Sephardic Jews
The Latest
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Breaking News Muslims Demand Same Spain Return Right as Sephardic Jews
Spanish Muslims urged their government to grant citizenship to descendants of Muslims who were expelled from Spain in addition to Jews. The demand was made this week in a statement by the Association for Historical Legacy of Al-Andalus, the Spanish news agency EFE reported on Feb. 17. “The Spanish state should grant the same rights…
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Breaking News Portugal To Offer Passports To Sephardic Jews
Following Spain’s lead, Portugal announced this weekend that it will grant citizenship to descendants of Portuguese Jews who were expelled during the Inquisition. The drafted legislation is identical to Spain’s, according to Haaretz. While the principles of the bill are set, the specific wording and criteria still need to be finalized. Spain’s bill provides a…
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Opinion How Spain’s Sephardic Law Makes Israel Look Bad
A night-time scene in the historic district of Córdoba, Spain. / Josh Nathan-Kazis It’s only been a week since Spain’s cabinet approved a law offering citizenship to Sephardic Jews, but Israelis are already tripping over each other in their race to apply. Between 700 and 800 have sent email inquiries to Maya Weiss-Tamir, an Israeli…
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Music Spain Citizenship for Sephardic Jews ‘Automatic’ — No Discretion
The conferring of Spanish citizenship to Sephardic Jews will be automatic and independent of the government’s discretion, the country’s justice minister told a delegation of American Jews. Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon made the pledge during a speech Thursday before dozens of members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. He was referring…
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Opinion Should I Apply for Spanish Citizenship as Sephardic Jew?
Will I apply? That’s what people are asking me today, as news circulates of the law the Spanish cabinet just approved to offer citizenship to Sephardic Jews. Two weeks ago, the Forward published a long essay I wrote about this citizenship offer, which the Spanish justice and foreign ministers first proposed in 2012. I went…
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Breaking News Spanish Cabinet Approves New Law to Allow Sephardic Jews to Claim Citizenship
After 522 years, Spain is inviting the Jews back — for real this time. Spain’s government announced in November 2012 a new law to give fast-track citizenship to Sephardic Jews. The Forward published an essay in January 2014 reporting that the government had yet to follow through on the promise. Now, Spain’s council of ministers…
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Breaking News Portugal’s Oldest Synagogue Gets $290K Facelift in Azores
A Portuguese municipality has begun restoring the country’s oldest intact synagogue, which is situated on the island of Sao Miguel. The restoration of the Sabar Hassamain synagogue was kicked off on Monday in a ceremony conducted by Jose Manuel Bolieiro, mayor of Ponta Delgada – capital of the Azores archipelago, a region of Portugal which…
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Opinion Drawing ‘My Spanish Inquisition’
Kurt Hoffman How do you sum up 500 years of Sephardic history in just a couple of illustrations? That’s the challenge I had to answer in the pages of the Forward and on the web at forward.com. Josh Nathan-Kazis’ story tells about his attempt to make good on the Spanish government’s offer to issue passports…
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