Portugal offers dual citizenship to Bnei Anousim; time for Israel to make similar overtures
Portuguese parliament
In 2012, the Spanish government approved a draft bill offering citizenship to the descendants of Sephardi Jews who were exiled or compelled to embrace Catholicism as Anousim (or Marranos) during the terrible years of the Inquisition over 500 years ago. Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund praised the move at the time, saying it signified “that tangible steps are at last being taken to address the injustices that were perpetrated on Iberian Jewry in the 15th century.”
Three years after Spain’s dramatic decision, Portugal has now followed suit. Last week, the Portuguese Cabinet approved a change to its nationality law, granting dual citizenship rights to descendants of Jews who were expelled or forcibly converted to Catholicism half a millennia ago.
Both Portugal and Spain’s moves are still preliminary and have not become law yet. But they represent an opportunity for the Jewish State. Following Portugal’s announcement, Shavei Israel Chairman Freund says that it is time for “the Israeli government to embark on a new strategic approach and to reach out to the Bnei Anousim. As a growing number of Bnei Anousim are looking to strengthen their Jewish identity and reclaim their roots, it is vital that Israel take steps to strengthen their connection with the Jewish state and the Jewish people. If the Portuguese and Spanish governments recognize the importance of this community, the Israeli government can and should do the same.”
Shavei Israel has a number of long-running programs and outreach to Bnei Anousim, both in Israel and the Jewish Diaspora. In Portugal, Shavei Israel emissary Rabbi Elisha Salas provides support to Jews reclaiming their roots. Rabbi Nissan Ben-Avraham does the same in Spain, as does Rabbi Pinhas Punturello in Italy, where he runs programs for Bnei Anousim in Sicily and the southern part of the country.
In Israel, Shavei Israel runs the Machon Miriam Spanish and Portuguese language Conversion and Return Institute for Bnei Anousim seeking to return to the Jewish people. Shavei Israel also conducts seminars for Bnei Anousim on roots trips to Israel, such as one that Rabbi Punturello ran for Italian Jews last year.
In recent years, Shavei Israel has reached out to Anousim communities beyond Europe. El Salvador has a small but vibrant Bnei Anousim community of several hundred people, served by emissary Rabbi Isaac Aboud. Rabbi Marcelo Shimon Yehoshua is Shavei Israel’s emissary to the Bnei Anousim in Colombia. Shavei Israel has even appointed an emissary, Rabbi Rafael Zerajia, to work with the 35 Bnei Anousim in Santiago Chile.
While Central and South America have relatively small communities of Bnei Anousim, the number of descendants of Jews who were forced into hiding or exile in Spain and Portugal today adds up to potentially millions. Will all take advantage of the citizenship opportunities now being offered in those countries? Or will the newfound openness in Spain and Portugal make it easier for Bnei Anousim to reconnect to their heritage in Israel, the land of their ancestors?
In order to apply for dual citizenship in Portugal, proof of Sephardic ancestry will be required. This can be through one’s last name, the language spoken in the family, or through evidence of direct descent. Prospective candidates will be vetted by Portuguese Jewish community institutions. In Spain, the number of requests submitted is already said to number in the thousands.
The new law is the latest in a set of moves towards righting historical wrongs in Portugal. In 1988, former president Mario Soares formally apologized for the Inquisition, and in 2000, the leader of Portugal’s Roman Catholics publicly apologized for the treatment of the Jews by the Catholic Church. In 2008 a monument was erected outside the Sao Domingos church where thousands of Jews were massacred on a single day in 1506.
The Portuguese crown initially welcomed Jews in 1492 following the expulsion of the Jews from neighboring Spain, but just four years later, demanded of the 80,000 Jews who had crossed the border that they either convert or leave. King Manuel I later outlawed their departure entirely, forcing them to convert and turning them into the crypto-Jews whose descendants are now discovering that once mysterious traditions – candles lit on Friday nights, ritual house cleaning and flat bread baked every year in the spring – are evidence of a Jewish past. That even such small reminders of a rich Jewish past survived is a testament to the great risk many Anousim took as they practiced Judaism covertly over the centuries.
Jose Ribeiro e Castro, a lawmaker who was involved in drafting the legislation in Portugal, remarked about the bitter history of the Jews in his country, “We wish it had never happened. Given that it did happen, and that it can be put right, we thought we ought to do so.”
“The Bnei Anousim are our brethren and, through no fault of their own, their ancestors were torn away from us under duress,” emphasizes Shavei Chairman Freund. “We owe it to them, and to ourselves, to strengthen the bonds between us and bring back to the Jewish people as many of them as possible.”
For more than a decade, this has been Shavei Israel’s mission. If you would like to join us in our work, please visit the Support Us page on the Shavei Israel website.