RSS Feed MenuThe Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) published a report which criticizes Venezuela’s constant encroachment of civil and political rights, most notably against its Jewish community.
The report noted that the government controlled media “contributed to creating an atmosphere of intimidation and violence against the Jewish community in Venezuela…The commission views these violent acts with concern, aware that they could also affect the right of freedom of worship in Venezuela…”
FrumForum interviewed Rabbi Marvin Hier, the Founder and Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance (MOT). MOT is an international Jewish human rights organization that confronts anti-Semitism, hate, and terrorism, and defends the safety of Jews worldwide.
Chavez has made it very difficult for Jews by blaming America and Israel for all the evils of the world. Rabbi Hier noted that “He talks about Israel as the epitome of evil. Chavez hates America, hates Israel, and hates Zionism.”
How does Chavez make it difficult for Venezuelan Jews? Hier commented that they are reluctant to complain, especially in the media, because of the governmental pressure and the hostile environment. They are afraid to make public statements since everything said is monitored. He further stated that “If you are a Zionist, you are certainly a persona non grata. Jews there cannot live openly as Jews and Zionists. Otherwise they will feel the wrath of the government, since the official line is that Zionism is poison. The best thing for them to do is leave but then they would have to leave their assets behind.”
The bottom line that everyone has to understand is that the Venezuelan Jews are under governmental pressure, they cannot fully express themselves as Jews, and they can only practice their religion if they remain neutral about Israel.
blowtorch_bob // Mar 8, 2010 at 11:48 pm
The Jews in Venezuela should count their lucky starts they are not Palestinians living in Gaza.
kevin47 // Mar 9, 2010 at 1:41 am
“The Jews in Venezuela should count their lucky starts they are not Palestinians living in Gaza.”
This point seems relevant. I will make no effort to ignore it’s internal logic, and simply repeat it in comment sections going forward.
jabbermule // Mar 9, 2010 at 9:06 am
blowtorch_bob: “The Jews in Venezuela should count their lucky starts (sic) they are not Palestinians living in Gaza.”
You should thank your lucky stars you’re not a Jew living in Israel.
You should also thank your lucky stars you live in a country that isn’t the size of New Jersey, surrounded by 400 million hostile neighbors devoted to your destruction.
Bob, you are one ignorant fool, and you should really consider keeping your mouth shut on this matter.
amarranazo // Mar 9, 2010 at 9:52 am
I guess I can’t help thinking of the wonderful work by Professor Kevin Macdonald of Cal State Long Beach http://www.kevinmacdonald.net He lays out the only credible, scientific explanation for why anti-Semitism arises everywhere Jews live in sufficient numbers.
blowtorch_bob // Mar 9, 2010 at 2:00 pm
jabbermule
“You should also thank your lucky stars you live in a country that isn’t the size of New Jersey, surrounded by 400 million hostile neighbors devoted to your destruction.”
Why do you assume they are all devoted to “your” destruction?
Continuing, on the same theme I think you should count yourself lucky to have such tolerent neighbors because -let’s face it- Israel has been rude the way it seizes territory in Palestine, bulldozes people out of their homes and the only excuse offered up is that “we are God’s chosen people” and “we can do what we want.”
I can assure if you tried that kind of conduct in let’s say the state of New Jersey, drove people out of their homes…well, let’s not get into that.
Carney // Mar 9, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Venezuela also works hand in glove with Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has attacked US and allied forces in Iraq and has attacked Americans in Lebanon several times.
jabbermule // Mar 9, 2010 at 2:29 pm
blowtorch_bob:
Ok, let’s try again. Imagine, for a moment, that the United States was the size of New Jersey, and the rest of North America was filled with countries that were avowed hostile enemies to the United States. On the record as saying such, over a six-decade period.
Now try to imagine again, that the people of the NJ-sized United States had their numbers reduced from 17 million in 1933 to 11 million by 1945. And these people had been persecuted throughout 3,000 years of history: punished for their beliefs, driven out, exiled, massacred, forced conversions, pogroms, inquisitions, etc. No matter where they went, their host empire, country, or nation-state eventually turned on them, culminating in the systematic massacre of six million of their people from 1933-1945.
