Philip the Fifth, King of Spain, honored Jews of Spanish extraction this past Monday in a special ceremony taking place in his palace, designating five hundred years since the Expulsion of Spanish Jewry during the time of the Inquisition. This ceremoniously instituted the law which accords Spanish citizenship to the descendants of those Jews.
The new law went into effect these past weeks in an effort to mend what the Spanish government calls `an historic blunder' of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella who, in 1492, gave the Jewish citizens the choice of converting to Christianity or leaving the country within a few weeks' time, under the threat of death by torture.
"Dear Spaniards, thank you for your loyalty," said the King to representatives of the various Jewish Spanish communities at the ceremony at the royal palace. "Thank you for preserving the precious treasure of your language and customs, which are ours as well. Thank you for letting your love surpass the enmity, and for teaching your children to love this country." And he added, "How we missed you!"
An estimated three and a half million Jews throughout the world are descended from the exiles of the Inquisition. The new law, which went into affect last month, grants them double citizenship. Whoever requests to receive this gesture is asked for certification from Jewish authorities proving a
special connection to Spanish Jewry.
