LONDON — Until Britain voted to leave the European Union, Philip Levine never thought deeply about his Jewish heritage. But
looking for a way to ensure that he could still work and live in Europe
once Britain leaves the bloc, Mr. Levine, 35, who was born in Britain
and lives in London, decided to do what some Jews, including his
relatives, might consider unthinkable: apply for German citizenship. He
did so by employing a provision of German law that has been on the
books since 1949 but that has been little used in recent years. It
allows anyone whom the Nazis stripped of their German citizenship “on
political, racial or religious grounds” from Jan. 30, 1933, to May 8,
1945, and their descendants, to have their citizenship restored. Most of
those who lost their citizenship during that period were Jews, though
they also included other minorities and political opponents. He
is not alone in turning to the German law after Britain’s decision to
end its membership in the European Union, also known as Brexit. Since
the vote in June, the German embassy in London said it had received at
least 400 requests from Britons for information about German citizenship
under a legal provision known as Article 116. At
least 100 are formal applications by individuals or families, said Knud
Noelle, an embassy official. “We expect more in coming weeks,” he said,
adding that the embassy normally receives roughly 20 such applications
every year. The
interest among British Jews is far greater than ever before, said
Michael Newman, the chief executive of the Association of Jewish
Refugees, who said that he, too, was considering applying for German
citizenship. The association is based in London. “I
don’t remember hearing of requests before” for German citizenship in
the association’s 75-year-old history, he said. “It’s taken Brexit to do
this. It was a game-changer.” The
development is among the most surprising techniques being used by
British and European citizens as they seek a second passport that would
allow them to retain their ability to travel, work and live anywhere in
the bloc even after Britain’s departure is complete sometime in the next
several years. People
from the Continent living in Britain, Britons living in Europe and
Britons living at home but eager to retain the benefits of European
citizenship are investigating their heritage, considering marriage,
studying residency requirements and otherwise searching for legal paths
to get around the effects of the British vote. “I
didn’t realize how simple it is,” Mr. Levine said of the application
process for German citizenship, adding that he had done it initially for
practical reasons and because his brother brought it up. “It’s
literally a back door” into Europe. Britain
allows dual citizenship, and Jews interviewed for this article said
they planned to keep their British nationality. They said they had no
immediate plans to move to Germany,
either. Rather, German citizenship would allow them to keep traveling
visa-free inside the European Union and maintain other benefits of
belonging to Europe. Many
British Jews, especially the younger generations, are comfortable with
Germany, which they say has done enough to confront its past. International New York Times
