Uncertainty emanating from the
outcome of Brexit has result into a rush by UK nationals in securing passports
from other EU member states.
Though it is still not clear what
effect leaving the EU will have on travel when the UK finally quits the union
for UK citizens.
Report has it that percentage of
British nationals applying for Irish passport have risen to 40%, as they still
want to retain their freedom within other member states.
Sometime ago, the government of
Portugal and Spain extended some kind of benevolence to Sephardic Jews saying
they would be eligible for passports as an “act of atonement” as a result of
the expulsion of several thousands of Sephardic Jews in the 15th
century.
On the other hand, after the vote
to leave the EU, the Sephardic Jewish people have conveyed noticeable upsurge
in people attempting to trace their family history in order to enable them
apply for a second passport.
According to Charlotte
Sebag-Montefiore who has a family group of 25 tracking her family tree, said:
"I didn't vote for Brexit. I feel European and it's a gesture for Europe.
I feel the emotional connection, that's one thing. I have ancestors who were
burnt at the stake. I feel I want to make a gesture of solidarity with Europe.
"I am British, I was born
here, and I’ve always lived here. But I'm very grateful to Portuguese people
for providing me with this opportunity.
"We don't know what the
arrangements of Brexit will be and going to Europe will be easier if you have a
European passport."
The Sephardic community of north
London keeps genealogy records dating back to the 17th century. Since the vote,
they say, they're getting as many calls for help in a week as they used to get
in a year.
Archivist Miriam
Rodrigues-Pereira stated: "If they can show that their parents and
grandparents were married here under our auspices it's quite straightforward
and we can follow them back.
"But we can't rush. People
will have to wait. We're not going to certify anything that we can't find
chapter and verse for."
She further added: "We're
much busier than we were because of Brexit.
"People just want to know
where they fit in and still have their links with Europe. It can be
time-consuming. It's a bit of a detective story really."
She is 94 years old and of
Portuguese heritage, but is one member of the community who won't be applying
for a second passport.
"I don't feel I want to
particularly," she said. "If I was travelling a lot or needed to go
to Europe frequently I definitely would but I'm not doing that."
Rabbi Israel Elia of the
Lauderdale Road Synagogue narrated how the past has left Jewish people with the
sense it's wise to keep their options open.
He said: "We are a community
which welcomes that kind of security because of our experience unfortunately -
our expulsions from everywhere.
"Wherever we had a place we
wanted to call home it wasn't long-lasting. In our psyche it was very much part
of our plan to be able to go elsewhere.
"We like to have that extra
safety net, to have that security because of our experience."
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