On 11 March 2022, the Jewish Community of Oporto was targeted by a police operation based on slanderous anonymous denunciations of convicted persons and robbers. As a result, the community decided to cease performing Sephardic certifications.
On 18 March 2022, a government regulation stipulated that requests for Portuguese nationality should enter the registry office on or before September 2022. Many people filed their request, but it was not accompanied by a certificate of Sephardism.
On 27 September 2022, the Court of Appeal stated that the police operation that destroyed the reputation of the Jewish community of Oporto was quite clearly “based on nothing”, that is to say, on slanderous denunciations made by thugs.
On 11 March 2023, for the first time the Jewish Community of Oporto celebrated the “Day of Shame”, asked for prison sentences of the individuals who made the anonymous slanderous denunciations and demanded an apology by the State.
Today, 17 April 2023, Yom Hashoah, the Jewish Community of Oporto declares that it will analyse the Sephardic origins of all those who requested their Portuguese nationality on or before 1 September 2022, but were never able to attach a certificate, because the community’s reputation had been destroyed and it felt unable to analyse the aforementioned Sephardic origins of the candidates.
The CIP/CJP is one of the strongest Jewish organizations in Europe. Its religion, culture and organizational departments have great competence and efficiency. The certification department is just another example of its capability.
Oporto, Nissan 27, 5783.
The Board
Sincerely yours,
Nationality Law Committee
Jewish Community of Oporto
Read also:
Portuguese citizenship sephardic Law No. 1/2013 DL n. 30-A/2015