We Jews wish the world would love us, so we accept their hateful acts disguised in 'love' and 'humanity' but Guy does a good job of opening our eyes.

Boy, was that predictable!

As a Sephardic Jew, I'm amazed with this very good Op-Ed. I strongly agree with the author, regarding the bitter anti-semitism of Spain since more than five centuries ago. We Sephardic Jews WILL NEITHER FORGET NOR FORGIVE the horrible human crimes commited by Spain and the Catholic Church against the Jewish people, that includes the action of the Inquisition - the forced convertions, the bloody murder of indefense people, the burnings at the stake, the stealing of the money, houses and goods of the expulsed people, etc etc.. Also, as Jews of Sephardic descent, we only have two words regarding the inhuman treating of the Jews by Spain an Portugal in the 15th century, : -- NEVER AGAIN -- Why these two words? - Because today we have our homeland, the State of Israel, and his glorious army, the IDF, to defend all the World's Jewry. Kol Hakavod, and Hazakh u Baruj to Mr. Guy Bechor. AM ISRAEL CHAI

So that's why 10,000 Israelis will flock the Spanish Embassy in the next month or two, right?

with such an offer of a safe haven to the Jews, when they didn't have a state and with the Holocaust looming? 90% of the Sephardic Jewish community of Thessaloniki were wiped out. Strange that Spain didn't make this offer until the Jews had a state of their own, which by the way Spain did not recognize until 1986.

A very column, but the author missed what may well be the main point: If Spain can recognize the Jews' right of return, then surely Israel can recognize the Palestinians right of return! Right. It's antisemitic to the core.

This article is really nasty. The Muslims were at war with Spain. The Jews were not. A big difference. You should give them the benefit of the doubt. True many Spanish are indeed Antisemitic and Anti Israel.

A bit too long for a simple idea, the Spanish Govt. needs foreign investment and tourists; cash! Good to have Jewish culture to fight the antisemitic Left and misconceptions by muslims immigrants. Such an ignorant country this one!

uttered these words of your article should have been Rabbi S. Amar...but he was even strengthening the king's position and offer. What I am really saying is that our representatives in government require major brain transplants into the Neshama realm.

syrian jews do -)

First of all, Spain's economy will recover in 2014. It will grow from 0.5% to 1.5% over 2014. Growth will increase moderately in the coming years. The unemployment rate is of 26%, not 30%. The emigration of half a millon residents consists more than 60% on Latin Americans and Eastern Europeans returning to their countries. And to say Spain's population grows by half a million muslims is delusional. You can choose not to ask for the Spanish nationality and you can even publish articles like these, but I will not let you lie.

The author of this article, Guy Bechor, shows in this article he know little about Spain and the Jews. Here's why: 1) As he wrongly writes, there was no "inquisition government" (the "I' in Inquisition should be capitalized) as this institution was a religious entity. It didn't function as a government per se. 2) The Inquisition was set up to uproot secret Jews, not to kill Jews. 3) Indeed, many Jews were forced to convert, but many eagerly embraced Christianity either because they were not firm in their Judaism or to protect their lives. Read the case of Salomon Ha-Levi, rabbi of Burgos, who converted in 1391, took the name of Pablo Santa María and became a bishop. Or that of Joshua Ha-Lorki, a physician who took the name of Jeronimo de Santa Fe and, like Ha-Levi, was vicious in his attacks against other Jews. There were many others like them. Read the authoritative works of Henry Kamen, Cecil Roth and Benzion Netanyahu (Bibi's father, who supports the thesis of the eagerness of many Jews to convert). 4) Spain's offer of Spanish citizenship, as the author implies, is not only for Jews living in Israel only but for any regardless of the country he lives in. 5) What does he mean by "we are not in 1492 and you have real existential trouble. The days of patronage are over?" Please explain.

Even for the weird propaganda we've come to expect from Guy Bechor, this is a new low. So whatever Spain does, it's automatically anti-Semitic? Probably, given that Bechor's pet is to attack Europeans. Is Bechor not aware that the Spanish proposal was elaborated with leading Sephardic Rabbis? But I guess that in Bechor's world, only Ashkenazis count and Sephardic Jews are perhaps also "anti-Semites"?

