highly recommended. Both used as many resources as they could find, citing Ancestry.com as one of the most helpful along with other sites like JewishGen. Do you have any reputable ones that are successfully doing it for less? $16.95. The Jewish community is small in Lisbon, and kosher food has been extremely difficult to get in the city, often impossible in the past. I am excited to move to Lisbon next year. This royal diploma has a real historical importance, as it represents an implicit recognition, although not yet formal, of the Hebrew Community of Lisbon. In the northeastern city of Braganca, the municipality last week opened a two-story Sephardi Interpretive Center which focuses on the life of Jews under persecution in 15th and 16th centuries. Once you have that, you can then apply for a Portuguese passport via your nearest Portuguese consulate or embassy. He eventually needed a lawyer to submit the application to the Portuguese government, but was able to do a lot of the other work himself. This is at no additional cost to you and it does not affect our editorial standards in any way. The biggest mystery in this is which lawyer to pick and when do I need a lawyer, says Jonah. We will be applying from the US. Every time we turned to Joshua we always got a professional quick and helpful respond. Shaar Tikvah S ynagogue. I would like to thank Anat Levi and Ariel Galili from the Jerusalem branch for all of their efforts and patience, we could not have been Able to reach to where we are now without them. You Could be Eligible for Portuguese Citizenship, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60724509, https://www.larraurimarti.com/en/amendments-portuguese-nationality-process-for-sephardim, People of Sephardic Ancestry Pursuing Portuguese Citizenship, Spanish & Portuguese Citizenship by Sephardic Origin, From Erasmus Student to Lisbon Tour Guide: An Interview with Elena Bicu. Between 1826-1835 Poland, Russia, and other Central and Eastern Europe countries required separate Jewish birth, marriage, and death records be kept in areas where several Jewish families lived. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. (download), Model B Genealogical Description PT EN.doc. Certificate from Jewish Community in Portugal or evidence as requested in next column: A) or B) 2. It was built in the early 20th century as Jews, some but not all of the Portuguese descent, returned to Portugal from Gibraltar and North Africa. At that point, he decided to investigate further. The Jewish Community of Porto certifies Jews from traditional families of the Sephardic communities of Portuguese origin, and the Jewish community of Lisbon also accepts applications from people who may not be Jewish or Sephardic today but whose genealogy shows some Sephardic connections to Portugal. I am interested in finding some good lawyers who speak English. This coming, increasingly growing, may give a new configuration to the Jewish community in Portugal. Incredibly knowledgeable, approachable, accessible, and evident across the board that they truly care about the people they are helping. According to historian Antnio Jos Saraiva, 40,000 individuals were charged by the Portuguese Inquisition. Important Jewish communities settled in this region and contributed to the flourishing of Its trade and culture. A request for this Certificate must be addressed to the Jewish Community of Oporto or to the Jewish Community of Lisbon From December 15, 2014, the Jewish Community of Oporto began receiving requests from descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews who wish to obtain a certificate issued by the Portuguese Jewish Community attesting this status. I can highly recommend these services! I have found a firm that sounds good, though, charges 5,000 euros for the whole process. Site Powered By SiteBuilderAvenue.com Hi James, For a correct and safe reception of your process, we recommend that you do not send the same submission repeatedly. In just a matter of weeks (as of 01.04.22) these letters may no longer be valid. The Portuguese Government may grant nationality to descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews [over 18 years old] who demonstrate a traditional connection to a Community with Portuguese Sephardic origins, based on proven objective requirements of a connection with Portugal, such as family names, family language, direct or collateral ancestry.. Trevor speaks what he describes as passable Portuguese, having studied through Duolingo and later through a Portuguese class he took in London. There are indeed some family names which are commonly accepted to belong to descendants of Portuguese Jewish families but your family name may have changed along the years. Following the Alhambra Edict of 1492 and their persecution by theSpanish Inquisition, a very large number of Spanish Jews sought refuge in Portugal and joined the Portuguese Jewish communities. We can handle the bureaucratic side of the process and get your application