Spanish Nationality Law - Automatic Spanish Nationality To Sephardi Jews Living Outside of Spain

Automatic Spanish Nationality To Sephardi Jews Living Outside of Spain

Spanish Jews date their arrival to Spain, anciently known as Iberia, Sefarad, Tartessos, Tarshish, or Hispania, in 4 waves. The first wave of Israelites arrived with Phoenician merchants in the 10th century B.C.E., because Tyre didn't have enough people to colonize their colonies and King Solomon had trade agreements with the Phoenician King Hiram of Tyre. During this period King Hiram set up trading colonies like Gades (Cadiz) in southern Spain then known as Tarshish or Tartessus, which he populated with Phoenician and Israelites. Later Jews referred to Spain as Seferad and the ships that went there as ships of Tarshish, that followed the old Phoenician trade route from Jaffa to Spain (Tartessos). This trade route initially started in Tyre, stopping in Jaffa and then following the Phoenician colonies in the North African Mediterranean coast until they reached the Phoenician colonies in Spain. Both King Solomon and King Hiram became rich, and as a result of this, the Phoenician king supplied materials for King Solomon to build the first Temple in Jerusalem. After the death of King Solomon, his kingdom split into the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and the Kingdom of Judah, who were at war with eachother until the Assyrian Empire conquered and annexed the Kingdom of Israel. The effect was the second wave of Israelites arriving in Spain as refugees sometime after 740 B.C.E., escaping the Assyrian captivity of Israel. The third wave of Jews into Spain came with Jewish refugees escaping Babylonian Captivity after the destruction of the first Temple some time around 597 B.C.E. These Jewish refugees boarded the ships of Tarshish alongside escaping Phoenician refugees bound for their Phoenician colonies in the Mediterranean coast and Spain (Iberia). A few of the Phoenician cities they settled were: Gadir, Abdera, Sexi, Malaka, Calpe (Gibraltar) Carteia, Tartessos, Onuba, Ebusus and Carmona. These colonies would later unite to form what historians call ancient Carthage. Bolstering their claims are the prophecies of Obadiah who uses the name "Sefarad" for the land that Jews exiled from Jerusalem would live in Ovadiah 1:20 (trans. Nevi'im) "And this exiled host of the children of Israel who are the Canaanites as far as Zarephath and the exile of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad shall inherit the cities of the southland" - Chabad.org. (see: Phoenicia). The fourth wave of Jewish immigration to Spain came after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D. by the Romans as Roman captives.

Back in 16 December 1968, those of Sephardic Jewish origin also had the right to apply for nationality after a year of legal residency in Spain. The motivation for these measures was a desire to repair a perceived injustice of the Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion) issued on 31 March 1492, and the need of a collaborative base of natives in Spanish Morocco. During the Bosnian War between 1 March 1992 and 14 December 1995 the spanish government allowed any Sephardi in Bosnia and Herzegovina to claim spanish citizenship and the right of return. More recently, in November 22, 2012, Ministers of Justice and Foreign Affairs, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón and José Manuel García – Margallo announced that the Spanish government would eliminate the residency period and allow any Sephardic Jews around the world automatic Spanish citizenship, permitting them to maintain dual citizenship, on the condition that such citizenship applicants present a certificate of their Sephardic status from the Federation of Jewish Communities to the Spanish Consulate. (see History of the Jews in Spain)