Jews from Sofia - a Portuguese passport for Jews of Bulgarian origin

YK C

We had a pleasure of working with Irena Rosenberg who assisted in getting our two U.S. born children registered in Israel and supported visa process for my wife in 2021. During the pandemic, my wife and I decided to move to Israel where I am originally from after living in the U.S. for over 20 years, but we had no idea how to go about securing visas before and after arriving in Israel. Irena is knowledgeable, reliable and competent lawyer who always had answers to all our questions which made us feel confident that everything would be fine with her assistance. We are now happily living in Israel and are so grateful to have Irena who is a genuinely nice person as our lawyer.

Kfir Cohen

We were searching for a law firm that will be honest with us and really work hard for a satisfying result, it wasn't an easy task
We found them online; they were the only law firm from all of our searchings which were completely honest and NOT gave us just what we wanted to hear
Using them guaranteed honesty above all. A legal team that is friendly and cares for a superb result
They really care about helping their customers without any other interest
Nadia gave us service behind what we expected; she was professional which lead to fast and easy process with great result
We definitely recommend using them

Schruuf

We were very pleased and content with the services of this law firm. They supported us 100% and solved our case successfully, we couldn't be happier.

Paul Prince

The team of lawyers and assistants are incredibly professional. Aiming to give their clients the advice possible regarding the normative and the law of Israel. With well trained and professional secretary at the front desk to the lawyers team, I could say that I had one of the most professional services possible. I'm super glad of choosing Joshua Pex of Law office for immigration solution, lawyers to advise in my case, to me, it is remarkable.

Michael Soffer

I would like to recommend Attorney Yehuda Elcharar. He assisted both me and my company in a complex lawsuit. He handled negotiations that led to a favorable outcome much quicker than expected.

I am extremely pleased with choosing Attorney Elcharar. Many thanks also to the office team, Oz and Chaya, for their assistance throughout the entire process.

Thanks again ????

Michael and Ariellah Waizman

For Advocate Joshua Pex.

We were in a devastating situation when my wife received an order from the immigration office to leave Israel within 30 days, without any explanation, after we have been married and in the process for six and a half years. We heard of Advocate Pex through a friend of a friend. We contacted Mr. Pex and he was ready to help us when he heard of our situation.

The service is amazing! Always ready to assist without regard to the time it takes. The advice Mr. Pex gave us was great, such as what to do, he gave useful links, and advice about which officials to contact. The price for the service was great!

The process until we received the extension for another year for my wife was not long (3 months). Things started moving once Mr. Pex came into the picture.

We highly recommend Advocate Joshua Pex! We achieved our goal and the fear of deportation has been lifted!

Amir Abt

The best lawyer firm I’ve had dealt with. I would like to thank Anat Levi and Ariel Galili from the Jerusalem branch for all of their efforts and patience, we could not have been Able to reach to where we are now without them

Наталья Мажуга

Great lawyers Joshua Pex and Nechama and Michael Deker who really want to help you and I have very trustful relationships with them. All my cases they took they won. Thank you and let’s keep working together

Prima Lorenzo

I admire the Austrian citizenship team in Tel-Aviv branch! They deserve more then 5 stars!! They are very friendly and professional. I've got Austrian citizenship in 4 months for all family members which consists of 12 people! The entire team is very friendly and responsive. They are always answering questions and support during the process. I recommend to everyone. Was 100% satisfied.

Gáspár Erőss

If you need to solve any complicated legal issue in Israel, don't hesitate to contact them. Otherwise you will loose hours/days/weeks with things that they can solve in minutes. They helped me to obtain my expert working visa in Israel and even after that they responded further questions and gave me advices related to administrative issues in Israel which saved me a lot of time. Irena Rosenberg and Michael Decker worked on my case, they are very professional and helpful. They will not let you down, feel free to contact them.

Dongdiet & Nellie

We are very happy with the services. Somehow they managed to translate the law lingo into language we actually understand 😉 and their outstanding YouTube videos helped us to have a better grasp of what process we had to go through. Their patience, clear explanation and experience are very valuable. It's also very nice to know that you will receive response promptly; it made us feel we can really trust their services. We recommend all those looking for immigration lawyers to get in touch.

David De La Rosa

Very friendly, professional, and effective, highly recommended

Michelle Long

Josh has been helping me on and off for a few years now. I have needed legal advice and assistance with immigration due to a complex situation of mine, and he has been extremely available and responsive, honest and clear about my route and how to proceed. Very much recommended!

Lilian Granovsky

I can highly recommend these services!
Every time we turned to Joshua we always got a professional quick and helpful respond.

