Law granting Spanish nationality to Sephardic Jews
originating in Spain
Yael Macias
In 1492 the Jews were expelled
from the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon and six years later from the kingdom of
Navarre. Many of them settled in North Africa, Portugal, Italy and elsewhere around
the Mediterranean and in Northern Europe. They all had something in common that
lasted throughout the centuries: the memory of Sepharad. Most kept it in one
way or another; in their language, their customs and traditions, their prayers,
their names or simply the consciousness of their Sephardic identity. That
memory has lasted 523 years.
On June 11th the law
granting Spanish nationality to Sephardic Jews originating from Spain was unanimously
approved in the Spanish Parliament, a law that has been under discussion for
some years. The next day the Ambassador of Spain in Israel held a press
conference on the issue given the great interest that it had raised.
Ambassador Fernando Cardedera
started his presentation to the media by making a brief historical introduction
on the origins of this law. He pointed out that the law was not a spontaneous
idea that came about in the last two years, but the culmination of a process
that had been brewing since the reign of Elizabeth II in the nineteenth
century, when Jews were allowed for the first time to have a Jewish cemetery.
This little effort to integrate Jewish life again in Spain was followed by
several initiatives, some with a huge impact. The Ambassador also mentioned the
law signed in 1924 that allowed many Jews of Sephardic origin to benefit from
the protection of Spanish embassies and consulates. What was probably intended
as a friendly gesture of reconciliation, ended up being the tool that saved many
Jews from Nazi Europe during World War II.
Today, the issue of Sephardic
Jews has resurfaced in Spain, this time with a law that will have a profound
social and historical impact: all Sephardic descendants, regardless of religion
or residence shall be entitled to apply for Spanish nationality by
naturalization.
Spanish nationality shall be
granted without the need to reside in Spain, and will not force the applicant
to give up his or her other nationality (as it is usually the case). The
applicant must meet two essential requirements: proof that the person is
actually a Sephardic originating in Spain, and a special bond with modern Spain,
either through culture, trade relations, language studies, etc. Each of these
two requirements is quite extensive as to the different demands and official
documents requested, and it is important to study them in depth before applying
for citizenship.
The law will take effect on
October 1st, 2015, the date from which those interested may start
sending online applications. The law will be in force for three years and one
additional year subject to government approval, but the Ambassador insisted on
one important aspect of the law: any person of Sephardic origin in an extraordinary
or humanitarian situation will always be able to apply for Spanish nationality.
Ambassador Cardedera did not want to speculate as to how many people will apply
for citizenship from Israel, but the embassy and the Cervantes Institute are
considering figures around several thousands.
There are still many unanswered
questions about the specifications of this law; we will have to get closer to
October 1st in order to have a clearer idea of what the real
impact of this historic project will be.
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