Alongside his brother, João Paulo de Souza Lopes, 27, who is a business administrator, requested support from an international consultancy for the organization of data and admission to the Conservatory in Lisbon. With the announcement of the changes in the regulation of the nationality law, which took place in February, the lawyer and CEO of Martins Castro, Renato Martins, says that there was a considerable increase in the demand for advice for Sephardic nationality.
Between March and May, orders increased by 30% and the trend is for the increase to increase in the coming months. He comments that he has received several messages from people who believe that the law has been revoked and that there is no more time for the request, which is not correct.
According to the lawyer and specialist in Private International Law, Thiago Huver, access to Portuguese citizenship through this route has become much more restricted, but it will not end. “We recommend that people seek official data and professional advice to organize their genealogical research and legal proceedings in a timely manner, as changes to the regulation for this type of citizenship begin to take effect from September 1st of this year.”
Pedro Henrique says that obtaining this recognition is more than issuing a citizenship title. “It is a recognition of everything that Portugal did to the entire Jewish community at the time of the inquisition, a reparation for everything that our ancestors went through, they tried to erase us from the face of the Earth. Therefore, it is very important and makes a lot of sense for our family and is a source of great pride”.
The dentist says that, like him, three other cousins, Wilson, Victor and Dominique, should also apply for Portuguese citizenship soon. In his family there are about 50 descendants of Sephardic Jews, with surnames Lopes, Maia and Veríssimo. Result of a story that begins in the 16th century when Jews fleeing the Inquisition came to Brazil and part of these families settled in the interior of Ceará, where they started farming and trading activities for subsistence.
The discovery was made possible thanks to genealogical research carried out by historian Franzé Lopes, who mapped up to the 15th generation of ancestors and gave rise to the book Resgate – The Origin. In the future, he also intends to apply for dual citizenship. For the historian, the Portuguese legislation, by guaranteeing the right to citizenship to the Sephardim, recognizes that something that was forcibly removed from the Jews and now allows reparation and justice for current and future generations.
Lawyer Renato Martins assesses that the new requirements set out in the Nationality Law regulation will restrict the restoration of nationality to Sephardic descendants. For the lawyer, by requiring inheritance of assets and a current link with Portugal, the regulation removes the restorative foundation of the law. “How is it possible to demand inheritance of real estate for Sephardic descendants if the Portuguese state itself confiscated property titles from Jews at the time? How can you demand regular lifelong travel to the country where your family was expelled and persecuted?
According to him, after September, discussing the constitutionality of the new requirements could be a way for the Sephardic law to fulfill its restorative role, as well as guiding new applicants to document the effective connection to Portugal, in order to satisfy the new requirements.
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