Americans using their ancestry to gain European citizenship - 40% of Americans eligible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spouse did it for German citizenship for himself and our kids, via a Jewish grandparent (rest of the family killed in the Holocaust). He had to collect a bunch of paperwork but it was all doable. Took about 2 years from start to finish.

what kind of paperwork? we’re jewish and my grandmother grew up in germany (she’s still alive), she and her parents survived concentration camps and came to the US when she was a teen. I can’t even imagine where to start looking for paperwork or what kind of paperwork I’d need?

This is very weird to me as the descendent of German Jews.

I mean the U.S. has problems yes, but racism and anti-semitism are deeply ingrained in German culture, and the AfD (far right party) which is openly racist and antisemitic is on the rise.

https://www.dw.com/en/antisemitism-deeply-rooted-in-german-society/a-61750177
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/germany

+100

As a Jew, I cannot overlook the horrors of the recent past just to get a passport of convenience from the country that perpetrated genocide on my family.

Same here. My mom has no living relatives due to the Holocaust. None. Antisemitism has been on the rise for at least 12 years. Germans are still very anti-Semitic. I can't believe the things they say in front of me before they find out I'm Jewish. I'm not happy with the polarization of both political parties here in the U.S. and I'm very concerned about abortion rights, but I'll take that over the people who killed my family and still think we had it coming.

What you said (in bold) is my experience as well. In the past, I had occasion to travel to Germany for business, and things were said to me were unbelievably anti-Semitic.

Usually, after engaging in a long conversation, I would get a German telling me “I am not an anti-Semite, but…” and then that person would then unload in the most vile manner on Jews. This did not happen once, but many times.

Again, I cannot overlook the horrors of the past just to score an EU passport from a country that perpetrated genocide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These countries had communism in my parent's generation and you think life is so great there. You wouldn't last a year.

Ireland and Italy had communism in the 40s/50s?

well, Italy had Mussolini, but yea, Ireland, UK, France, Portugal ..? Weird.

Actually a lot of Americans are going to Portugal, Spain.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-20/americans-moving-to-europe-housing-prices-and-strong-dollar-fuel-relocations

The article isn’t very good. It says there’s a 40% increase in people interested in moving to Greece compared to one year…. which was the middle of the pandemic! It reads more like a promotional piece for the relocation agency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These countries had communism in my parent's generation and you think life is so great there. You wouldn't last a year.

Ireland and Italy had communism in the 40s/50s?

well, Italy had Mussolini, but yea, Ireland, UK, France, Portugal ..? Weird.

Actually a lot of Americans are going to Portugal, Spain.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-20/americans-moving-to-europe-housing-prices-and-strong-dollar-fuel-relocations

Yugoslavia

[Anonymous]

I thought all you Americans were big on diversity? When I spent a year in croatia, the number of visible minorities I saw.... less than 3 people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's fun to think about. My ancestors are from several European countries. I'd also like to buy one of those fix upper Italian villas for $1.

My concern is their tax system and in some places mandated military service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spouse did it for German citizenship for himself and our kids, via a Jewish grandparent (rest of the family killed in the Holocaust). He had to collect a bunch of paperwork but it was all doable. Took about 2 years from start to finish.

what kind of paperwork? we’re jewish and my grandmother grew up in germany (she’s still alive), she and her parents survived concentration camps and came to the US when she was a teen. I can’t even imagine where to start looking for paperwork or what kind of paperwork I’d need?

This is very weird to me as the descendent of German Jews.

I mean the U.S. has problems yes, but racism and anti-semitism are deeply ingrained in German culture, and the AfD (far right party) which is openly racist and antisemitic is on the rise.

https://www.dw.com/en/antisemitism-deeply-rooted-in-german-society/a-61750177
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/germany

I am so sorry PP. I am from another country and when I visit am appalled at the jokes and comments of antisemitic nature people there make. I think in some countries they have stopped teaching about the Holocaust. I confront these and try to raise awareness but still…

+100

As a Jew, I cannot overlook the horrors of the recent past just to get a passport of convenience from the country that perpetrated genocide on my family.

Same here. My mom has no living relatives due to the Holocaust. None. Antisemitism has been on the rise for at least 12 years. Germans are still very anti-Semitic. I can't believe the things they say in front of me before they find out I'm Jewish. I'm not happy with the polarization of both political parties here in the U.S. and I'm very concerned about abortion rights, but I'll take that over the people who killed my family and still think we had it coming.

