Inclusivity

August 5, 2026

The Jewish Community of Venezuela

By Rabbi Shari Shamah

INTRODUCTION:

History of Jews in Venezuela

(Information gleaned from World Jewish Congress)

• The origins of Jews in Venezuela is relatively unknown. Most accounts believe that by the 16th or 17th centuries there were Conversos (Jews who were forced to choose Christianity under Spanish rule) living in Caracas and Maracaibo. There were no formal Jewish communities, but Jewish merchants were most likely among the first coming especially from Curacao.
• In the beginning of the 19th century, Venezuela fought against the Spanish colonizers in wars of independence. Several Jews fought in Simon Bolivar’s army. When independence was gained in 1811, relations with the Jews were good, and religious freedom was affirmed.
• Shortly after, Jewish immigration to Venezuela truly began. First with the Portuguese and Dutch Jews (believed to be around 1827) and then Moroccan Jews. Unfortunately, Jews were not completely accepted in the country and assimilation was a problem. Many Venezuelan Jews fared well, but by the late 1800’s Dutch Jews were all but gone. It is said that 247 Jews lived in Venezuela as citizens in 1891.
• The next wave of Jewish immigration to Venezuela came from North Africa and then Europe, both after World War 1 and World War 2. When the dictator Perez Jimenez fell in 1958 the Jewish population continued to grow.
• The first synagogue established in Venezuela was the El Conde Synagogue in 1939. It was demolished in 1954. By 1963 the Sephardic community in Caracas dedicated the largest synagogue, Tiferet Israel.
• Once immigration from Europe increased during the 1930’s, The Venezuelan government began strict immigration restrictions aimed at Jews. Despite these restrictions, two boats, Konigstein and Caribia were granted entry and asylum after they were rejected by other Caribbean Islands.
• In the 1960’s and 1970’s continued immigration came from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and even Israel. By the mid 1990’s there were estimates that 25,000 Jews lived in Venezuela.

Current Jewish life in Venezuela

• It is estimated that there are between 5,000 – 6,000 (though one article noted as many as 9,000) Jews living In Venezuela today. Most live in Caracas (capital) with other concentrations being in Maracaibo, Valencia, Merida and Puerto La Cruz.
• The community is organized under the Confederacion de Asociaciones Israelitas de Venezuela (CAIV) for both national and international organizations. They publish a
  weekly newsletter.
• The Jewish population in Venezuela is a mix of Sephardim and Ashkenazim and is generally traditional. There are 16 synagogues, all but one of which are Orthodox.
• Kosher food is available in Venezuela.
• There is a Jewish day school (Herzl-Bialik) that was established in 1947 and has students all the way up until high school. There are also supplementary Jewish religious classes. Caracas also has yeshivot. Hebraica, a social, cultural and sports club began in the 1970’s and serves as a Jewish hub.
• A few Jewish youth groups are run through the CAIV.
• There are several Jewish cemeteries in Caracas, including a historic one named the Coro Cemetery which is said to be the oldest Jewish cemetery in South America.
• Jewish life became more tenuous for the Jews of Venezuela after 1999 when Hugo Chavez became president. Under Chavez, the government began to align with other countries like Iran, and terrorist organizations like Hezbollah. In a page from the Jewish Virtual Library, it is said that Chavez even accused the Jewish community of Venezuela of collaborating with Israeli intelligence to bring about a counter revolution.
• Due to economic instability, violence, and harsh treatment under the Chavez government, the 25,000 Jewish community has decreased to between 5,000-6000 in
  the past 2 decades (between 60-70%). Though, it is important to note that of the Jews who remain, many are prominent in fields such as medicine, academics, commerce and industry.
• Nearly all the Jews of Venezuela who left settled in the United States, Israel, Mexico and Panama. In the United States, Miami is home to the largest concentration of Jews from Venezuela, especially in Aventura and North Miami Beach.
• It is noted that in a population study from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation in 2014, the fastest growing ethnic group in Miami is Hispanic Jews. Venezuela was the 4th largest home country for foreign-born Jews in the region.