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SPAIN TO INVITE HOME DESCENDANTS OF JEWS 500 YEARS AFTER EXPULSION
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Feb 13 2014
13 February 2014 /JOSHUA KEATING, SLATE
WASHINGTON -- The Financial Times reports that Spain is considering a
new change to its citizenship laws that would allow the descendants
of Jews expelled from the country during the Spanish inquisition to
obtain citizenship:
Until now the descendants of Jews expelled from Spain during the 15th
century - known as Sephardic Jews - could claim Spanish citizenship
only after living in the country for two years, and then only if they
renounced their previous nationality.
The new bill, which is still to be approved by the Spanish parliament,
will allow the estimated 3.5m Sephardic Jews who are alive today to
claim Spanish nationality without having to give up their current
passport. [...]
While the biggest community of Sephardic Jews lives in Israel, other
communities also exist in Latin America, Turkey, the US and other
parts of Europe. The proposed offer of Spanish citizenship would also
apply to them.
The law would be pretty unusual. A number countries have laws to
encourage members of their diasporas to return to the motherland.
Ireland, for instance, will grant citizenship to people with Irish
grandparents, though not - as Bill Clinton seems to believe - to
anyone of "Irish descent."
Israel's law of return will give citizenship to Jews from any country.
Armenia passed laws in 2007 to grant dual citizenship to ethnic
Armenians born in other countries.
But the Spanish law would apply to people who were expelled from the
country, and not recently but five centuries ago. There are already
questions about how the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain,
which will vet the prospective returnees, will determine eligibility.
Part of this may be Spain looking to address one of the darkest periods
of its history, but it's also worth noting that people are leaving
the country in record numbers these days. As many as 700,000 people -
roughly 1.5 percent of the population - may have departed for other
countries since 2008.
Allowing Sephardic Jews to return may be one way of attracting
new citizens without risking an anti-immigrant backlash. Something
tells me that given the current political climate, the descendants
of Muslims expelled during the Inquisition might have a longer wait.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-339270-spain-to-invite-home-descendants-of-jews-500-years-after-expulsion.html
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Feb 13 2014
13 February 2014 /JOSHUA KEATING, SLATE
WASHINGTON -- The Financial Times reports that Spain is considering a
new change to its citizenship laws that would allow the descendants
of Jews expelled from the country during the Spanish inquisition to
obtain citizenship:
Until now the descendants of Jews expelled from Spain during the 15th
century - known as Sephardic Jews - could claim Spanish citizenship
only after living in the country for two years, and then only if they
renounced their previous nationality.
The new bill, which is still to be approved by the Spanish parliament,
will allow the estimated 3.5m Sephardic Jews who are alive today to
claim Spanish nationality without having to give up their current
passport. [...]
While the biggest community of Sephardic Jews lives in Israel, other
communities also exist in Latin America, Turkey, the US and other
parts of Europe. The proposed offer of Spanish citizenship would also
apply to them.
The law would be pretty unusual. A number countries have laws to
encourage members of their diasporas to return to the motherland.
Ireland, for instance, will grant citizenship to people with Irish
grandparents, though not - as Bill Clinton seems to believe - to
anyone of "Irish descent."
Israel's law of return will give citizenship to Jews from any country.
Armenia passed laws in 2007 to grant dual citizenship to ethnic
Armenians born in other countries.
But the Spanish law would apply to people who were expelled from the
country, and not recently but five centuries ago. There are already
questions about how the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain,
which will vet the prospective returnees, will determine eligibility.
Part of this may be Spain looking to address one of the darkest periods
of its history, but it's also worth noting that people are leaving
the country in record numbers these days. As many as 700,000 people -
roughly 1.5 percent of the population - may have departed for other
countries since 2008.
Allowing Sephardic Jews to return may be one way of attracting
new citizens without risking an anti-immigrant backlash. Something
tells me that given the current political climate, the descendants
of Muslims expelled during the Inquisition might have a longer wait.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-339270-spain-to-invite-home-descendants-of-jews-500-years-after-expulsion.html