What you said (in bold) is my experience as well. In the past, I had occasion to travel to Germany for business, and things were said to me were unbelievably anti-Semitic.

Usually, after engaging in a long conversation, I would get a German telling me “I am not an anti-Semite, but…” and then that person would then unload in the most vile manner on Jews. This did not happen once, but many times.

Again, I cannot overlook the horrors of the past just to score an EU passport from a country that perpetrated genocide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These countries had communism in my parent's generation and you think life is so great there. You wouldn't last a year.

Ireland and Italy had communism in the 40s/50s?

well, Italy had Mussolini, but yea, Ireland, UK, France, Portugal ..? Weird.

Actually a lot of Americans are going to Portugal, Spain.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-20/americans-moving-to-europe-housing-prices-and-strong-dollar-fuel-relocations

The article isn’t very good. It says there’s a 40% increase in people interested in moving to Greece compared to one year…. which was the middle of the pandemic! It reads more like a promotional piece for the relocation agency.

there are other articles, but anecdotally, a friend of mine moved to Portugal with their entire family, ES aged kids.

[Anonymous]

"This is wild to me. This was one event and if it hadn’t been on the news, 99.9999% of Americans wouldn’t have even known about it. Meaning there is absolutely no effect on your daily life. There are many problems in the US but 1/6 really isn’t something to dwell on"

This is the absolute dumbest post on this site today.

Wth? whoever you are brain dead comes to mind.

HOW DARE YOU?

We have an active coup how the hell do you not understand that?

The Republican party yes the whole party voted against your voting rights. They are literally trying to hand us to Russia on a platter. The US will die a horrific death and you are insane to not be paying attention. Shame on you.

[Anonymous]

Russians are pouring in over the Alaskan border. Coincidence? 😉

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"This is wild to me. This was one event and if it hadn’t been on the news, 99.9999% of Americans wouldn’t have even known about it. Meaning there is absolutely no effect on your daily life. There are many problems in the US but 1/6 really isn’t something to dwell on"

This is the absolute dumbest post on this site today.

Wth? whoever you are brain dead comes to mind.

HOW DARE YOU?

We have an active coup how the hell do you not understand that?

The Republican party yes the whole party voted against your voting rights. They are literally trying to hand us to Russia on a platter. The US will die a horrific death and you are insane to not be paying attention. Shame on you.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These countries had communism in my parent's generation and you think life is so great there. You wouldn't last a year.

Ireland and Italy had communism in the 40s/50s?

well, Italy had Mussolini, but yea, Ireland, UK, France, Portugal ..? Weird.

Actually a lot of Americans are going to Portugal, Spain.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-20/americans-moving-to-europe-housing-prices-and-strong-dollar-fuel-relocations

Mussolini wasn't a communist. ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hold dual citizenship and split my time between the US and France for family reasons. Americans who think Europe is somehow economically and socially better off than the US are naïve or misinformed, and are in for a rude shock. Frankly, if I had to pick where I'd spend 100% of my time, I would choose the US.

Couldnt agree more. My husband was dual and renounced his citizenship to the European country. We visit, but have zero interest in citizenship. Americans truly do not understand how good we have it and have an idealized view of Europe that is completely detached from reality, esp wrt social issues and politics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"This is wild to me. This was one event and if it hadn’t been on the news, 99.9999% of Americans wouldn’t have even known about it. Meaning there is absolutely no effect on your daily life. There are many problems in the US but 1/6 really isn’t something to dwell on"

This is the absolute dumbest post on this site today.

Wth? whoever you are brain dead comes to mind.

HOW DARE YOU?

We have an active coup how the hell do you not understand that?

The Republican party yes the whole party voted against your voting rights. They are literally trying to hand us to Russia on a platter. The US will die a horrific death and you are insane to not be paying attention. Shame on you.

This was not a coup and you need to get a new news channel. I would love to sit down to discuss a list of things from each party that "risks democracy" and I can guarantee you that the Democrats would win hands down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't the residents of these EU countries resent it if so many Americans started using their low cost universities and healthcare without having paid into the system first?
Just a thought.

Go ahead and flame me, but with their low birthrates, they should want immigrants who are of their ethnic origin there to help preserve their cultures rather than immigrants who are of vastly different cultures who won’t carry on the traditions they have been building for over 1,000 years.

Shouldn't that be the case here as well?

[Anonymous]

I hope someone has pointed out to OP that there are a whole bunch of countries in Europe outside of the EU.