There was certainly a fascinating development in the news recently. The Spanish parliament passed a bill that would allow Sephardic Jews, who are descendants of those expelled in 1492, to receive Spanish citizenship.

On March 30, 1492, Spain’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella decreed that the entire Jewish community of Spain, numbering more than 200,000 people, would be forced to leave the country within four months. The expulsion of the Jews from Spain was part and parcel of the Spanish Inquisition, the brainchild of Tomas de Torquemada.

Sephardic Jews are the descendants of those who were expelled, and the Spanish parliament passed a new bill to allow Sephardic Jews to obtain Spanish citizenship.

Those who would take advantage of this “right of return,” which includes a Spanish passport and, by extension, all benefits that EU membership has to offer, must prove that they are members of the Sephardic Jewish community. They must be able to demonstrate their ancestry by means of a proven history of Spanish surnames. Familiarity with  Ladino, the Judeo-Spanish language of Sephardic Jews, would also assist in claiming Sephardic ancestral heritage. Letters from rabbis would be an asset as well.

SPANISH CITIZENSHIP: TO BAN OR NOT TO BAN?

The news was received with both praise and criticism. It is reported that Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, a prominent rabbinical authority in Israel, has forbidden Israelis from accepting Spain’s offer of citizenship on the grounds that the gesture may be a political ruse to “make up for” the expulsion of Jews. Rabbi Aviner said that the Jewish world cannot and should not forgive Spain.

“Spain needs support at the moment – it is in a very difficult financial situation,” Rabbi Aviner explained. “Suddenly they are courting us and giving us [dual] citizenship. An Israeli passport is worth more.”

 

Although most people are unaware, there is actually an ancient legend in circulation, even today, that in the aftermath of the Inquisition, the rabbis of the generation placed a ban on living in Spain. The authenticity of this claim, however, is questionable. Evidence against the existence of such a ban is derived from the fact that Jews continued to make Spain their home even soon after the Inquisition and expulsion.

Nevertheless, there may be evidence of the existence of such a ban from the words of Rabbi Moshe MiTirani (1500-1580),  who wrote:

“There are no Jews there [in Spain] and we are certain that no Jew will ever live there.”

In what appears to be a more explicit reference to the ban, Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Toledano (1880-1960), in an explanation on the etymology of his family name, wrote:

“Our parents have told us that our family, which comes from the famous and important Spanish city of Toledo, declared a ban on themselves never to return to Spain. From then on they were known as “Toledano,” as if to say, “Toledo-No.”

On the other hand, the famous Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook (1865-1935) wrote that he knew of no authentic source for a ban on living in Spain. So, too,  the great Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg (1915-2006) opined that there was no authentic source for the ban and quoted others who supported his position.

However, Rabbi Waldenberg also cited  Sephardic authority Rabbi Benzion Uziel (1880-1953), who wrote that although there was no clear source for the ban, “Sephardim have accepted it upon themselves and have been careful for generations not to return to Spain.”

There is also a theory that the ban was personal and limited only to certain families that had accepted it upon themselves, as appears to be the case with the Toledano family mentioned above. There are a number of other theories on how the “ban” might have evolved as well.

The recently deceased Rabbi Ovadia Yosef was once invited to participate in the dedication of a Jewish school in Spain. He contemplated the permissibility of traveling to Spain in order to do so. He concluded that it was permissible because the matter was subject to doubt on two points: whether such a ban truly existed and, if it did, whether it was meant for that generation only. Rabbi Yosef also argued that such a ban nevertheless would not apply to a temporary visit.

Spain, thank you for the gesture. We hope that this is the beginning of a renewed and revitalized relationship between you and the Jewish People, including recognition of wrongs committed in the past. For the rabbis, however, the situation is unclear. Spanish citizenship: To ban or not to ban, that is the question!

Feb. 25, 2014