Chuetas from Spanish Island of Majorca Recognized as Jewish
Rabbi Nissim Karelitz, the head of the Beit Din Tzedek Rabbinical Court in Bnei Brak has ruled that the Chueta community of the Spanish island of Palma de Majorca are Jewish.
The announcement came from the Shavei Yisrael organization that is dedicated to finding the ten lost tribes as well as those who were forced to convert to other religions, such as Islam and Christianity. The Chuetas are a minority on the island of Majorca that are descended from Jews that entirely converted to Christianity during the Spanish Inquisition. Because of the systematic discrimination against them, they never intermarried with the rest of the population on the island and according to Halacha would still be considered Jewish. However, Rabbi Karelitz qualified his statement by saying those who wish to return to Judaism would have to speak with a Jewish court, who would deal with each case on an individually.
Read the article in the Jewish News