submitted to the government before its too late. Both communities have records from the time and will be able to verify whether you are, in fact, of Sephardic heritage. All taxes. I have needed legal advice and assistance with immigration due to a complex situation of mine, and he has been extremely available and responsive, honest and clear about my route and how to proceed. Working almost single-handedly, he organised . We highly recommend Adv. The Shaar-Tikv synagogue celebrates 100 years, see here. Thank you for such an excellent article. When we started looking into her family, we saw her grandmother [Trevors great great grandmother] had the surname De Pinna and we thought maybe she wasnt entirely Jewish or maybe she was Italian? . How do you get the access code if you are posting off documents? We request that you complete this DIGITAL FORM in order to facilitate and speed up the process of identification and *pre-analysis (non-binding) of the process submitted by the applicant. A Jewish community certificate: first step to a Portuguese citizenship Contact Us: 03-3724722 | 055-9781688 | office@lawoffice.org.il Home About About Us Meet the Team Media Coverage Payment Areas of Practice Real Estate Lawyer Family Law Inheritance Lawyer Traffic Lawyer Notary Services in Israel Amutot and non-profit organizations Arnona They are doing outstanding work. So it is time to get your application in to the Portuguese government now, while the process is understood and well navigated, and your chances of receiving the necessary recommendation can be easily evaluated. The Jewish Community of Lisbon (Comunidade Israelita de Lisboa) has appointed Rabbi Natan Peres, who formerly served in Manchester, London ( Lauderdale Road and Bevis Marks) and at the Esnoga in Amsterdam, to lead the congregation. Do I have to hire the services of a lawyer? The political opening of the post-April revolution and of the borders, with the entry of Portugal in the European Union, has provided the arrival to our country of Jewish Citizens from different countries, from Europe and Brazil. I am satisfied with the services I needed and happy to have known them. Its headquarters are on Avenida Alexandre Herculano, no.59 in Lisbon, where the synagogue Shaar Tikvah (Gates of Hope) is located. Closed on Shabbat, Jewish Holidays and Portuguese Bank Holidays. The charge was that the Community granted certificates that affirmed the Sephardi heritage of anyone who sought Portuguese nationality and was willing to pay for it. 2,000 is still a lot of money, but its much cheaper than many other routes to citizenship such as Portugals Golden Visa Scheme. The registration certificate is mandatory for European Union and other citizens (*) intending to stay in Portugal for longer than 3 months. If youre not sure whether youre your surname is potentially Sephardic or not, take a look at Sephardim.co. 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. Alex. LISBON: Portuguese prosecutors have detained a rabbi and carried out raids over the naturalisation process of a number of Jewish people, including Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire owner of Chelsea football club.. Portugal's Public Prosecution Service said late Friday that it has detained the leader of Porto's Jewish community, Daniel Litvak, as part of their investigation into . Of them, in the mainland venues alone, 1,175 were burned at the stake, and an additional 633 burned in effigy. Depends on and is the responsibility of the Analysis Committee due final opinion, based on due historical analysis, and its process is subject to possible requests for additional documentation from this Committee. A valid and specific power of attorney (when not presented by the applicant himself). Construction of the Shaar Tikv Synagogue. Since 1810 several houses of prayer existed in Lisbon, but these hardly met the necessary conditions for worship, as they were located in modest floors. Included are names, ages, birth information, profession, citizenship of refugees, as well as the names and addresses of relatives abroad. It was the first synagogue built after the antisemitic laws of 1496. Is a Jewish community certificate enough for Portuguese citizenship? The smaller Jewish communities of Lisbon and Porto are the only organizations that can approve applications, which must show ties to one of them. Make your donation here. He was also able to find letters between old family members, one of which contained a hand-drawn family tree. End your trip with walking tours in the cities of Porto and Lisbon . The fact that anyone arrested by the Inquisition was subject to having his property confiscated insured that the campaign was carried out with alacrity. Please note that our internal Experts Committee verifies the information provided but does not run genealogical studies itself. The answer to all the above questions is no. Party time in the heart, my beloved husband received his residence after so much time of battles and faith. Petition to one of the Jewish Communities (Lisbon or Porto) is just the first stage of the process. Unfortunately, a right to live in Portugal doesnt necessarily mean that people are able to move to Portugal as wages and opportunities are often lower here than in other Western countries. 