Genaan Abdelall

I cannot recommend Nechama enough! Her expertise, professionalism, and dedication to her clients is unparalleled. From the moment I reached out to her, she provided clear and concise communication, and helped me navigate through a complex legal issue with ease.

Throughout the entire process, Nechama went above and beyond to ensure that I was informed and comfortable with every decision. She demonstrated a deep knowledge of the law, and was able to offer sound advice that ultimately led to a positive outcome.

What sets Nechama apart is her compassionate and empathetic approach to her clients. She truly cares about the well-being of her clients, and it shows in the way she handles every case.

If you are in need of a lawyer, I highly recommend Nechama.

Yossi Montrose

Very knowledgeable and professional

Eden Weiss

Extrmely friendly, professional and helpful. A big thank you to Irina especially from the Jerusalem office. Highly Recommended.

Israel iluz

We were very satisfied with the service of Nehama. She was very professional in all her dealings and kept us informed all the way.
We highly recommend this law firm. They proved to be reliable, efficient and pleasant to work with.

Sophie Cooperman

Oded Ger did an excellent job by reviewing a modeling contract I was offered. Explained the bad clauses in the contract, and their possible consequences. Thank you for your amazing job, your professionalism, your consultation and honesty. You showed me from your experience how it can be done differently. It was the best decision choosing you as my lawyer.

I highly recommend this firm, especially Oded Ger.

Shurouq Hajyassin

We were very satisfied with the consultation we had.
You were very straightforward with us , You tried to help us in every way you could . we really appreciate that.
And of course the fast reply we got from you on our emails and the appointment you gave us .
You deserve more than 5 stars????

TarcisioePotira Freitas

I really recommend the law office's services. The service is very professional and efficient, the price is right. I am satisfied with the services I needed and happy to have known them.

Sergei m Vashkevich

We came to Mr. Joshua with so many questions (and most of all, with so many concerns and worries) …

When we explained our case to him, first of all, he calmed us down and helped us to see the big picture, which took away our fears;

Then he presented us with a detailed explanation and a few options to explore, and a timeline, how things work and necessary steps to undertake on our part,

We thank and highly recommend Mr. Joshua for showing us so much empathy, care and professionalism (!)

Tomer Hila Birnbach

I received a recommendation from friends about the firm, and indeed every word is correct, a service team, professional, welcoming, a fair price for the work I requested, I am satisfied

Morgan Jones

The team at Decker, Pex & Co have been awesome to work with in helping our US company establish banking in Israel and in providing counsel for legal needs in Israel. I highly recommend!

Jacob Newberry

A really excellent firm. They knew exactly how to handle my situation effectively and efficiently, and we got the result I needed without much fuss. Adi Berger was a wonderful advocate for me and I am deeply grateful for her help!

Greg Olson

We highly recommend Adv. Mike Decker and have know him for many years. He has helped our family with many battles over the years. We recently received our permanent residency after 23 years in Israel. We so much appreciate Mike’s representation of us.

Josh W-S

The firm had a quick response to my last-minute needs, they were helpful in communicating with me in English, and they fulfilled my needs in a timely fashion.

Shaltiel Devorah

Mr. Joshua Pex is knowledgeable and Professional. I really appreciate his courteous and direct approach.

Matthias Oppliger

I have been receiving services from this Law Firm for several years now and I want to say THANK YOU to the team, especially Joshua Pex. They are doing outstanding work. The services I have received for both our Israeli non profit association but also our social business have helped us solve many issues at hand and provided solutions in complicated situations. Personally, I am grateful for support in visa issues as a foreigner living now in Israel for many years.

Andreas Kelling

We have been working with Decker, Pex & Co - Law Firm in Tel Aviv for many years very well. Because we appreciated their lawyers services, we recommended businesses and individuals again and again to go there as well.

Arielle Bosch

Incredibly knowledgeable, approachable, accessible, and evident across the board that they truly care about the people they are helping. They are quick to respond, engaged, and obviously top-notch lawyers. I couldn't recommend them highly enough. Thank you, Joshua and Itamar for your help with our Joint Life Application. You were a calming energy during a storm - always breathed a sigh of relief after speaking with you. It is so difficult to get straight answers from the Misrad Hapnim, but you guys are straight shooters. I appreciate your candor and evident integrity. Hope to work with you in the future, and will send everyone I know in need of legal aid your way. Thank you for your guidance and support.

Dumitrascu Cristina

Best lawyer house from Israel! I couldn’t dealt with my situation without their professionalism and effectiveness. Their dedication to every legal aspect and their drive it’s how a true lawyer house can be!
Working in European market and international now, I couldn’t dare to let myself wide my wings on countries unknown to me. Definitely they’ll be the lawyers representing me, my business at every international aspect and on personal development.
When you hear Decker,Pex,Ofir &Co, you hear 10+ class services, luxurious professionals, confidentiality and exclusive attention to your needs.

