The Spanish Government has already taken steps to facilitate the naturalisation of Spanish-speaking Jews, the Minister of Finance in the new Spanish Republican Government, Senor Indalecis Prieto, informed to-day Senor Ignacio Bauer, the President of the Jewish Community of Madrid, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency learns. He referred to a speech which has been delivered at Bilbao by the Minister of the Interior, Senor Miguel Maura, condemning the religious intolerance which has hitherto existed in Spain in regard to the treatment of the Marranos, or secret Jews.
Spain will guarantee these molested and persecuted people respect for their faith and given them an assurance that they will not be despised as in ancient times, the Minister of Finance told Senor Bauer.
With regard to the Sephardic Jews, descendants of the Jewish refugees from Spain who are now living in other countries, the Minister said that the Government is aware that there are many Sephardic Jews in North Africa, and very many more in the Orient generally, as well as in many countries in Europe. They still speak Old Castilian and they maintain their affection for Spain. To all these, he said, we guarantee their safety, and that they will not be kept segregated in isolated places as if they were infected by the plague.
No Government pronouncement regarding the readmission of Sephardic Jews into Spain has yet been officially made. The Government has confined itself till now to general declarations of sympathy, giving assurances that it will rectify the admitted wrongs which were comitted against the Spanish Jews at the time of the expulsion from Spain in 1492. No terms and conditions governing any readmission of Sephardic Jews to Spain have, however, been drawn up for the present.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
