Spain to ease citisenship law for descendants of expelled Jews

Spain is poised to pass a law that will make it easier for the descendants of Jews expelled from the country in 1492 to obtain Spanish citizenship, the government said Thursday."We had to tell ourselves and the world that what happened was not only a mistake, but also that historical mistakes can be repaired," Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz Gallardon said during a meeting in Madrid with top Jewish leaders from the United States called to discuss the reform.Spain already grants citizenship to proven Sephardic Jews, the descendants of the Jewish people who were expelled more than 500 years ago in a period of Roman Catholic zeal under the reign of Isabella and Ferdinand.But under draft legislation approved by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's centre-right government last week, successful applicants could also keep their original citizenship.Current legislation stipulates that Sephardic Jews granted Spanish nationality have to give up their existing citizenship, a stumbling block for some.Spain only allows citizens of a handful of countries, mainly its former colonies in Latin America, to become Spanish nationals without surrendering their current citizenship. The ruling Popular Party has a comfortable majority in parliament so the passage of the bill is guaranteed but the justice minister said he was sure that most opposition parties would also vote in favour of the measure."I can assure you that the vast majority of Spaniards, no matter what their political stripes, whether they are in the government or in the opposition, agree with this assertion that we made a historic mistake five centuries ago and now we have the opportunity to repair it," Gallardon said."So for this reason I am convinced that the draft law will receive the backing of the vast majority of parliament," he added.- Three million Jews could qualify -In 1492, Spain's monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand gave the country's Jews and Muslims three choices: convert to Roman Catholicism, leave the country, or face execution without trial.Jews made rich contributions to science, music and literature before they were driven out of the country and the old Jewish quarters in medieval Spanish cities like Toledo and Seville where they lived among Christians and Muslims have become popular tourist draws.King Juan Carlos said Spain was "making major efforts" to strengthen its ties with Sephardic communities around the world."Our history has been profoundly enriched with Spanish Jews’ contributions to the arts and sciences, to commerce and philosophy. We are extremely proud of this legacy," he added during a reception for the visiting US Jewish leaders at his official residence.Prospective applicants for Spanish citizenship will have to prove their Sephardic origins through their surnames, genealogical trees, evidence of ancestors buried in Jewish graves, and get a certificate from the federation of Jewish communities in Spain.It is difficult to say how many people could benefit from the draft law but some estimates put the figure at over three million."I think the symbolic signficance of this is as great as the practical implication," the chief executive of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations, Malcolm Hoenlein, told AFP on the sidelines of the justice minister's meeting with the US delegation."It sends an important message about the need to confront history, that you can't avoid the events of the past."