Portugal
Discovering Louisa May Alcott’s Jewish history on Portuguese tour
Louisa May Alcott, author of ‘Little Women,’ had dark features that some attributed to her Jewish ancestry.
Portugal Approves 10,000 Citizenship Requests From Descendants Of Expelled Jews
A total of 33,000 applications based on the country’s Jewish law of return have been received since 2015.
Portugal Approves Memorial Day For The Victims Of The Inquisition
“This is an extremely important step … one that clearly demonstrates the Portuguese authorities’ intention to look critically at its past.”
When Jews Were ‘Illegals,’ They Took Away Our Children
We don’t know exactly how many Jews were forced out of Spain by Ferdinand in 1492, but conservative estimates put the number somewhere around 130,000.
1,800 Sephardic Jews Get Portuguese Citizenship
Nearly 1,800 descendants of Sephardic Jews acquired the Portuguese nationality in 2017 under a law enacted two years earlier, with another 12,000
713 Sephardic Jews Obtain Portuguese Citizenship
About 8,800 persons have applied for Portuguese citizenship since the start of a program that enables Sephardim from other countries who can prove their Jewish-Portuguese heritage to obtain nationality, and 713 have been successful in their effort. Only 1 candidate has so far been turned down.
The Secret Jewish History Of Rum
It’s National Rum Day, so let’s celebrate the Jews who helped invent this delicious spirit.
Spain Scraps Language Test For Jewish Law Of Return
— Spanish authorities dispensed with language and culture tests for elderly applicants for citizenship under the country’s law of return for Sephardi Jews. The Spanish justice ministry decided to offer the dispensation from tests on the Spanish language and heritage, which used to be necessary for all applicants for citizenship under the 2013 law,…
After Brexit, 300 British Sephardic Jews Seek Portugal Citizenship
(JTA) — One of Portugal’s Jewish communities said it was observing an increase in requests for naturalization by British Jews following the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union. About 300 British Jews who are descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews requested Portuguese nationality from the Porto Jewish Community, compared to five before the June…
Portugal Right of Return Law Breathes New Life Into Tiny Community
Five years ago, this city’s tiny Jewish community was so strapped for cash it couldn’t afford to fix the deep cracks in its synagogue’s moldy ceiling.