Now they have a place of their own, that they can call home, where they can rest without the fear of their host nation turning on them at any moment and begin the massacres anew.
blowtorch_bob // Mar 9, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Well, they should at least count their lucky stars they have such tolerant neighbors, especially the way they have been acting with regards to seizing Palestinian lands, driving them out with bulldozers…and you expect the Palestinians to stroll of into the sunset, whistling dixie as if nothing happened at all.
Every time I try to bring this up you go off in a huff and start rambling off about 3000 years of persecution and the holocaust…yes, we get all that…
Let’s put it another way…Suppose the Mormons get it in their head to move to Israel as their new promised land except Israelis are already living there. No problem, we’ll just drive them out (with bulldozers, if necessary) and if they resist, well, we’ll just call them terrorists, they hate mormons, they are racists, they want to kill women and children…etc, while we just want to live and peace.
Carney // Mar 9, 2010 at 4:20 pm
The difference in your Mormon invasion scenario, blowtorch_bob, is that the Israelis are not also living in and dominating the entire Middle East from Morocco to Oman and from Syria to the Sudan in an area the size of North America.
SpartacusIsNotDead // Mar 9, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Carney wrote: “The difference in your Mormon invasion scenario, blowtorch_bob, is that the Israelis are not also living in and dominating the entire Middle East from Morocco to Oman and from Syria to the Sudan in an area the size of North America.”
You’re kidding, right? Please explain why the Palestinians should be willing to accept being kicked off their land since there are other Arabs and/or Muslims living in countries surrounding their land.
I don’t mean to sound offensive here, but absent some clarification from you, you sound really stupid.
jreb // Mar 9, 2010 at 11:17 pm
So can I assume that Palestinian terrorists who have used suicide bombings to murder innocent Israeli civilians and Palestinian terrorists who have rained unguided missiles on innocent Israeli civilians from Gaza have now been granted “victimhood” status by “blowtorch_bob” and “SpartacusIsNotDead” and as “amarranazo” has shown antisemitism is alive and well in the US.
SpartacusIsNotDead // Mar 10, 2010 at 1:05 am
jreb ALLEGEDLY wrote: “and “SpartacusIsNotDead” and as “amarranazo” has shown antisemitism is alive and well in the US.
I have to question whether you actually can write because it’s abundantly clear that you cannot read. Could you please ask your caretaker what is antisemitic about the statement I wrote @ #10?
SpartacusIsNotDead // Mar 10, 2010 at 2:10 am
P.S. Are you questioning whether or not people who have had their land taken from them by force are victims? I didn’t know that victim status was dictated by one’s response to the harm that made him a victim in the first place. Maybe your caretaker can explain that as well.
kevin47 // Mar 10, 2010 at 2:59 am
“Suppose the Mormons get it in their head to move to Israel as their new promised land except Israelis are already living there.”
This is your understanding of 20th century Jewish migration to Israel? That Jews got it “in their head” to move there? If so, you don’t understand enough about this issue to have a valid opinion.
amarranazo // Mar 10, 2010 at 4:18 am
I guess I have a hard time being worked up about the Palestinians’ plight, per se. For me, the real issue is the organized Jewish community’s power and influence in America over areas like foreign policy in the Middle East, immigration policy and other areas where Jewish interests conflict with those of America’s founding stock of Western Europeans.
jreb: that’s not “anti-Semitism” that’s awareness. “Anti-Semite” is an epithet, nothing more.
Independent // Mar 10, 2010 at 9:21 am
I’m always amazed at how American liberal jews can find so much scorn for a despot and anti-liberal left-wing socialist like Chavez only when he finally makes the error of appearing to target jews for some vague excuse like Chavez is encroaching on their civil and political rights. Commentary, ADL, Jewish Chronicle and now FF are hardly fair, impartial observers here.
The jewish communities in many large Venezulan cities (Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia and Maracay) were the first at the Chavez ramparts screaming foul on America, the CIA, the military, our allies and our treaties. They grandly endorsed his march to socialism as much as American jews supported Obama’s march to socialism.
A couple of years ago, Chavez begged local jewish leaders for the opportunity to come to local synagogues and explain the distortions lodged against him –the jewish leaders, religious leaders no less, rebuffed him and told him No.
In 2002, independent sources claim that the Israeli Mossad tried to topple Chavez’s govt with a well-planned coup. Some of those inside the coup were also jewish leaders.
Chavez may be paranoid. But all those crazies out to get him have made him paranoid.