## *From Rabbi to Rebels: The Sasportas Story*## *Rémy Chicheportiche*## *Sunday, 12 October 2025*Haham Jacob Sasportas (1610–1698) was one of the great Sephardic leaders of the 17th century. None of his descendants reached his stature in Jewish leadership. Yet, many of them led remarkable lives. His progeny carved out careers in the worlds of diplomacy, privateering, revolution, government, international trade and the arts. This week on Sephardic World, ***Rémy Chicheportiche*** concludes his discussion of this remarkable family.***Rémy*** 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 on Sunday 12 October 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***Research in Arab Archives?***We are in contact with a genealogist based in the Middle East who - for a fee - may be able to assist with research in Arabic archives. This includes archives in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. If you are looking for documents that are believed to be in the archives of those countries please send a clear, detailed request saying what information you are researching, and we shall obtain a price quotation.This is a new and promising contact, but we have not yet seen their work. Please send your research request to: contact@sephardicgenealogy.com***Developments with Portugal’s Nationality Law***The Portuguese Government has submitted to Parliament a reform of the Nationality Law which includes a provision to end the extraordinary route for descendants of Sephardic Jews. The proposal was approved by the Council of Ministers on 23 June 2025 and referred to the Assembleia da República. On 4 July 2025 it was admitted and sent directly to the Committee on Constitutional Affairs for discussion in detail (especialidade), without a general vote in plenary.The text under consideration extinguishes the Sephardic naturalisation regime and introduces stricter rules for nationality acquisition. Written submissions to the committee also raise questions about transitional provisions and possible residence requirements. Legal scholars have flagged constitutional concerns, though these currently remain at the level of expert opinion and political debate.As of 7 October 2025, there is no official plenary debate or vote scheduled in Parliament for October. The measure remains under committee review, and any final approval will require passage through plenary and promulgation by the President of the Republic.In summary, closure of the Sephardic route is formally on the legislative table in Lisbon, but its timing and final outcome are still undecided.***New Fellowships advance Sephardic Scholarship***The Edmond J. Safra Foundation has pledged $1.1 million to establish four PhD fellowships in Sephardic Studies at Brandeis University, ensuring long-term support for advanced research on Sephardic Jewry from medieval Spain to the modern Middle East. Building on the earlier Safra Chair endowment, this gift strengthens Brandeis’ position as a leading center for Sephardic scholarship and trains the next generation of specialists in the field.***Share your 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***Support the Sephardic Genealogical Society***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.We are also seeking major donors to help us expand key projects. If you are in a position to help, we would be pleased to hear from you.[[[[[[https://www.patreon.com/c/sephardi](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fc%2Fsephardi%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEwN1dqM01yQklJdktjWWQyaAEeiOrObcjigtLD5Eo229RJtBlrSBst_HJhZey2siFZKkOJh_xd0XsYY-lXT24_aem_VhA27rIWpXWOZSoNU8LTVg&h=AT0c4lYjTAmHWrkQrSjze9_Uccq6cauLn9zrl7xI-Y7b9Lwbd-cO7MwvexcMQl8hkn5CAooZUS6SiSb-bNvyna4ej6bD14bNx5lqTWCuOuw4Y_0EjZbbB2bXJy8JHR3CVlIjvNnY_6Zd-cnRyQ&__tn__=-U-U-UK-R&c[0]=AT0gPLwP0TLNMGzY5K4ZUeauAWUTzZGqHWpXtGndGSahyEni3OO_AMuS0DTi8xjPqCFKRkcw5arz7QU7OZEuQfm48mURS8sz5-gA556wPdvyDri3mjlui13w1MQ0G1dTuUp7HQYftvoQjmlIEGU7khWju3BBlyJMfoiKRpKRWASB)](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fc%2Fsephardi%