Socialists want restrictions Sephardic Jew citizenships.
Why Alex and other Sephardic Jews become Portuguese
Three years ago, Alex Abrahams was flicking through the pages of a newspaper when he chanced upon the advert which would end up changing his identity.
I saw that the governments of Spain and Portugal had passed restitution laws to offer citizenship to the descendants of those expelled by the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions at the end of the 15th Century and beginning of the 16th Century. I thought: ‘Wow, that’s amazing!
I saw that the governments of Spain and Portugal had passed restitution laws to offer citizenship to the descendants of those expelled by the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions at the end of the 15th Century and beginning of the 16th Century. I thought: ‘Wow, that’s amazing!
As an official apology to the Jews who were either killed or escaped during the Inquisition, in 2015 Portugal introduced the Law in that allows descendants – aka Sephardic Jews – to obtain Portuguese citizenship.
Since then Alex Abrahams and 50,000 other Sephardic Jews have applied and around 10,000 obtained the citizenship that give them access to Schengen.
In the original law you only had to prove that you descended from the Sephardic Jews who fled Portugal.
A few months ago the Socialists put forward a new amendment that will put a limit to what they believe has become a new business venture by adding a restriction to the original law.
If the law gets through the parliament from 2022 besides proving their Portuguese heritage the Sephardic Jews also must have current and effective connections with Portugal to obtain citizenship.
So to our Jewish friends who consider becoming Portuguese but still haven’t started up the process: Maybe you should get started.
Shalom,
Thomas
Despite the expulsion and the persecution of their ancestral territory, they have kept, along with their descendants, not only the Portuguese language, in some cases, but also the traditional rites of the ancient Jewish worship in Portugal, saving their surnames over generations, objects and documents proving their Portuguese origin, along with a strong memorial connection to Portugal. Consequently, they are often referred to as Portuguese Jews or Jews of the Portuguese Nation.
Considering this historical heritage, the Portuguese Citizenship Act (Lei da Nacionalidade) was amended as to permit the acquisition of Portuguese citizenship by the descendants of Portugal's Sephardic Jews.
Considering this historical heritage, the Portuguese Citizenship Act (Lei da Nacionalidade) was amended as to permit the acquisition of Portuguese citizenship by the descendants of Portugal's Sephardic Jews.