The first step towards the official recognition of the Hebrew Community of Lisbon dates back to 1868, when a license is conceded by the Government, through a charter from D.Lus giving the "Jews of Lisbon permission to install a cemetery for the burial of their coreligionists". We belong to a Synagogue. Spanish & Portuguese Citizenship for Descendants of Sephardic Jews The best lawyer firm Ive had dealt with. Irena is knowledgeable, reliable and competent lawyer who always had answers to all our questions which made us feel confident that everything would be fine with her assistance. All content, including comments, should be treated as informational and not advice of any kind, including legal or financial advice. While both Jonah and Trevor recommend sites like Ancestry.com, the main resource they recommend are the Facebook groups dedicated to the subject of Portuguese and Spanish Sephardic ancestry. I recommend to everyone. Birth certificates of ancestors that indicate they were a Sephardic Jew. I am interested in finding some good lawyers who speak English. Important Jewish communities settled in this region and contributed to the flourishing of Its trade and culture. Once you have that, you can then apply for a Portuguese passport via your nearest Portuguese consulate or embassy. Application Form Model B - example List of documents. Its not longer enough to simply have Sephardic Jewish heritage; you now need to show ties to Portugal such as inherited property or regular trips to Portugal throughout your life. A really excellent firm. But, despite that stumbling block, both Trevor and Jonah have developed strong ties to Portugal. I can highly recommend these services! In fact, since a very large number of Spanish Jews migrated to Portugal when they were expelled from Spain, proving Spanish ancestry from families known to have lived in Portugal is also acceptable. Just found your page and it is fantastic! This 10-day tour guides you through Portugal's Jewish heritage, starting in quintessential villages like Marvo and Castelo de Vide, as well as the hillside medieval towns of Monsanto, and Sortelha. You were a calming energy during a storm - always breathed a sigh of relief after speaking with you. The service is very professional and efficient, the price is right. My aunt is really jealous. The team at Decker, Pex, Ofir & Co have been awesome to work with in helping our US company establish banking in Israel and in providing counsel for legal needs in Israel. We recommend all those looking for immigration lawyers to get in touch. Lisbon prosecutors and police searched Oporto's synagogue, the Jewish Museum and the houses of Jewish leaders. [2]https://www.larraurimarti.com/en/amendments-portuguese-nationality-process-for-sephardimwindow.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() { jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_15863_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_15863_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });});. This certificate must contain the following data : Full name; Date of birth; Birth; Membership; Can I file a family application? I admire the Austrian citizenship team in Tel-Aviv branch! Visitors. This document indicates that the Portuguese Jewish community recognizes the individual as having Portuguese heritage. The Sephardic synagogue offers traditional services, study groups, children's activities, and cultural events and houses documents and religious objects dating back to the 1300s. We were very pleased and content with the services of this law firm. Until the 15th century, some Jews occupied very prominent places in Portuguese political and economic life. This single document is seen as the most important document in the process. Construction of the Shaar Tikv Synagogue. End your trip with walking tours in the cities of Porto and Lisbon . Sometimes documents are hard to find as many have been destroyed, often on purpose. Emotional memory we expect the applicant to explain in short his motivation to apply for Portuguese nationality based on his Sephardic family and tradition roots. Once you have citizenship you can request your passport. The designation of Sephardic Jews refers to the descendants of the ancient Jews and traditional Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (SefaradorHispania), that is, Portugal and Spain. Spouses may apply later for citizenship through the Portuguese Central Registry Office, not under this law amendment or its provisions but as any foreign spouse of a Portuguese citizen. They are always answering questions and support during the process. In 1515 the king requested to establish an inquisition to systematically persecute New Christians, but it was initially denied by the Pope. A truly incredible development and one which brings me deep joy. Jews of Portugal and their recent rebirth - JNS.org The certification period of the Jewish Community of Lisbon varies and will depend on the quality and organization of the documentation with which the process is submitted by the applicant and the degree of complexity of the respective process. We reiterate the importance of using this model in order to simplify the analysis. Considering this historical heritage, the Portuguese Citizenship Act (Lei da Nacionalidade) was amended as to permit the acquisition of Portuguese citizenship by the descendants of Portugal's Sephardic Jews. The new process will be announced by September 2022, and the Jewish community will not