I myself am partly descended from Spanish Jews & I agree with what you are saying in this article. It was a mistake on R. Amar's part to have been involved with this, as like you say, this is nothing to do with correcting the error by Spain, but really about gaining a political advantage out of it. The Spanish know that very few people, if any, will actually go to live in Spain. If they were really trying to alleviate previous wrongs they should issue a public declaration of wrongdoing similar to what the Vatican did in Vatican 2; they should also attempt to compensate some of the descendants of these Jews for their property & suffering etc. What is remarkable is that it is very likely that the Sephardic Jews were in Spain before the Visigoths, but alas the wheel of history only moves forward and can't move backwards. At the time of the Inquisition etc. Sephardic Jews were about 10% of the population and relentlessly hounded and brutalised till they were all either killed, converted or left the country. There is nothing the current Spanish government can do to correct this injustice (even if they did offer compensation); in my opinion we should not accept citizenship or any sort of compensation out of principle, as they will believe this atones for their guilt.

Since Muslims are demanding the same deal from Spain, what say we let the Palestinians move to Spain and Israel can take back the West Bank and Gaza. Israel will have all its original land back, the Palestinians will be living in a better place and everybody's happy. Peace at last!

Sir, have you any research to back up this confident claims? I made aliyah and am proud zionist, yet this accusations against Spain's initiative are destructive. I do not know why they decided it, nor why anyone would move there -perhaps just for the EU passport. Let them.

Muslims suffered much much more under inquisition ..yet aren't whining and complaining like Jews. Spain is a worthless state with apparent inferiority complex, trying to lure Jews back for economic gain. Such a low and desperate move, too shameful in my opinion. Then again what does Spain know for honor.

the writer is right! I live there, they hate the jews.in las palmas we do not write in the phone book the address of the "jeder"because we r afraid to be attacked there. but on the other hand there are israelies who will want to use the eu passport, ant they have the right.of course you should not try to open a business in spain as a jew ,it would be a mistake...

Spain wants tech based immigration. This is a rather clever way of getting it from a country that scores high in the innovation polls. The next thing to follow will be tax incentives for Israeli tech companies to operate within Spain. This looks like more of an opportunity than an anti-semitic ploy; at the least, to get a EuroRail pass.

...you mean the following in a hateful way : "...replaced by half a million Muslims"

Excellent written. Jews should not only reject this proposal but avoid visiting Spain which has one of the highest rate of antisemitizm in Europe.

Where you are with your head? Are you born like this or is it your education that failed you?

Dear mister Bechor maybe you must leave us alone,you are talking so well about the Moriscos and at the same time as a racist you say that today a half million residents are replaced by half a million Muslims a year ! Well for us the Sephardim is better to live among Arabs that among all those Russians non Jews and other eastern European Jews. I wish that three millions Jews will decide to leave Israel and they will be replace by Arabs because you love them so much. You are wrong it was not 700.000, and more , your whole article is full of propaganda thrash.

Get you facts straight and stop this victimhood crap - At least unlike the peasants were free to leave if they didn't like the place or master, others couldn't ,... Except for the king, church, nobility and few loaded Jews no one else owned a property at that time in Europe and that's a fact ,...

the Arabian peninsula will call all the muslims in the world,to come home to the Arabian peninsula,where islam was born,it is a sin for muslims to live in the land of the infidels.

Get you facts straight and stop this victimhood crap - Except for the king, church, nobility and few loaded Jews no one else owned a property at that time in feudal Europe ,... At least unlike the native peasants and craftsman they were free to leave if they didn't like the place or master ,...

We kicked you out and stole all your possessions. Now come back please but wait you have to pay US$4000.00 per each person before we let you in... If these were sincere they would be paying us to go back and on top of that kicking the catholic church out of the synagogues they took over and giving them back to the Jews. Abarbanel said in that Tish B"Av we should play music as we leave Spain because after all from better places we had been kicked out . So the opposite is true too. To go there now should be like going again in chains to Babel.

Spain Realizes after it expelled the Jews within a Century it's Power Deteriorated.The Spanish Armada was the One of the earliest Great Failures .By 1900 it was in the Pits.Meanwhile Britain France Germany and the USA were emerging fast all at that time with Many Jews .Its not the money it's the Brains and now with Israel the Military Capacity.

Where was ANY country in 1938? Was there even one? Yes, apparently - the Dominican Republic. One only. A world in denial, and the Nazi Germans laughing because nobody wanted the Jews. The shame does not belong to Spain, or Portugal, or the US, or Sweden - it is ubiquitous.