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. Make no mistake, there are a lot of documents and many of these need to be notarised and later apostilled. Very much recommended! They are very friendly and professional. Do I have to come to Portugal in person? Certificate to Prove Portuguese Sephardic Ancestry and Tradition. But from that time, the community will suffer, due to the European events, a profound change both in its action and in its composition. I am a Jewish, 80-year-old American, and my wife is not Jewish. These factors explain the fast economic and cultural growth both of the Jews from Lisbon and of the groups that were installing in Faro and Azores in that first half of the 19th century. All content, including comments, should be treated as informational and not advice of any kind, including legal or financial advice. Could you please also send me a list of the lawyers you recommend. Visitors. Oded Ger did an excellent job by reviewing a modeling contract I was offered. Notorious anti-New Christian riots broke out in 1506, killing up to four thousand in a massacre in Lisbon. 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. The sumptuous Synagogue of Shaar Tikva is a must-see when you want to meet Lisbon's Jewish community. Mr. Joshua Pex is knowledgeable and Professional. EU PASSPORT ! A simple letter will do. We are now happily living in Israel and are so grateful to have Irena who is a genuinely nice person as our lawyer. The next stage, researching the family tree, will take considerably longer. As well as legal fees, the application fee for citizenship costs around 200, which doesnt include the cost of applying for a passport. For Jonah, the process went a lot faster. Reason why it was called Hebrew Colony, as happened to the English or German colonies. The Inquisition focused its attention on New Christians and crypto-Jews. Another important step to the constitution of the present Jewish community of Lisbon is taken in 1894 with the holding of a general meeting of the Jews of Lisbon in order to unify the Shehit services (Ritual slaughter and provisioning of Kosher meat). Bar Mitzvah Certificate 10-pack. Just found your page and it is fantastic! You can either apply yourself or use a specialist service who will help you with the application and make sure that you have all the necessary documents. The secret community was discovered in 1917 by a Polish Jewish mining engineer named Samuel Schwartz. The Lisbon Jewish Community (CIL) has confirmed that it will continue the process of certifying descendants of Sephardic Jews for the purposes of a law under which they can secure Portuguese nationality, despite the criminal investigation into alleged irregularities on the part of the Jewish Community of Porto (CIP) in the naturalisation of Roman With well trained and professional secretary at the front desk to the lawyers team, I could say that I had one of the most professional services possible. They may have birth certs or documents that can help, as well as stories that may be able to point you in the right direction. I recommend to everyone. That is not the case. Hi James, if possible, could you by chance share the names of one or two reliable laywers in Portugal? Hi James, Then, the Jews were still considered a foreign colony, and the community had not yet been given legal existence. A Committee of Experts in Jewish Sephardic genealogy and the historical routes of the Jewish Iberian Diaspora to evaluate the provided means of proof. Some people already know that they have Sephardic Jewish heritage, while it can come as a surprise to others. I am delighted to report that my wife and I have just obtained our Israeli citizenship. Do I have to speak Portuguese? They were people with an above average cultural level, knowing how to read and write and speaking, besides the liturgical Hebrew, Arabic or English and the Haketia, jewish-hispanic-moroccan dialect. 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". Thus, many Sephardic Jews were forced into exile and compelled to leave Portugal from the late fifteenth and early sixteenthcentury onwards, including thosewho had converted to Catholicism the conversos, also known as New Christians, Anusim or Marranos. Thanks in advance. In addition to the first Jewish quarter, in Pedreira neighbourhood . Consequently, it is hardly news that Jewish quarters existed in Lisbon. In case of the Israelite Community of Porto, the amount of such donations is 250. Thankfully for Trevors aunt, family members who have the same family tree typically have a faster application process once one family member has already been accepted. Decree Law No. Find Portugalist on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram