How Venezuela’s tiny Jewish community became a refuge after the earthquake

Three members of Venezuela’s Jewish community were killed, and at least 15 Jewish families lost their homes after the devastating earthquakes that struck the country last month.

Yet even as it faced its own heartbreak, the community became a refuge for others.

Within hours of the disaster, the Hebraica Jewish Community Centre in Caracas opened its doors to Jewish and non-Jewish residents who had fled damaged buildings or were too frightened to return home as aftershocks continued.

Around 300 people sought shelter at the centre on the first night, while a further 200 stayed at a nearby synagogue. Volunteers provided beds, meals and a safe place to stay as rescue teams searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings.

Now, as the focus turns from emergency relief to recovery, UK charity World Jewish Relief (WJR) says humanitarian needs remain immense and is helping Jewish families repair damaged homes while continuing to support communities across the wider disaster zone.

James Silverman, WJR’s head of humanitarian programmes, recently travelled to Caracas to assess the charity’s response on the ground.

Speaking during a World Jewish Relief webinar, he said the generosity shown by Venezuela’s Jewish community had left a lasting impression.

“I haven’t felt so proud to be Jewish since I’ve been here,” he said.

“It is amazing what the Jewish community can do all over the world. The way the community came together was so moving.”

Silverman said the Hebraica complex was originally built to serve what was once a Jewish population of around 40,000 people. Today, after years of emigration, Venezuela’s Jewish community numbers around 3,000 to 4,000 people.

Despite its size, he said, the community responded immediately.

“When the earthquake hit, that facility threw open its doors to Jewish and non-Jewish people to give them a place to be during the height of the fear and the crisis,” he said.

“The people had been there for each other, sleeping there for multiple days and nights. That sense of community has pulled many people through.”

Silverman said the destruction he witnessed was far greater than he had expected.

He described San Bernardino, a neighbourhood home to many Jewish residents, as being lined with apartment buildings scarred by huge structural cracks, collapsed balconies and homes that could no longer be lived in. Closer to the epicentre, entire residential towers had collapsed, leaving thousands homeless.

“I would definitely say it was much larger than I had anticipated and much more severe than I had anticipated,” he said.

Among those he met was a Jewish mother caring for her mother, who has dementia, and two children, one of whom has autism. Although her apartment building remained standing, much of its interior had collapsed, leaving her unable to afford repairs while continuing to meet medical and educational costs.

“It was quite moving,” Silverman said. “She was on the verge of tears telling me the story, but she still found the strength to smile and get up and go to work.”

World Jewish Relief said it provided emergency funding within 72 hours of the earthquake, enabling the Jewish Community Centre to purchase beds and food for families sheltering there.

Working alongside humanitarian organisation Cadena, the charity has also helped provide clean drinking water, water filtration systems, hygiene kits, solar lamps and psychosocial support for children, reaching more than 4,000 people across affected communities.

The charity says it is now expanding its response to include repairing damaged homes within the Jewish community while continuing to support vulnerable neighbourhoods that have received little international assistance.

Stacey Swimer, WJR’s director of international programmes and partnerships, said: “We are doing all that we can with the money that we raise to have an impact and to reach those areas that others are not reaching. The scale of need is enormous, and we are so grateful for all of the support, and the more that we can raise, the more that we can do.”

World Jewish Relief has launched a £500,000 emergency appeal to support its response, saying humanitarian needs are expected to remain high for many months as families move from emergency relief into recovery.

To support World Jewish Relief’s Venezuela earthquake appeal, click here.