{"id":504470,"date":"2026-01-09T20:01:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T20:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/504470\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T20:01:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T20:01:15","slug":"relieved-to-see-maduro-deposed-can-venezuelas-jewish-diaspora-imagine-returning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/504470\/","title":{"rendered":"Relieved to see Maduro deposed, can Venezuela\u2019s Jewish diaspora imagine returning?"},"content":{"rendered":"

JTA \u2014 It was the moment Samy Yecutieli had been anticipating for years, though he didn\u2019t expect it to happen quite like this.<\/p>\n

Born and raised in Caracas, the security expert and now real estate agent followed last week\u2019s dramatic news of Venezuelan strongman Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u2019s abduction by American forces and subsequent court appearance in New York from his home in the Tel Aviv suburb of Kfar Saba.<\/p>\n

Now, he is watching as US President Donald Trump vows an extended presence in the oil-rich South American nation, even as Trump has signaled support for Maduro\u2019s deputies, who are reportedly cracking down <\/a>on expressions of support for Maduro\u2019s ouster.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, it\u2019s the beginning of the end of the Ch\u00e1vez era \u2014 but the job has not been finished,\u201d Yecutieli told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Tuesday. \u201cThe ministers of defense and interior are still there. These people have to be eradicated from their jobs to start the process of rebuilding the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yecutieli, 60, moved to Israel eight years ago with his wife and three children. He\u2019s among an estimated 20,000 Venezuelan Jews who fled their oil-exporting country after Maduro\u2019s predecessor, Hugo Ch\u00e1vez, came to power in 1998 and began slowly bankrupting what was once Latin America\u2019s most prosperous economy while also adopting antisemitic rhetoric that has persisted since.<\/p>\n

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At one time, Venezuela was home to some 25,000 Jews. Today, no more than 4,000 remain \u2014 about the same number as those who moved to South Florida. A similar number moved to Israel, while the remainder \u2014 not knowing English or Hebrew \u2014 opted for Spanish-speaking countries, principally Colombia, Panama, Mexico and Spain.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tCaptured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face US federal charges in New York City, January 5, 2026 (REUTERS\/Eduardo Munoz)<\/p>\n

They were among an estimated 8 million Venezuelans, nearly one-third of the population, who have emigrated, constituting the largest refugee exodus in modern history \u2014 even bigger than from war-torn Syria. More than 200,000 ended up in Florida alone; so many \u201cvenezolanos\u201d reside in Weston, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, that the city is often nicknamed \u201cWestonzuela.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sammy Eppel, 78, lives in Aventura, an upper-class enclave of condominiums and townhouses along the Intracoastal Waterway north of Miami.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaduro was the head of an international criminal organization that not only did bad things to Jews, but to all Venezuelans,\u201d said Eppel, who hasn\u2019t seen his Caracas home in over 10 years. \u201cThis regime tried very hard to turn the Venezuelans into antisemites. It\u2019s a failed state and they needed somebody to blame, and Jews were an easy target. But they didn\u2019t succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Venezuela \u2014 where Jews have lived for at least 200 years \u2014 was among the world\u2019s first countries to recognize Israel\u2019s independence in May 1948. Bilateral ties were excellent until Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s populist government came to power.<\/p>\n

Soon, Venezuelan Jews joined others in the country in growing sharply concerned about a crackdown on civil liberties, the worsening economy and Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s praise for despotic leaders such as Saddam Hussein. But they did not feel targeted until several years into Ch\u00e1vez\u2019s reign.<\/p>\n

Then, in a fiery 2006 speech, Ch\u00e1vez condemned Israel for invading Lebanon, calling it \u201ca new Holocaust\u201d against Palestinians and Lebanese. Three years later, he unilaterally broke off ties with Israel and gave the Israeli ambassador 72 hours to leave the country.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIllustrative: Demonstrators burn an Israeli flag during a protest outside Israel\u2019s embassy in Caracas, January 8, 2009. (AP Photo\/Fernando Llano)<\/p>\n

As Chavez ratcheted up his rhetoric against Israel, calling it a genocidal state, the official media followed suit, calling for a boycott on local Jewish businesses unless they publicly denounced Israel. Antisemitic graffiti began appearing around Caracas. A synagogue was heavily damaged when a dozen assailants broke in, overpowering security guards and desecrating holy objects. A bomb was thrown into a local Jewish community center. Even a local production of \u201cFiddler on the Roof\u201d was affected when the orchestra chairman backed out, citing the political circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are being taught to hate. Venezuela has never seen anything like this before,\u201d Pynchas Brener, the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Caracas, told JTA at the time. He moved to Miami two years later.<\/p>\n

Brener was part of a broad exodus. Following Chavez\u2019s anti-Israel turn, Venezuela\u2019s Jews, who already had one foot out the door, left in droves.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Jewish school was built for 5,000 students, and today maybe it has 400,\u201d said Eppel, who ran a retail business as well as a call center in Caracas. \u201cIt sounds like wishful thinking to go back to old times, but I\u2019m not sure that would ever happen because the Venezuelan people have changed after 27 years of tyranny and hardship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tSammy Eppel, 78, is a Venezuelan Jew living in Aventura, Florida. (Larry Luxner\/ JTA)<\/p>\n

