Venezuelan" at the UN office in Caracas
photo: Ariana Cubillos/AP
Members of the US Congress have called on Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, to protect the country's Jews following an attack on a Caracas synagogue. Sixteen Republicans and Democrats wrote a letter demanding an "end to the intimidation and harassment of the Jewish community" in Venezuela. The move came after a group of armed men broke into Caracas's oldest synagogue last week, overpowered two guards, destroyed religious objects and sprayed anti-Semitic slogans. Chávez condemned the attack and the authorities launched an investigation. Leaders of the Jewish Community in Venezuela, however, have accused the government of creating a climate of intolerance through its outspoken denunciations of Israel. Last month Chávez expelled the Israeli ambassador over the invasion of Gaza, which he likened to genocide.
Graffiti and posters praising Hamas and Palestinian resistance have sprouted up across Caracas. They are often accompanied by slogans such as "Jews out". The synagogue attackers numbered around 15 and appeared well-organised. They disabled security cameras and reportedly spent five hours breaking into safety boxes, desecrating the Torah and vandalizing property. A week earlier the building was sprayed with graffiti linking the swastika to the star of David.
The government said those responsible would be brought to justice and called on all Venezuelans to reject the attack. Jews had no reason to feel insecure, it said. A pro-government website that ran an article urging a boycott of Venezuelan Jewish businesses and verbal confrontations with Jewish people was removed yesterday after protests.
On Wednesday, leaders of the World Jewish Congress, the Latin American Jewish Congress and the Venezuelan community will meet in Caracas with foreign minister Nicolás Maduro to try and seek solutions to the crisis.
Meanwhile, dozens of demonstrators waving banners reading "Hate Only Sows Hate" and "Coexist" gathered on Tuesday in front of the United Nations' Caracas office to warn against a growing tide of anti-Semitism. Roughly 100 protesters condemned the Caracas synagogue attack. "We're in shock because nothing like this occurred in Venezuela before," Mercedes Benmoha, 28, a teacher who helped organize the protest, told the AP news agency. "We all have the right to practice our religion in peace and tranquility," she added.