Marce Ruth St. Rey

Party time in the heart, my beloved husband received his residence after so much time of battles and faith. Gratitude, God has blessed us with wonderful beings who have accompanied us, including a "precious angel" who touched our hearts, our excellent and fantastic lawyer: Maria Chernin Dekel, sweet and wonderful human being, who has guided us and stayed On our side. side in this intense legal transit whom we bless on every occasion. God bless you dear Maria, you have exceeded your professional duty by containing us and collaborating with us in hard times, very hard, for that we want to thank you publicly, you are unique!!!

We bless and thank the entire team at Decker Pex Tal Ofir Law Firm.

Lauma Zariņa

This is definitely the best lawyer I know!!! very honest and super helpful he really helped me a lot dealing with immigration issues in Israel and it was very successful!
I highly recommend

Joshua Pex was both an amazing human being and an inspiring human rights attorney. I reported directly to him for various activities I performed as in intern. I was impressed with his incredibly solid character. He is trustworthy, fair, and goes above and beyond to advocate for the vulnerable. He is completely trustworthy and high caliber in his work. His partners and employees are very blessed to work with him. I am honored to know them.

Heather Lebrun

Esty A

I had a consultation with Batya and she was very helpful. She made sure I understood all the information I needed, and was patient with me in gathering documents I needed.

Halvor Ronning

Courteous, clear, efficient service.

Adi Katina

Great Team. With no doubt, this office is actually thee best-leading office in Israel. Simply put, if you want your case to win, just join them, hand in your documents, and celebrate the victory.

Kindest regards,
Adi k.

Stuart Safft

I am delighted to report that my wife and I have just obtained our Israeli citizenship. We will be forever grateful for all of the help, guidance and support which Ariel Galili of Decker, Pex & Co. provided through this process.

I am a Jewish, 80-year-old American, and my wife is not Jewish. We had started the process on our own back in November 2020 via the Jewish Agency and Nefesh B’Nefesh, but soon became entangled in the delays and often-changing regulations due to Covid-19. The pandemic also caused delays in obtaining the required apostilles for various documents from various state agencies and the US State Department.

We found Decker, Pex & Co. On the internet and began working with Ariel in late November 2021. Ariel did a superb job of leading us through the process, helping us to understand which documents were essential, which would most likely be required, and which, though included on the list of required documents, were rarely required. He helped us several times to understand what was likely and unlikely to occur as “the next step.” Helping us manage our expectations was extremely useful to us.

Besides his knowing the laws, regulations and procedures, Ariel also made us feel that he was truly interested in helping us to successfully work through this process in as smooth, timely, and frustration-free manner as possible.

My wife and I strongly recommend anyone planning to go through this process seriously consider hiring Decker, Pex, Ofir & Co. and, specifically, Ariel Galili.

Alexander P Gutterman

EU PASSPORT ! Big news! Thanks to Michael Decker and the other good people at the law office, as well as to the virtue of my ancestors, the cruelty of the Inquisition, reparations issued in the Iberian Peninsula, and etc, I am delighted to be on track for Portuguese and European Union Citizenship! A truly incredible development and one which brings me deep joy.

Priscilla Moses

competent consulting, fast processing, reliable, warm & good team. highly recommended

Sveta Vashkevich

We (myself and my husband) came to Mr. Joshua Pex – for his professional advice – and we received such human warmth and caring attitude, that our hearts melted …

His attention to our details and our situation peculiarities, combined with his professionalism and knowledge, helped us to map out what needs to be done on our part: we appreciate and recommend You, Mr. Joshua!

lynn vonne

Excellent service, very friendly and helpful, fast responding and very patient. Highly recommend. I will choose them again next time if needed.

The article is intended to clarify the eligibility for a Portuguese passport for Jews of Bulgarian origin. The Jewish settlement in the city was documented as far back as 700 years ago, but became especially famous at the end of the 15th century, with the arrival of the Jews who had been expelled from Spain. This being the case, if you are descended from Jews who originally came from Sofia you are probably eligible for a Portuguese Passport.

The emigration lawyers at our office specialize in the issue of foreign citizenships, for example Austrian, Rumanian, Bulgarian, Polish and of course Portuguese. If you have a connection to Bulgaria then you are probably eligible for a Portuguese or Bulgarian Passport. You should check this with a lawyer who specializes in these matters.

Jews from Sofia – a Portuguese Passport for Jews of Bulgarian Origin

In July 1492 the Jewish world was thunderstruck when 150 thousands Jews were forced to leave Spain. Until that time the Spanish state had been one of the most prominent centres of advancement, culture, literature and global enlightenment. A considerable number of these feats were achieved with the aid of the Jews of Spain. Nevertheless, when the expulsion order – the “Granada Decree” – was promulgated, they were compelled to leave the country immediately.

