Spain extends deadline for Sephardic Jews to claim citizenship
The country will extend the time limit for descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled from the country more than 500 years ago to acquirie Spanish citizenship.
Spain’s government has said it will extend the deadline for descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled from the country more than 500 years ago, who have launched the process of acquiring Spanish citizenship but could not complete it due to the pandemic.
The extension of one year until September 2021 only applies to those who had presented their preliminary request for citizenship before the October 2019 deadline.
Spain’s Justice Ministry said the extension will allow applicants to sit for a mandatory test on their knowledge of Spain’s Constitution and culture that had been cancelled because of the pandemic, and give them more time to travel to Spain for a required appearance before a notary.
The ministry did not say how many applicants would need to use the extension.
In October 2019, the ministry said that more than 132,000 people who claim Sephardic origins had requested Spanish citizenship since the law offering them the opportunity took effect in 2015.
The Spanish government issued the law to redress the “historical mistake” Spain committed when it forced its Jewish population to convert or go into exile in 1492.
The term Sephardic literally means Spanish in Hebrew.
It is estimated that Sephardic Jews range between a fifth and a third of the world’s roughly 13 million Jews.
For centuries Sephardic Jewish communities have maintained their customs and the Ladino language.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
