Courtesy of JTA. Photo credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A woman holds Israeli and Venezuelan flags in front of the Venezuelan consulate in Miami to show solidarity with the Venezuelan Jewish community after an attack on a Caracas synagogue, Feb. 13, 2009
(JTA) — It was the moment Samy Yecutieli had been anticipating for years, though he didn’t expect it to happen quite like this.
Born and raised in Caracas, the security expert and now real-estate agent followed last week’s dramatic news of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro’s abduction by U.S. forces from his home in the Tel Aviv suburb of Kfar Saba.
Now, he is watching as U.S. President Donald Trump vows an extended presence in the oil-rich South American nation, even as Trump has signaled support for Maduro’s deputies, who are reportedly cracking down on expressions of support for Maduro’s ouster.
Yecutieli, 60, moved to Israel eight years ago with his wife and three children. He’s among an estimated 20,000 Venezuelan Jews who fled their oil-exporting country after Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, came to power in 1998 and began slowly bankrupting what was once Latin America’s most prosperous economy while also adopting antisemitic rhetoric that has persisted since.
At one time, Venezuela was home to some 25,000 Jews. Today, no more than 4,000 remain — about the same number as those who moved to South Florida. A similar number moved to Israel, while the remainder — not knowing English or Hebrew — opted for Spanish-speaking countries, principally Colombia, Panama, Mexico and Spain.
They were among an estimated 8 million Venezuelans, nearly one-third of the population, who have emigrated, constituting the largest refugee exodus in modern history — even bigger than from war-torn Syria. More than 200,000 ended up in Florida alone; so many “venezolanos” reside in Weston, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, that the city is often nicknamed “Westonzuela.”
Venezuela — where Jews have lived for at least 200 years — was among the world’s first countries to recognize Israel’s independence in May 1948. Bilateral ties were excellent until Chávez’s populist government came to power.
Soon, Venezuelan Jews joined others in the country in growing sharply concerned about a crackdown on civil liberties, the worsening economy and Chávez’s praise for despotic leaders such as Saddam Hussein. But they did not feel targeted until several years into Chávez’s reign.
Then, in a fiery 2006 speech, Chávez condemned Israel for invading Lebanon, calling it “a new Holocaust” against Palestinians and Lebanese. Three years later, he unilaterally broke off ties with Israel.
As Chavez ratcheted up his rhetoric against Israel, calling it a genocidal state, the official media followed suit, calling for a boycott on local Jewish businesses unless they publicly denounced Israel. Antisemitic graffiti began appearing around Caracas. A synagogue was heavily damaged when a dozen assailants broke in, overpowering security guards and desecrating holy objects.
Corry, 70, today lives in Ramat Gan and is president of the Open University of Israel.
“This is a horrible regime that has turned Venezuela from one of the most beautiful countries in Latin America to something that is unbearable,” he said.
Despite Venezuela’s longstanding friendship with Israel prior to the Chávez era, many are highly skeptical that large numbers of Jews — or anyone, for that matter — will rush back.
“Eight million people have left Venezuela. There’s no other example in world history like this,” he said. “At the beginning it was the elite, then the middle class, and finally everyone,” said
Anabella Jaroslavsky, 63, who moved to Israel in 2020, joining her daughter who had done so nine years before that.
“After 26 years, we want a change in our country,” said Jaroslavsky, a consultant with the World Zionist Organization who resides in Tel Aviv. “I’ve made my life here in Israel, but other Jews will go back. They left their apartments, their businesses, everything. And once it’s reconstructed, there will be opportunities.”
She added: “People are waiting to see what happens, but they know it’s going to be unstable for awhile. We’re all hoping something good will come out of this.”
