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Why Venezuela’s Jews are optimistic about their country’s future — even as the government promotes anti-Israel conspiracies

JL;DR SUMMARY The Jewish community in Venezuela, once a thriving population of 25,000, now numbers between 3,000 and 5,000, mainly due to political and economic instability. 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

DemocracyJewish CommunityZionismHezbollahPolitical InstabilityVenezuelaMaduroChavez

Places mentioned

Venezuela
"In Venezuela, where the citizenry has largely been supportive of Jews but the government has embraced anti-Zionist rhetoric, the shrinking Jewish community is watching closely as the country enters a period of political uncertainty."
Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile
"Venezuelans living in Chile celebrate in Santiago, after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro."
Miami, Florida, United States
"Many emigrated in the early 2000s, fleeing not because of antisemitism, but due to political and economic turmoil, according to Rabbi Pynchas Brener, the former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Caracas, who lives in Miami."
Israel
"The Venezuelan government is against the State of Israel."
Washington DC, United States
"Hannah Feuer joined the Forward as a general assignment reporter in May 2025 after two years as a culture reporter at Seven Days, an independent weekly in Burlington, Vermont. Originally from the Washington, D.C., area, she is a 2023 graduate of Northwestern Universitys Medill School of Journalism."
Burlington, Vermont, United States
"Hannah Feuer joined the Forward as a general assignment reporter in May 2025 after two years as a culture reporter at Seven Days, an independent weekly in Burlington, Vermont."
New York City, New York, United States
"Originally from New York City, she is a graduate of the dual bachelors program between Columbia University and Tel Aviv University, where she studied Middle Eastern studies and political science."

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Cairo Item ID 72117
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Retrieved 2026-01-07 05:31:11 UTC
Curated 2026-01-07 08:31:48 UTC