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For fleeing Jews, Venezuela was a golden land. Now in exile, they watch their homeland’s unrest with trepidation.

JL;DR SUMMARY The once vibrant Jewish community of Venezuela, thriving during the 20th century as the country was seen as a 'goldene medine' (golden land), now faces a significant decline. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryDiasporaEmigrationVenezuelan JewsAlicia FreilichJews In VenezuelaHugo ChàvezMaduro RegimeMàximo Freilich

Places mentioned

Caracas, Vargas, Venezuela
"Alicia was born in Caracas in 1939, and for the past 57 years, she has been a columnist for El Nacional, the leading Venezuelan newspaper, which itself has become an exile."
Cuba
"After getting into trouble in Cuba for working as a socialist organizer, Maximo Freilich worked as an itinerant salesman in Venezuela."
Florida, United States
"she told me by phone from her home in Delray Beach, Florida."
Poland
"Mordechai, known as Mximo, had written articles for the Forward before hed left Poland two years earlier."
New York, United States
"the influential New York politician Baruch Charney Vladeck, persuaded the future governor of New York Herbert H. Lehman to intervene."

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Cairo Item ID 74419
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2026-02-03 05:30:58 UTC
Curated 2026-02-03 08:31:09 UTC