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEwN1dqM01yQklJdktjWWQyaAEerco96M4I7pwZirLVXykn-EcN184BIMkiKkqKSNoC-6gSfJTH7C7YporVZIM_aem_Q4wAPWD7mt9Ip6cSn64k2w&h=AT0c4lYjTAmHWrkQrSjze9_Uccq6cauLn9zrl7xI-Y7b9Lwbd-cO7MwvexcMQl8hkn5CAooZUS6SiSb-bNvyna4ej6bD14bNx5lqTWCuOuw4Y_0EjZbbB2bXJy8JHR3CVlIjvNnY_6Zd-cnRyQ&__tn__=-U-U-UK-R&c[0]=AT0gPLwP0TLNMGzY5K4ZUeauAWUTzZGqHWpXtGndGSahyEni3OO_AMuS0DTi8xjPqCFKRkcw5arz7QU7OZEuQfm48mURS8sz5-gA556wPdvyDri3mjlui13w1MQ0G1dTuUp7HQYftvoQjmlIEGU7khWju3BBlyJMfoiKRpKRWASB)](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fc%2Fsephardi%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEwN1dqM01yQklJdktjWWQyaAEerco96M4I7pwZirLVXykn-EcN184BIMkiKkqKSNoC-6gSfJTH7C7YporVZIM_aem_Q4wAPWD7mt9Ip6cSn64k2w&h=AT0c4lYjTAmHWrkQrSjze9_Uccq6cauLn9zrl7xI-Y7b9Lwbd-cO7MwvexcMQl8hkn5CAooZUS6SiSb-bNvyna4ej6bD14bNx5lqTWCuOuw4Y_0EjZbbB2bXJy8JHR3CVlIjvNnY_6Zd-cnRyQ&__tn__=-U-UK-R&c[0]=AT0gPLwP0TLNMGzY5K4ZUeauAWUTzZGqHWpXtGndGSahyEni3OO_AMuS0DTi8xjPqCFKRkcw5arz7QU7OZEuQfm48mURS8sz5-gA556wPdvyDri3mjlui13w1MQ0G1dTuUp7HQYftvoQjmlIEGU7khWju3BBlyJMfoiKRpKRWASB)](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fc%2Fsephardi%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEwN1dqM01yQklJdktjWWQyaAEex8xuuDV0rrS1QmaDFQK7uwKC1r0bgQL7KRI5HL-u3iqRoTlCY-Dtd4BarOU_aem_kLSt3Df7Dshc6eBQaRHIbQ&h=AT0c4lYjTAmHWrkQrSjze9_Uccq6cauLn9zrl7xI-Y7b9Lwbd-cO7MwvexcMQl8hkn5CAooZUS6SiSb-bNvyna4ej6bD14bNx5lqTWCuOuw4Y_0EjZbbB2bXJy8JHR3CVlIjvNnY_6Zd-cnRyQ&__tn__=-U-UK-R&c[0]=AT0gPLwP0TLNMGzY5K4ZUeauAWUTzZGqHWpXtGndGSahyEni3OO_AMuS0DTi8xjPqCFKRkcw5arz7QU7OZEuQfm48mURS8sz5-gA556wPdvyDri3mjlui13w1MQ0G1dTuUp7HQYftvoQjmlIEGU7khWju3BBlyJMfoiKRpKRWASB)](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fc%2Fsephardi%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEwN1dqM01yQklJdktjWWQyaAEex8xuuDV0rrS1QmaDFQK7uwKC1r0bgQL7KRI5HL-u3iqRoTlCY-Dtd4BarOU_aem_kLSt3Df7Dshc6eBQaRHIbQ&h=AT0c4lYjTAmHWrkQrSjze9_Uccq6cauLn9zrl7xI-Y7b9Lwbd-cO7MwvexcMQl8hkn5CAooZUS6SiSb-bNvyna4ej6bD14bNx5lqTWCuOuw4Y_0EjZbbB2bXJy8JHR3CVlIjvNnY_6Zd-cnRyQ&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT0gPLwP0TLNMGzY5K4ZUeauAWUTzZGqHWpXtGndGSahyEni3OO_AMuS0DTi8xjPqCFKRkcw5arz7QU7OZEuQfm48mURS8sz5-gA556wPdvyDri3mjlui13w1MQ0G1dTuUp7HQYftvoQjmlIEGU7khWju3BBlyJMfoiKRpKRWASB)](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fc%2Fsephardi%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEwN1dqM01yQklJdktjWWQyaAEeBHg34LhWHFMxCjYhJZ64-mPwawRnmA1a1PxMR_Io3lIFEjp6dumzpw25Dq0_aem_Ls9GrjvooOsa3JlMgm2SmA&h=AT0c4lYjTAmHWrkQrSjze9_Uccq6cauLn9zrl7xI-Y7b9Lwbd-cO7MwvexcMQl8hkn5CAooZUS6SiSb-bNvyna4ej6bD14bNx5lqTWCuOuw4Y_0EjZbbB2bXJy8JHR3CVlIjvNnY_6Zd-cnRyQ&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT0gPLwP0TLNMGzY5K4ZUeauAWUTzZGqHWpXtGndGSahyEni3OO_AMuS0DTi8xjPqCFKRkcw5arz7QU7OZEuQfm48mURS8sz5-gA556wPdvyDri3mjlui13w1MQ0G1dTuUp7HQYftvoQjmlIEGU7khWju3BBlyJMfoiKRpKRWASB)***From the Sephardic Archives***Sephardim of the Atlantic World. In May 2021 we put questions directly to a world expert in Sephardic research. Jessica V Roitman who was the newly appointed Professor in Jewish Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her research focuses on Sephardim in the Atlantic World, including the intersection of colonialism and Judaism. She examines themes such as the self-fashioning of communities, identity and the contacts between various communities in the Caribbean. Jessica obtained her PhD in 2009 from Leiden University.[[youtube.com/watch?v=w4MF_7aeOpg&feature=youtu.be](https://www.facebook.com/api/graphql/youtube.com/watch?v=w4MF_7aeOpg&feature=youtu.be&__cft__[0]=AZVrS6Ys3cN4CccarBhX6W5IA9-ERm5QJc6dJQP4jYV0EzYDvWqV9odFY9q5ZFE_87ar-AkW_XH_2gppQZrtuNBDWHz6vnNL-HGYLjZCO5jIl6A8P6zuFhNqL4_Dhn4PdpJU1vAdjsC8mjr7iId4IRVw&__tn__=-UK-R)](https://www.facebook.com/api/graphql/youtube.com/watch?v=w4MF_7aeOpg&feature=youtu.be&__cft__[0]=AZVrS6Ys3cN4CccarBhX6W5IA9-ERm5QJc6dJQP4jYV0EzYDvWqV9odFY9q5ZFE_87ar-AkW_XH_2gppQZrtuNBDWHz6vnNL-HGYLjZCO5jIl6A8P6zuFhNqL4_Dhn4PdpJU1vAdjsC8mjr7iId4IRVw&__tn__=-UK-R) *Best wishes**Ton and David**Sephardic *World