## *Sephardic World Newsletter*## *14 September 2025****New Research on the Jews of Tétouan, Morocco***A new article by *Mhamed El Bouzidi*, “Jews of Tétouan during the 15th and 17th Centuries: A Historical Study of the Social, Political, and Religious Structures and Dynamics” (Jewish Culture and History, online 5 September 2025), examines the Jewish community of Tétouan from its post-1492 reconstruction through the 17th century. The study situates Jewish life within the wider rebuilding of the city by Andalusian exiles, tracing the organisation of the Mellah, religious institutions, and the role of Jews in Tétouan’s political and cultural identity. El Bouzidi highlights the city’s importance as a centre of Muslim–Jewish coexistence and cultural exchange.Of particular interest to Jewish genealogists is the article’s use of Arabic and Moroccan sources seldom encountered in genealogical circles. These include Muḥammad Daoud’s Tārīkh Tiṭwān (1959), Aḥmad al-Rahūnī al-Tiṭwānī’s ʿUmdat al-Rāwiyīn fī Tārīkh Tiṭwān (ed. 2001), and ʿAbd al-Salām ibn Aḥmad Sukayrij’s Nuzhat al-Ikhwān fī Akhbār Tiṭwān (ed. 2005), all of which preserve local chronicles. Modern works such as ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Shahbar’s Dirāsāt ḥawla Yahūd Tiṭwān (2000), ʿAbd Allāh al-Dāwūdī’s study of Tangier ḥabūs records (2013), and Umar Lamghibshi’s Yahūd Tiṭwān 1492–1900 (2019) provide more direct documentary insights, including names, family ties, and communal structures. For genealogists exploring Sephardic roots in northern Morocco, these Arabic-language sources open important paths to local history and records that extend beyond the better-known European materials.[https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1462169X.2025.2554524](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1462169X.2025.2554524) ***Haham Jacob Sasportas - Defender of the Western Sephardic Tradition****Become a patron, and join us live for this meeting today!****Rabbi Jacob Sasportas*** (1610–1698) is remembered as a fierce opponent of the Sabbatian movement and one of the most influential Western Sephardic rabbis of the 17th century. Yet his own family story has often been obscured by error and assumption. In this week's talk, ***Rémy Chicheportiche*** revisits both the rabbi's ancestry and his family in light of recent discoveries that challenge long-held views. Drawing on online sources as well as close reading of handwritten records in multiple languages, he will show how the genealogy of this remarkable figure can now be mapped with far greater clarity than before.***Rémy Chicheportiche*** trained as a physicist and researches statistical finance and also researches the Sasportas family. His recent work focuses on reconstructing the family history from fragmented archival and online sources.Patrons can join us live today, Sunday 14 September 2025, at 11 noon in LA, 2pm in NYC, 7pm in London, 8pm in Paris/Amsterdam, 9pm in Jerusalem, and 4am the next morning in Sydney.Do you want to join us live for this meeting? Become a patron and support our work! The Sephardic Genealogical Society is now the largest producer of educational material in the Sephardic world — and we rely on your support to keep going. If you value our free lectures and wider work, please consider becoming a patron for as little as $5/month via our Patreon page. Your support directly funds new content, events, and research.[https://www.patreon.com/c/sephardi](https://www.patreon.com/c/sephardi) *** ******Are the Sephardic nationality concessions useful to new applicants for Portuguese or Spanish nationality?***We thought it may be helpful to summarise the current situation as we understand it. We are not legal experts and cannot provide nationality or immigration advice. The information below is for general background only, and applicants should seek guidance from a qualified lawyer or accredited adviser before taking any steps.A brief summary – as we understand the situation - is that an applicants of recognised Sephardic ancestry can apply for Portuguese citizenship after three years of legal residency, and Spanish after two year (but in Spain there they also need to pass a language and citizenship test). So, still useful for people planning to retire to those countries. This is faster than for applicants with no historic links to the countries.Portugal still offers nationality to descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews under the Sephardic nationality law, but with preconditions that are impossible for virtually all applicants. However, for those wishing to live in Portugal, there is still a route.Organic Law 1/2024 amended Article 6 to require proof of Sephardic ancestry (with state-approved certification) plus at least three years of legal residence. This replaces earlier “effective connection” options like property ownership. The clause shortens the standard residence period (three years instead of five) and waives the language test.For retirees, we think the D7 visa is the practical route, based on pensions or passive income, leading to renewable residence permits. After three years, a Sephardic retiree may apply for nationality with residence records and genealogical proof. Golden Visas remain possible via regulated funds or cultural investment, but minimal presence is unlikely to satisfy current standards.Spain’s 2015 Sephardic nationality law closed to new applicants in 2019. Today, Sephardic origin still offers an advantage: the normal ten-year residence requirement for naturalisation falls to two years. Applicants must hold a legal residence permit, pass the DELE A2 Spanish language and CCSE culture exams, present clean criminal records, and swear allegiance. For retirees, the most common route is the non-lucrative residence visa, requiring proof of sufficient income or assets to live without working. By maintaining this residence continuously for two years, we think Sephardic retirees can apply for nationality. Wealthier applicants may use the Golden Visa through property or financial investments of at least €500,000, but again must show genuine residence.You should always seek the advice from a qualified lawyer.*** ******Share your Sephardic Family Story!***Every Sephardic family has a unique story to tell. Do you want to share yours? If you would like to speak but haven’t given a presentation before, we are happy to provide support and to practice with you. If you don’t want to talk for a full 45 minutes, we can have a series of shorter presentations. If you are very nervous about public speaking, we can pre-record. Our only requirement is that you have archival evidence to support what you say. Send us an email at [society@sephardicgenealogy.com](mailto:society@sephardicgenealogy.com)*** ******From the Sephardic Archives***The De Sola Mendes Family and the Portuguese Inquisition. ***Dr Florbela Veiga Frade***, a leading Portuguese researcher on the Western Sephardic diaspora, has studied this famous family in Inquisition records, including those who escaped and those who stayed and suffered at the hands of the Inquisition. Sephardic family histories tend to focus on that part of the family that left. Using documents from the Inquisition archives, Florbela brings us a more rounded story.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAOdEP8Ulk0&t=15s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAOdEP8Ulk0&t=15s) *Best wishes**Ton and David **Sephardic World *