 which
nationality is Sharon claiming ?
(Manfred)
Sephardic Jews
claim Spanish nationality!
The more I read, the more I find something more
unbelievable than what I've read the day before, such as
this article, not only because in some ways it parallels
that of the Palestinian refugees, but
because there is actually no comparison to these
Sephardic Jews whose forefathers were expelled from Spain
more than "500 years ago" and the refugees who
were expelled from their homes "54 years ago",
most of whom who have lived as refugees for all that time
in the most intolerable and unbearable conditions, but
all who are in exile and many of whom are stateless.
So while Spain is being requested to establish a law
whereby Sephardic Jews can claim nationality (geesh, how
many choices can one have in his life on picking
nationalities), a few million Palestinians already have
the law on their side and are denied that right.
Ha'aretz, October 14, 2002
Sephardic Jews claim Spanish
nationality Barcelona -
More than five centuries after their ancestors were
expelled from Spain, Jews of Spanish origin called on the
Spanish government and parliament Monday to grant them
Spanish nationality.
(((Palestinian refugees and
their descendants claim the right of return back to their
lands more than 54 years after they were expelled and
should be granted that right immediately, which is also
spelled out in UN resolution 194.)))
Spain should pass a law "to recognize that the
descendants of the expelled Jews belong to Spain and to
rehabilitate them," said Nessim Gaon, president of
the World Sephardic Federation.
(((Israel should adhere to
law and try to rehabilitate themselves in in order to
live together with the Palestinian population that they
dispossessed.)))
Gaon was speaking in Barcelona at the inauguration of a
four-day World Sefarad Congress 2002, named after the
ancient Hebrew name for Spain and billed as the
biggest-ever conference of Jews of Spanish origin.
Some 600 experts will shed light on the cultural heritage
of Spain's once flourishing Jewish community, which
contributed to many fields ranging from medicine to
philosophy. Gaon also urged
Spain to help provide funds to establish schools teaching
the Judeo-Spanish language (Ladino) around the world.
Israeli President Moshe Katzav opened the congress
through a video connection, stressing the "right and
duty" of Israel to defend its citizens.
Congress president Giaco Ventura said the congress would
launch an International Sephardic Cooperation Institute.
Some of 4.5 million Jews of Spanish origin live in
countries ranging from Israel and Turkey to Uruguay and
the United States, but organizers said few of them were
likely to request the Spanish
nationality.
(((Some few million
Palestinians, most of whom live in refugee camps not too
far from where they came from, have been asking for the
right to return over 50 years, but have been ignored as
though they don't exist)))
The granting of the nationality would be a symbolic
gesture towards Jews who were deprived of it against
their will, Ventura explained.
(((The granting of the return
of the Palestinian refugees would not only be a symbolic
gesture towards the very people who were deprived of
their homes and lands, but would also mean Israel finally
adhering to UN resolutions as is expected of everyone
(according to the Bush
doctrine)))
Jewish presence in Spain came to an abrupt end in 1492,
when Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella gave
Spain's at least 100,000 Jews three months to convert to
Christianity or to leave the country.
(((Most of the Palestinian
presence came to an abrupt end in 1948 with no choices
when approximately 750,000 Palestinians were expelled or
forced to flee in fear from being massacred, such as what
happened in Dar Yassein)))
For more than five centuries, Jews of Spanish origin have
preserved their cultural heritage, ranging from the
Ladino language to names, songs, foods or card games.
(((Which brings out the fact
that Jews, considering what their origins are, have their
own cultural heritage's such as the Arab Jews, which was
reflected in Ella Habib Shohat's article
"Reflections of an Arab Jew" or Naeim Giladi
who wrote the article "The Jews of Iraq" and
what discrimination they encountered in the face of
Zionism.)))
Some Sephardic Jews have even preserved the keys to their
forefathers' houses in Spain, while marrying couples may
sign an ancient marriage contract pledging to respect the
laws of the Spanish
kingdom of Castile.
(((Thousands of Palestinians
still hold the keys to their homes, and
many who died since then were buried with their keys and
their
dreams, or their keys were passed on to their
descendants.)))
From the 19th century onwards, Jews have been trickling
back to Sefarad, and Spain now has a Jewish community of
some 20,000 members.
(((And since the last
century, the Zionists would like to see the Arab
population trickle its way out.)))
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