Waves of expelled Jews were dispersed over all corners of the Mediterranean. Some of them arrived at the shores of Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Edirne and Ragusa in Croatia, and from there they continued on foot until they reached the area of Bulgaria – Sofia.

Unfortunately, five years later another expulsion occurred – this time from Portugal. More than a hundred thousand Jews were further compelled to leave their property and depart the Catholic country forever. Among these, hundreds of families also arrived in Sofia.

The Jewish settlement in Sofia at the time the exiles arrived from Spain

Not a lot has been written about the lives of the Jews of Sofia prior to the arrival in the city of the Jewish expellees from Iberia. The settlement comprised mostly local long-standing communities who were called Romaniotes. They spoke a Judaeo-Greek dialect called Yevanic. Apart from them there were Jewish communities from France, southern Germany, Czechoslovakia and Hungary who comprised the city’s Jewish population.

However, in 1494, Sephardi Jews arrived in the city. Upon their arrival they instilled the Sephardic traditions that they had brought with them from their home. The community fast became the largest and most dominant Jewish bloc in Sofia. The various communities, that were mostly composed of descendants of refugees from different European countries, were soon assimilated into the Sephardic population, and adopted a similar style of halacha and prayer to that of the prestigious Jews of Spain.

Sephardic surnames such as Adarbi, Almoslino, Alfandari, Angel and Bejarano were prominent among the Jews of the city. The community glorified and perpetuated the language of its fathers when it preserved for more than 400 years the unique Judeo dialect known as Ladino. Books, pamphlets and sermons in this tongue were proudly elevated and exalted in public and in the synagogues of Sofia.

Jewry in Sofia under Ottoman Rule

For 350 years the whole of Bulgaria was under Ottoman rule. The sultans were gracious to the Jewish citizens, in contrast to the Christian citizens who were ruled with an iron fist. Over the generations the Ottomans considered the Jews to be genuine allies and they admired them due to their scholarship and knowledge in the fields of commerce, education and literature. This being the case, they ordered the authorities they controlled to see to it that there would be no shortage for them in any area they wished to engage, trade or build.

The Turkish officials chose to place Sefardi Jews in the frequently flourishing commercial centres. This is the reason why they also went to Sofia, which was a city with an important economic character. In the city they built businesses which exported merchandise to the various areas of the Balkan such as Romania, Croatia, Moldavia, Turkey and others. In quite a few cases, the commerce was conducted in the Ladino dialect.

The story goes that throughout the 16th and 17th centuries the Jews became such an important commercial cog in the wheel in the Balkan area that they were responsible for almost all the commercial activities carried out in Sofia. From Istanbul via Thessaloniki, Belgrade and Bucharest, they brought goods and merchandise which ended up in the local shops via the brokerage of the Jews of Sofia.

Another extraordinary fact, was that contrary to the Islamic Sharia – which restricted foreigners in all matters pertaining to the purchase of Islamic lands – the Ottomans bestowed lands and allowed the Jews to build new and high-rise synagogues without restriction. Study halls were built and Torah was disseminated without hindrance. For years entire towns were placed at the disposal of the Jews in the city by order of the sultans.

The Jews of Sofia in the 20th century – a Portuguese Passport for Jews of Bulgarian Origin

More than 25 thousand Jews lived in Sofia on the eve of the Second World War. Nevertheless, the outcome of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe did not extract a heavy blood cost from the Jews of the city. This was thanks to the Bulgarian states and people, who fought and risked their lives to save the Jews from Hitler’s machine of destruction.

Almost all of the Jews of the city were the descendants of Jews from Spain. However, among the local surnames one may encounter names sounding as if they are of Hungarian, Italian, French and also Ashkenazy origin. Despite the irony, these also bear witness to a Sephardic affiliation. This is because when the Jews who had been expelled from Spain arrived, the “foreigners” were distinguished by means of names associated with the countries they came from. However, as we have said, the latter were almost immediately integrated into the Sephardic community and over time they acquired a completely Sephardic character. Surnames such as Pizanti, Romano, Francis, Franco, Ashkenazy and others are in fact remnants testifying as to the family past. However, over time they lost their original connection and became Sephardicized in their thousands.

Contact us – a Portuguese Passport for Jews of Bulgarian Origin

Hundreds of thousands of Bulgarian descendants are eligible to receive a Portuguese passport. Eligibility for a Portuguese passport is generally determined according to the country of origin, and does not require that a candidate submit a family tree reaching as far back as the Jews expelled from Spain. It is much simpler for Jews of Bulgarian origin.

You can contact our office for further information.