Thousands of Sephardic Jews around the world could benefit from move (archives)
Photo: AP
Spain speeds up naturalization for Sephardic Jews
Change announced gives Jews special status, sets up process for their ancestry to be vetted by Spanish Federation of Jewish Communities and forwarded to authorities for approval
VIDEO - Spain has announced measures to speed up the naturalization of Jews of Sephardic descent whose ancestors fled the Iberian Peninsula more than five centuries ago, when they were told to convert to Christianity or go into exile.
Sephardic Jews have had the option of seeking Spanish naturalization for decades.
Video courtesy of JewishNewsOne
The change announced Thursday gives them special status and sets up a process for their ancestry to be vetted by the Spanish Federation of Jewish Communities and forwarded to authorities for approval.
The federation says thousands of Sephardic Jews around the world could benefit, particularly those living in Latin America and Turkey.
Many Sephardic Jews fled to places like Istanbul, London and Cairo after the 1492 decree. Others who didn't convert were killed during the Inquisition.
