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Saturday of the Third Week in Lent (A.D. 2014)
Sephardic Jєωs Invited Back To Spain Ending a 500-year exile:
Sephardic Jєωs retrace their roots in order to become Spanish again
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/embed/ssM8B6gWpS4[/youtube]
Spain clarifies legislation offering citizenship
ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 03/27/2014 7:32 PM | Updated as of 03/28/2014 1:24 PM
MANILA – Excited about the news circulating on the internet that Spain is extending citizenship to those whose last names appear on a certain list?
Well, you can rejoice only if you're a sure descendant of Sephardic Jєωs expelled from Spain in 1492.
"The Spanish government wants to bring them back as reparation for past mistakes that is why we are tracing them to offer them citizenship," explained Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Domecq.
Filipinos, many of whom got excited about the prospect of acquiring Spanish citizenship, quickly caught the spreading news on social media sites.
"Nakaka-excite kasi syempre ang laking opportunity yun,
(It's exciting, a great opportunity for us)" said Kimmi Angela Abella whose surname is included in the list.
The embassy of Spain in Manila has been receiving emails and queries since the news broke out.
Reuters reported last month that the Spanish government approved a law which would allow descendants of Sephardic Jєωs expelled in 1942 to seek Spanish nationality without giving up their current citizenship.
Majority of the descendants of Sephardic Jєωs are living in Europe and America and the chances of Filipinos coming from this lineage is slim even though many carry the same last names.
"Ang mga Pilipino noon pare-pareho ang apelido.
(Filipino's all used to have the same surnames)Nahihirapan silang kumuha ng buwis.
(They were having difficulty collecting taxes).
Dahil dito, taong 1849 nang ipag-utos ni Gobernador Heneral na si Narciso Claveria ang pagkakaroon ng sistema sa pangalan ng mga Pilipino,
(Because of this, Gov. Gen. Narciso Claveria in 1849, ordered a system for naming Filipinos)" explained historian, Dr. Vic Torres of the De la Salle University.
The Catalogo Alfabetico de Apellidos
(Alphabetic Catalog of Surnames) became the list for which Filipinos select the last names that would represent their families.
"Hindi ibig sabihin nito may kamag-anak ka na agad sa Espanya,
(This doesn't necessarily mean you have relatives from Spain)" Dr. Torres said.
But Spain is not closing its doors on the Philippines. In fact, it is easy for Filipinos to obtain Spanish citizenship compared to other countries.
"Any Filipino who lives in Spain for two years can apply for Spanish citizenship," said Ambassador Domecq, adding that it is part of the privilege extended to Filipinos because of Spain's long history in the Philippines.
Report from Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News
Here's are interesting websites about Judaism in the Philippines
Cantor Joseph Cysner: From Zbaszyn to Manila -- The Creation of an American h0Ɩ0cαųst HavenTracing the Tribe: The Jєωιѕн Genealogy Blog ~ Philippines: Israel and a much older connectionWho would have thought?
Topic: Sephardic Jєωs Right of Return to Spain (Read 728 times)