130,000 descendants of expelled Spanish Jews submit citizenship applications

A total of 130,000 Sephardi Jews have submitted applications for the Spanish citizenship for believing that they are descendants of Spanish Jews expelled from Al Andalus in the fifteenth century, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

Quoting the Spanish Justice Ministry, the newspaper reveals that, Tuesday, was the last day to apply for Jews around the world who were forced to leave Spain, controlled at the time by Muslims, during the Spanish Inquisition.

According to the same source, most of the applicants are from Latin American countries, recalling that the majority of the Spanish Jews expelled in 1492 settled down in North African countries, namely in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.

These applications are part of a Spanish law, passed in 2015, allowing descendants of Spanish Jews, expelled from the Iberian country, to apply for citizenship.

The procedure is based on several criteria, namely proving that one is a descent of Spanish Jews, speaking the language and knowing Spain’s history and constitution. Applicants had a one-year long period to submit their applications.