The few Jews remaining in Venezuela are reluctant to speak publicly about the situation, especially given recent government threats to expropriate Jewish properties in Caracas \u2014 not to mention the country\u2019s strong relationships with Iran and Hezbollah.<\/p>\n

Yecutieli makes no bones about his hatred for Maduro, who he says stole three elections in a row and \u201cwas an illegitimate president from all points of view.\u201d Like most Venezuelan Jews, he sees Maduro as a thug who jailed thousands of political prisoners and trashed a once-booming economy.<\/p>\n

Among other things, Yecutieli is a member of the Security Forum of the Tel Aviv-based Israel-Latin America Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n

As for what happens now, he said, \u201cthere\u2019ll be many business opportunities in Venezuela, and older people like me can go back and be part of the reconstruction. But my girls have nothing there. Two of them are in the Israeli army, and they\u2019re building their lives here. If I took them back to Venezuela, what would their future be?\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tThe Caracas headquarters of B\u2019nai B\u2019rith Venezuela. (Larry Luxner\/ JTA)<\/p>\n

Yecutieli said he\u2019s personally in touch with the leader of Venezuela\u2019s opposition, Maria Corina Machado, who last year won the Nobel Peace Prize and is currently in an undisclosed location.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe likes Israel very much and understands the importance of Israel and has promised to re-establish diplomatic relations and put Venezuela\u2019s embassy in Jerusalem,\u201d he said, adding that he understands Trump\u2019s strategy of bypassing Machado and working instead with Venezuela\u2019s acting president, Delcy Rodr\u00edguez \u2014 despite her incendiary, antisemitic rhetoric that this week included alleging<\/a> that \u201cZionists\u201d had helped the Americans abduct Maduro.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very smart decision,\u201d Yecutieli said. \u201cIf you take them all out, there would be a vacuum, and that would create chaos. Rodr\u00edguez will stay there, but she\u2019ll have to follow Washington\u2019s rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberto Avram, 42, moved to Israel in 2006 from Venezuela with his wife and three children. He\u2019s currently on assignment in Latin America on behalf of Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all very excited with the news,\u201d said Avram, speaking to JTA by phone from Peru. \u201cVenezuela is not in a good place, and we all agree that we need to work very hard to have the Venezuela we had in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA supporter of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro carries his portrait during a rally outside the National Assembly in Caracas on January 5, 2026. (Juan BARRETO \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

A systems engineer by profession, Avram expressed the desire to someday return to Caracas and show his kids the place he grew up. But for now, he\u2019s happy living in Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all wanted to see Machado take power, but I do have faith in the process,\u201d he said. \u201c[US Secretary of State Marco] Rubio and Trump are doing the right thing. It will take some time, but if we got to this point already, we can wait a little longer for the right moment to see a peaceful transition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leo Corry agrees. A prominent mathematician, Corry immigrated to Israel in 1977 \u2014 at the height of Venezuela\u2019s glory days and decades before anybody had ever heard of Ch\u00e1vez or Maduro.<\/p>\n

Corry, 70, today lives in Ramat Gan and is president of the Open University of Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a horrible regime that has turned Venezuela from one of the most beautiful countries in Latin America to something that is unbearable,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s commanded by a gang of criminals and is infiltrated by Russians, Iranians, Chinese and Cubans. People have suffered tremendously, so they\u2019re happy that the person at the top of this pyramid is not there anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the other hand, US \u201cdisrespect for Venezuela\u2019s sovereignty\u201d could be a problem, said the Chilean-born scholar, who was brought to Caracas at the age of 2 and grew up in the socialist Hashomer Hatzair movement. He speculated that \u201cTrump doesn\u2019t want to rock the boat too much but will be happy having a servile government\u201d led by Rodr\u00edguez.<\/p>\n

Despite Venezuela\u2019s longstanding friendship with Israel prior to the Ch\u00e1vez era, Corry says he\u2019s highly skeptical that large numbers of Jews \u2014 or anyone, for that matter \u2014 will rush back.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA man holds up national flags from Venezuela and Iran, during a government-organized march amid Israel\u2019s war with Iran, in Caracas, Venezuela, June 19, 2025. (AP\/Jesus Vargas)<\/p>\n

\u201cEight million people have left Venezuela. There\u2019s no other example in world history like this,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the beginning, it was the elite, then the middle class, and finally everyone. Families have been completely destroyed \u2014 so it\u2019s too early to start speaking about the idea of returning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anabella Jaroslavsky, 63, moved to Israel in 2020, joining her daughter who had done so nine years before that. Her mother and two sisters still live in Venezuela.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter 26 years, we want a change in our country,\u201d said Jaroslavsky, a consultant with the World Zionist Organization who resides in Tel Aviv. \u201cI\u2019ve made my life here in Israel, but other Jews will go back. They left their apartments, their businesses, everything. And once it\u2019s reconstructed, there will be opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cPeople are waiting to see what happens, but they know it\u2019s going to be unstable for a while. We\u2019re all hoping something good will come out of this.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JTA \u2014 It was the moment Samy Yecutieli had been anticipating for years, though he didn\u2019t expect it…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":504471,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[99,50],"class_list":{"0":"post-504470","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-israel","9":"tag-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115866926519118238","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/504471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}