If/when possible, evidence of some level of ladino speaking proficiency/culture will be highly appreciated although its not a must. I will take a look at all of the Facebook groups you mentioned. Both have slightly different requirements, and theres a lot of debate on the Facebook groups as to which one is better. When finished, be sure to indicate the link for your transfer in the field below. Jonah paid around $1350, which also included his flight to Washington, DC, where the Portuguese embassy is located which was essential as he was applying from the US. It is the cemetery of the old Calada das Lajes, today Afonso III, still in operation. Less practical but more sentimental is the birth certificate that the Portuguese government issues you. It should mention the respective ancestry and descendancy (if necessary), places and dates of birth, marriage and death. 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. He first contacted the Portuguese Law Firm in the Autumn of 2015 and then, once he had carried out sufficient research, was able to submit his application around a year later. The anti-Semitic persecutions at the East, the fast rising of Nazism on Germany, cause the arrival at Portugal of the first Ashkenazi Jews, who quickly integrate into the Portuguese society and into the Community. One day while looking at a photo of his grandfathers family, he was struck by how similar his relatives looked to hers. For this reason, its a good idea to submit other evidence as well. We highly recommend Advocate Joshua Pex! Our Customer Service Staff does a pre-analysis withoutcommitment of any advance donation or final approval obligation. The current Hebrew community of Lisbon originates from the groups of Sephardic Jews who settled in Portugal in the beginning of the 19th century. $32.95. The first step to apply for a certificate of residence in Portugal is, as often, to go to the Junta da Freguesia, in other words, the Borough Hall closest to your home. Their patience, clear explanation and experience are very valuable. . The capital is home to the country's main Jewish community. While he was approved in November of 2018, around 3 years after he began the process, it wasnt until August of 2019 when he received his birth certificate and was able to apply for his passport. Is a recommendation letter from the Jewish community in Porto or Lisbon enough to acquire Portuguese citizenship? As of September 2022, you will need to ask whether youre eligible based on the new criteria. If you have one of these letters, but have not gone further than that, reach out to us now. We found Decker, Pex, Ofir & Co. On the internet and began working with Ariel in late November 2021. It's a great way to share success, ask questions, and stay informed of the happenings throughout the Jewish genealogical community. The official recognition of the community and the construction of the synagogue brought a new impulse to the community life in Lisbon. All the legal requirements regarding the application of descendants of Sephardic Jews of Portuguese origin for Portuguese nationality (through naturalization) are clearly defined and stated in thePortuguese Decree-Law 30-A/2015and 26/2022 , which amended DL 237-A/2006 in which the Regulation on Portuguese Nationality is approved. In 1143, when King D. Afonso Henriques received recognition of Portugal as an independent kingdom, the Jews had been present on the Iberian Peninsula for over a millennium. Tribunals were set up in a number of towns in Portugal, but also in the kingdoms overseas possessions, namely Brazil, Goa and Cape Verde. Their dedication to every legal aspect and their drive its how a true lawyer house can be! Wander through Shaare Tikva, Lisbon's synagogue, and learn about the history of various religions in the city. 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. Just found your page and it is fantastic! Rua Alexandre Herculano, 59 Lisbon 1250-010. Both Trevor and Jonah initially turned to the internet for help. I have been receiving services from this Law Firm for several years now and I want to say THANK YOU to the team, especially Joshua Pex. Schwartz first arrived in Belmonte at the beginning of the breakout of World War I. The most popular Jewish Quarter of Lisbon is located in Alfama. Currently, applicants are not expected to be able to speak Portuguese and this is one of the few routes to Portuguese citizenship where this is the case. During the pandemic, my wife and I decided to move to Israel where I am originally from after living in the U.S. for over 20 years, but we had no idea how to go about securing visas before and after arriving in Israel. A birth certificate (including name and parents name, proof of name changes when applicable, place and date of birth). Bat Mitzvah Certificate 10-pack. A truly incredible development and one which brings me deep joy. They had numerous international contacts due not only to their commercial activities, but also to the family ties worldwide.