The Portuguese parliament passed legislation facilitating the
naturalization of descendants of 16th-century Jews who fled because of
religious persecution.
The motion, which was submitted by the Socialist and Center Right
parties, was read Thursday in parliament and approved unanimously Friday
as an amendment to Portugal’s “Law on Nationality.”
It allows descendants of Jews who were expelled in the 16th century
to become citizens if they “belong to a Sephardic community of
Portuguese origin with ties to Portugal,” according to Jose Oulman Carp,
president of Portugal's Jewish community.
Applicants must be able to show “Sephardic names.” Another factor is
“the language spoken at home” -- a reference which also applies to
Ladino. The amendment also says applicants need not reside in Portugal,
an exception to the requirement of six years of consecutive residency in
Portugal for any applicant for citizenship.
“The next step is the creation of a bureaucratic framework for
reviewing applications, which will probably involve the Jewish community
of Lisbon and government officials,” said Carp, who has lobbied for
several years for the amendment. He called it “a huge development.”
The Portuguese Inquisition began in 1536 and resulted in massive
expulsion and forced conversion to Christianity. Portugal had a Jewish
population of about 400,000, many of them refugees from neighboring
Spain, where the Inquisition started in 1492. Spanish lawmakers are said
to be drafting a similar motion.
Carp is hoping the measure will help attract new members to the
country’s Jewish community of 1,000 to 1,500. “I expect the amendment
will attract some interest from members of the Jewish community of
Turkey, a country which absorbed many Portuguese immigrants,” he said.
Popular support for the motion stems from a desire to “make amends”
for a dark historic chapter in Portugal, a country Carp describes as
being “virtually free of anti-Semitism.” Some also hope the law would
attract investments by Jews seeking to settle in Portugal, one of the
European Union’s most vulnerable economies.
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2013/04/12/3124146/descendants-of-jewish-refugees-may-claim-portuguese-citizenship#When:15:05:00Z
Friday 12 April 2013
Descendants of 16th century Jewish refugees may claim Portuguese citizenship
Posted @ 15:19
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