be vetted by the government and the Spanish Federation of Jewish Communities.
Sephardic Jews emigrated to cities including Istanbul, London and Cairo after the 1492 decree. Many who didn’t convert were executed during the Inquisition.
(AP)
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This means free movement & right of abode within all EEC countries.
This is a great way for Sephardim to obtain an easy E.U. citizenship/passport.
It now seems that after 522 years, Spain is trying to make amends.
BLIND VISION, the epic historical novel by the award winning best selling author, Vivian Jeanette Kaplan, is now available on Amazon. It is the story of the Inquisition in Spain and the expulsion of the Jews and Secret or Crypto-Jews from there in 1492, of their descendants living today, many in secrecy. They call themselves B’nei Anousim (Hebrew for sons of those forced to convert – Marrano means “filthy pig” in Spanish and should never be used. It was the extremely derogatory word used by the Spaniards to refer to the Conversos in the 15th century and unfortunately is commonplace today). It also finally uncovers the involvement and true identity, beyond any reasonable doubt, of Christopher Columbus who left Spain with his three ships on his voyage to the New World, on the exact same day of expulsion, with several Jews aboard.
The title BLIND VISION comes from the impassioned plea of one of most famous Court Jews of the time, Don Isaac Abravanel, Chief Royal Tax Collector of Spain, to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, to stop their planned Edict of Expulsion. Rabbi Don Abraham Seneor, Chief Rabbi of Spain, was at his side. In his speech, Don Isaac said “For generations to come it will be told and retold how unkind was your faith and how blind was your vision”.
Maybe Spain has finally got the message.