Spain's embrace of Sephardic Jews in contrast to rejection of gypsies

 Gypsies in France

Among the good news stories of 2013, still part of the news of 2014,  was an expansion of the announcement that had taken place in 2012, as Spain welcomed back the Sephardic Jews after 500 years.  That good news about Spain offered the potential to examine long-held prejudices and renew hope for caring for people who long ago either left voluntarily or were banished because of their beliefs.  That welcome, however, of the Sephardic Jews is in stark contrast to the gypsies, whose return to their countries of origin have been met with distrust, banishment or segregation.

A common definition of the word "Sephardic" has referenced people who were exiled from countries along North African, the Balkans, Italy, Syria and Palestine, many of whom fled to Holland, Brazil, New York, Mexico, and the the Caribbean. Sephardim of the Iberian Peninsula, which is now Portugal and Spain, which fused Hebrew and Spanish into its own language, one called Ladino.  Yet there is academic debate about this definition of "Sephardic Jew.

Some scholars see these people as principally coming from the Iberian Peninsula, while still others reference the Middle East or combine both areas along with North Africa.

On the other hand, a broader definition defines the people as "For Jews, what is most important as a distinguishing characteristic is not the specific culture acquired in any particular country of exile by any particular Jewish population but the broader issues of halakhah and mishpat (Jewish law), community organization, and cultural patterns from food to synagogue rituals. In these respects, the Sephardi world is one, from the Atlantic to the Indian Oceans, significantly influenced by its location within Islamic civilization."

This broader meaning gets at the history along with the modern definitions that outline culture as one of the principal characteristics of a specific group of people, in this case the Sephardic Jews, along with the broad areas of settlements.

Will these people be embraced by Spain?  What is particularly noteworthy is the fact that the popular ruling party in Spain is not only in favor of bringing these people back to Spain but  a bill submitted proposes to allow Sephardic Jews to become naturalized regardless of where they had resided before returning to Spain and not requiring they relinquish the citizenship they might already have.

This welcome mat is in direct contrast to those countries who look at patterns of differences, as with the gypsies, who also have been dismissed by their countries when they sought to settle in their countries of origin.  The pattern of rejection of the gypsies is a reflection of Europe's past, when the Church rejected them when they asked to become Christians, as they continue to be rejected by modern Christians.  For them the welcome mat is turned to the backside, in the mud and poverty in which many are forced to dwell.   Both the Sephardic Jews and the gypsies were victims of the holocaust.  But whereas the Jews receive a welcome and a sympathetic respect for their suffering, gypsies are among the most rejected groups in Spain.

Gypsies get the boot in France, in violation of international law

Gypsies dancing[/caption]

Carol Forsloff---“I woke up at 6 am this morning, the police came and it scared us. I knew we would have to leave, my mother had told me so. I don’t know where my family and I will go now. I don’t know if we will be able to go to school, but we definitely want to go. Today I was supposed to go to a refreshers course because next week I will start secondary school, but now I can’t go,” said David, aged 12.

David faces his fifth eviction with his family that include five brothers and sisters aged 4 to 28.

Amnesty International reports the Romani people being evicted across the country of France, as French authorities continue to defy international law.  Yesterday, August 27, 2013,  150 people were evicted outside Paris.

Those reporting this from Amnesty International tell of Nadka, a 46-year-old Bulgarian woman who has lived in France nearly ten years who was evicted from a camp with her husband 16-year-old daughter, crying and frightened with nowhere to go.

Marion Cadier, Amnesty International researcher in France says, "This morning, I saw entire families being rendered homeless and forced to leave everything behind. People did not know what to do or where to go,” said Marion Cadier, Amnesty International researcher on France.

“It is unacceptable that a year on from the inter-ministerial circular, hundreds of Roma families up and down the country are made to face the same fate over and over again. It's time for France to stop forcibly evicting people, and to respect international human rights law.”

These forced evictions violate international human rights laws that say proper procedures must be taken to make sure residents that are evicted are given compensation as well as help in finding alternative shelter.

These same patterns of mistreatment in some respects occurs in much of Europe.  Even Italy that did not shut its doors to immigrant gypsies have found their citizens very prejudiced against the Roman people.

Gypsies are originally from India and for centuries have been considered social outcasts in most of Europe where they have settled in fairly large numbers.