World Jewish Congress leaders met in Caracas on Wednesday with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and discussed the issue of anti-Semitism in Latin America and Venezuela’s relations with Israel. Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had arranged the meeting at the request of WJC President Ronald S. Lauder.
Lauder said Chavez announced that he will initiate a meeting with his Brazilian and Argentine counterparts to jointly condemn "all forms of anti-Semitism, discrimination against minorities and anti-Muslim sentiment."
The President of the Latin American Jewish Congress, Jack Terpins said "the world Jewish community is calmer now about President Chavez. He has demonstrated that he is a great friend of this community."
"While there remain differences of opinion on some major issues such as Iran and also the Middle East, when it comes to anti-Semitism, there has been some movement" Michael Schneider, WJC secretary-general, said after the meeting. The meeting was cordial, and local Jewish community leaders considered it to be a great success.
The WJC delegation asked Chavez to re-install a fully accredited ambassador to Israel, to replace the current lower-level envoy - the Venezuelan President asked Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, also in attendance at the meeting, to search for a suitable person to fill the position. He also expressed support for dialogue with the Jewish community in Venezuela and abroad, and said he would help facilitate dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims.
Also present at the meeting were Venezuela’s Ambassador to the US, Bernardo Alvarez, Argentina’s Ambassador to the United States, Héctor Timmerman, and the President of the Venezuelan Jewish community, Abraham Levi Benshimol.
There are an estimated 12,000 to 13,000 people in Venezuela's Jewish community, down from about 16,000 a decade ago.