issue new recommendations after 30.04.22. If you have one of these letters, but have not gone further than that, reach out to us now. Explained the bad clauses in the contract, and their possible consequences. When you hear Decker,Pex,Ofir &Co, you hear 10+ class services, luxurious professionals, confidentiality and exclusive attention to your needs. Aiming to give their clients the advice possible regarding the normative and the law of Israel. I will choose them again next time if needed. Today the Jewish Community of Lisbon has Sephardi and Ashkenazi members made up of post-war migrants from Germany, Poland, Eastern Europe and South America (mainly Brazil). Alex. The following documents are required for the preparation of applications in our offices: 1. We achieved our goal and the fear of deportation has been lifted! Donations. Issue. But let's just quick gather the facts in few words: Portugal became an independent country back in 1143, almost one thousand years old, but the Jewish population already existed in Portugal for a long time. They are doing outstanding work. Applications need to be submitted to the Portuguese Ministry of Justice who then look at your application and decide whether or not youre eligible for citizenship. Such is the case of Conqui (from Cuenca, Cuenca Province) or Cardoso (from Cardoso, district of Viseu). Decree Law No. Finally, Jonah got in touch with the Rabbi from his childhood synagogue who connected him with a Sephardic rabbi. In 1904 the Shaare Tikvah (Gates of Hope) Synagogue, still in use today, opened in Lisbon. We will be applying from the US. The few who stayed altered the proportions of the Lisbon community, until then mostly Sephardic. Tribunals were set up in a number of towns in Portugal, but also in the kingdoms overseas possessions, namely Brazil, Goa and Cape Verde. These last two Jewish quarters were located in the vicinities of commercial ports and shipyards. Naturally, there are costs to all of this, especially when you start getting lawyers involved, but there are other benefits to using a law firm as well. Always ready to assist without regard to the time it takes. These donations will be used in the development and maintenance of our services and activities which guarantee the continuation of culture and traditions in our jewish community, as well as in the Portuguese society in general, through several solidarity programs with whom the community contributes. For Trevor, he doesnt have any immediate plans to live there due to work commitments in London but he still reminisces of a trip he took to Portugal several years ago. - March 1, 2023. Some hid their practice of Judaism over the years and are generally designated as secret, hidden or crypto-Jews. Can my spouse be granted nationality as well? They also both provide a bullet-point list to guide you through the application. The secret community was discovered in 1917 by a Polish Jewish mining engineer named Samuel Schwartz. Sephardic Citizenship - EU Portuguese Passport for Sephardim Although you can make a correction to your application once it has been submitted, its highly recommended that you try and get everything right the first time round. In the past, obtaining citizenship this way was simply a case of tracing your family tree back to your Sephardic ancestors. Was 100% satisfied. The Jewish community in Kobe, Japan compiled this list of European refugees and their relatives overseas, so that JDC can solicit aid from family members. Learn more 4 hours (approx.) Jewish Community of Lisbon (Comunidade Israelita de Lisboa) These were mostly marketers, from Gibraltar and Morocco (Tangier, Tetouan and Mogador) and some of their names still expressed the connection with their places of origin in the Iberian Peninsula, before the expulsion period. Private Historical Jewish Tour of Lisbon 2023 - Viator Nevertheless, while this letter from the Jewish Community does not mean you hold citizenship, it is absolutely crucial to the citizenship application process. After 3 months of arrival in Portugal, citizens will be required to apply for a certificate at the Municipal Council of . As well as lawyers, another professional service that many people work with is a genealogist. Hi James, Administration staff to answer all questions, receive and perform a pre-check of the documentation. Upon the granting of nationality, the Central Registry Office shall issue and mail to the applicants address a Portuguese birth certificate. highly recommended. Inaugurated in 1904 and designed by Miguel Ventura Terra, the synagogue was the first synagogue to be built in Portugal since the 15th century. Take advantage of this while you can to regain your heritage and have the opportunity to travel in a place that was your home., Very interesting. If you need to, click to watch our support tutorial. Thus, in 1912 is created the Ub le Zion Hebrew studies association, whose great promoter is Adolfo Benarus, professor at the Faculty of Letters of Lisbon, writer and pedagogue, also founder of the Hebrew School in 1929, which once had close to a hundred students. By Decree-Law, it is mandatory to hold a certificate issued by the Portuguese Jewish Communities - duly registered locally under the status of religious legal entities, that is, the Jewish Communities of Lisbon (CIL) and of Porto (CIP). Jonah applied to Porto while Trevor applied to Lisbon. Trevor was able to obtain the records via UCLA, who had copies of the records, but has since