This Article is From Jul 11, 2014

Spanish Citizenship Offer Appeals to United States' Jews

Spanish Citizenship Offer Appeals to United States' Jews

Elias Barrocas, left, chats with Genie Milgrom at her home in Miami. Barrocas grew up thinking of Spain as a beloved ancestral home, but one that painfully rejected his Jewish family five centuries ago.

Miami, Florida: A recent Spanish law granting dual citizenship to descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled more than 500 years ago has drawn the interest of communities in the U.S.

There are an estimated 3 million Sephardic Jews worldwide, and it is expected that most of the new applications will come from countries such as Turkey, Israel or Venezuela.

But some Sephardic Jews in U.S. cities including Miami and New York are also planning to become Spaniards.

South Florida resident Elias Barrocas grew up thinking of Spain as a beloved ancestral home, but one that painfully rejected his Jewish family five centuries ago.

The 63-year-old Barrocas has only visited Spain once - in 1982 - but a Spanish passport would make official what he has always felt.

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