Former Chief Sephardic Rabbi Shlomo Amar was among 219 descendants of Jews exiled from Spain in 1492 who received Spanish citizenship on Friday under a law passed last year. A total of 4,300 such descendants have been granted Spanish citizenship under the law.
Amar now serves as Jerusalem's Chief Sephardic Rabbi. His office issued a statement that said the Spanish government granted him an honorary citizenship in recognition of his efforts on behalf of the descendants of the exiles. The statement said Rabbi Amar did not ask for Spanish citizenship of his own initiative.