visited Bevis Marks and says that theyre very open to working with people who are trying to trace their heritage. We heard of Advocate Pex through a friend of a friend. It was the first synagogue built after the antisemitic laws of 1496. Neither CIL (the Lisbon community) nor CIP (the Porto community) make their records public, so in a sense youre doing things blind but, unfortunately, thats just a part of the process. Until the 60s the community remained demographically stable, but the creation of the State of Israel and the outbreak of the Colonial War lead to the departure of some families. That evidence, along with your family tree, is submitted to the Portuguese Jewish community in either Porto or Lisbon. About us. The Inquisition focused its attention on New Christians and crypto-Jews. Lisbon Jewish Community - cilisboa.org Kosher Food in Lisbon - The Lisbon Travel Guide - Updated 2023 On the other hand, the power of the final decision whether it is an approval or a request for more documents that corroborates your sephardic origins is solely taken by theCommission of Analysis. We found them online; they were the only law firm from all of our searchings which were completely honest and NOT gave us just what we wanted to hear Find Portugalist on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram I highly recommend this firm, especially Oded Ger. My last name is Salita and Ive known my whole life that my family comes from either Spain or Portugal.. My wife and I strongly recommend anyone planning to go through this process seriously consider hiring Decker, Pex, Ofir & Co. and, specifically, Ariel Galili. I really appreciate his courteous and direct approach. Today, Portugal is home to between 5,000 and 6,000 Jews with the majority in Lisbon and Porto, whose communities have around 500 formal members each. I dont think this law will be around forever, says Jonah. Once submitted, youll be given an access code so you can check the status of your application and then you wait. Can you suggest any genealogist and lawyers we can use? Certified Document Proving Sephardic Jewish Heritage Portuguese authorities will accept proof of Sephardic Jewish heritage if one obtains a certificate from the Portuguese Jewish community in either Porto or Lisbon. In June 1941 Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the future Lubavitcher Rebbe, arrived in Lisbon together with his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka (Moussia). His grandmothers grandmother was British and belonged to the Bevis Marks Synagogue in London. Learn how your comment data is processed. Proving Sephardic Jewish Heritage to Obtain Portugal Citizenship He has helped our family with many battles over the years. Donations. April 30, 2021. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 150 Menachem Begin st., Tel Aviv, 6492105, Israel, Tel: (+972)3-3724722, Fax: (+972)774702790. The Shaar-Tikv synagogue celebrates 100 years, see here. Portguese citizenship is big business, and there are a huge number of lawyers and experts who can help you through the process. Since 1914, we've put Jewish values into action to save lives and strengthen communities. There is no such requirement concerning the issuing of Jewish Community of Lisbons certification and our community has neither a special partnership with any law office nor shall recommend any specific one. The outbreak of 2nd World War, the neutrality policy that Portugal followed under the alliance with England and the granting of transit visas to close to one hundred thousand refugees, lead to an influx of tens of thousands of Jews to Portugal. Only three of them will be mentioned: SOMEJ-NOPHLIM(Amparo dos Pobres): Created in 1865 by Simo Anahory with the purpose of helping the poor. Nationality due to Sephardic progeny. Lisbon, 1941: The Messiah, the Invalid and the Fish - Chabad Both communities have records from the time and will be able to verify whether you are, in fact, of Sephardic heritage. Close to 40 years after the Rebbe asked that the Tanya be printed in every city where a Yid lives, the 8,000th edition of Tanya came rolling off the press. Proof of residence such as electricity bills. Bat Mitzvah Certificate 10-pack. The Jewish community is small in Lisbon, and kosher food has been extremely difficult to get in the city, often impossible in the past. A simple copy of a valid passport (page containing personal data, picture and signature) expiring date larger than 6 months. We are Jews. Poised to leave Nazi-occupied Europe for the free world, an entry in the Rebbe's private journal reveals how he drew on his past to chart a dual vision for the future. idovsk obec v Praze Studio Libeskind designs geometric Jewish Museum for Lisbon See below the complete list of documents to be presented (end of page). Each member of the family, including the children, should file the application separately although, for the purpose of the certification issued by our community (step 1 above), having already checked the documentation of a member of the same family does make it easier to check the documentation. He had just married his wife, Agatha Barbasch, in April 1914, in Odessa. However, King Manuel I of Portugal, who had initially issued a royal-decree law guaranteeing their protection, ordered in 1496 the expulsion of all Jews thatdid not convert to Catholicism. The advice Mr. Pex gave us was great, such as what to do, he gave useful links, and advice about which officials to contact.