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Adv. Itay Mor, the President of the Jewish Association “Over The Rainbow Portugal” wrote an opinion column on the leading Portuguese news site Observador about the Jewish community and its great contribution to Portugal over the past seven years.
Read the column and express your opinion in the Facebook group “Over The Rainbow Portugal” where we are updating on all the important developments in Portugal.
Sephardic Jews: The fight against injustice continues
The Jewish community has been strengthening Portugal, contributing to its development and job creation. It does not deserve, therefore, to be judged in the way we have been watching.
The Jewish community is not at all strange in Portugal. It is part of its history and its roots. Many centuries ago, Sephardic Jews were the target of great injustice, having been forced to stay away from their origins. So many years later, we see that, after all, this injustice has not yet been fully repaired.
Between 2015 and 2021, the Portuguese Jewish community grew by around 57,000 people. We are talking about people who have finally managed to reconnect with their past, fulfilling a deep emotional and cultural connection to a country that is also theirs, just as it was their ancestors.
It is a community that has also added value to various sectors in Portugal, such as the business sector. It is estimated that, in the last seven years, investment has been around six billion euros, resulting in the creation of 10 thousand jobs, in areas such as technology, real estate, services, or tourism.
Currently, 80,000 people are waiting to see their injustice remedied. There are 80 thousand lives on hold, which meet the necessary requirements and are waiting to have their connection with Portugal duly legitimized. It is in this context that recent news that questions the Nationality Law brings anguish and, above all, the resurgence of the idea of injustice.
Unfortunately, it seems that we have been witnessing a witch hunt in Portugal against the Jewish community and their descendants, who now feel betrayed. For example, there are several other cases related to golden visas, but they have hardly been highlighted. This is, therefore, a meaningless struggle that jeopardizes the credibility of a community that only seeks justice to be served, as it should have happened many decades ago.
The Jewish community has been strengthening Portugal, contributing to its development and job creation. It does not deserve, therefore, to be judged in the way we have been watching. Portugal finally seemed to be making amends for the mistakes of the past. Let’s hope this setback doesn’t change this path. Something is certain, we will not give up the fight to do justice.
