One could be forgiven for buying into the illusion of Hugo Chávez's Venezuelan socialist utopia, especially those living comfortably abroad in open and free democracies. After all, this is government praised effusively by the well-meaning vanguard of the Left (and I do believe that they are for the most part well meaning) such as Sean Penn and Danny Glover, combined with the successful marketing of the Chavista cocktail of fervent anti-Americanism combined with the illusion of social inclusion. However the truth on the ground is much more complicated, to put it extremely lightly.
A man walks past a grafitti depicting a Palestinian boy and a slogan
meaning "Long life to the Palestinian people's resistance" in a low
income suburb of Caracas on January 15, 2009. Venezuela broke
diplomatic ties with Israel over its deadly military offensive in the
Gaza Strip. (Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
What has hit the news of course is the Venezuelan government's poor relations with Israel, which dates back to well before the current offensive in Gaza. On Jan. 6, the Israeli ambassador was expelled, while Israel responded with the expulsion of the Venezuela Ambassador earlier this week. For many in the Middle East, Hugo Chávez is seen as a hero for his position on the conflict, and has even had a street named after him in Lebanon. But it's one thing to condemn the military actions of the Israeli army in Gaza, and an entirely different matter to use the state apparatus to sponsor the violent persecution against an entirely innocent sector of the population.
Today's news of the attack against this synagogue in Caracas is a tragic reminder of just how far things have gone in Venezuela, and is a trend that can no longer be ignored. As columnist Andres Oppenheimer wrote on Thursday, "Chávez-backed regional media carry anti-Semitic -- and not just anti-Israel -- stories almost daily."
In preparing materials for the defense of my client Eligio Cedeño, last week I had the opportunity to travel to Caracas and meet with journalists, lawyers, and students as well as political prisoners, where I heard further first-hand testimony of the Venezuelan government's persecution and repression of selected groups (including far more than just the Jewish community). While I had previously heard of the anti-Israel posture of the Venezuelan regime, and was aware of the penetration by Islamic groups of organizations connected to the Chavistas, I had never understood the depth of virulent anti-semitism among the top leadership of the presidential administration.
During my meetings in Caracas, I had the pleasure of meeting the brave and exceptional studen leader Diego Scharifker, whose video statement regarding his experience with state-sponsored anti-Semitism you can see right here.
So the state illegally tapped Scharifker's phone in violation of his constitutional rights to privacy, aired it on national television, and "denounced" him as a Jew - seemingly inviting physical harm upon him. Not only an egregious human rights issue, but also indicative of a much broader trend. The fact that the government tapes people, in violation of Venezuelan law, just to create grist for the propaganda machine is just an outrageous predicate to the gross anti-Semitic insults lobbed against this individual by state controlled media.
I had hesitated to make this video interview with this young man public, until I realized that he really has no privacy left to protect, as his image had been broadcast nationally in a most disparaging way. So if you will, consider this in part of a victim impact statement. Scharifker is a proud Venezuelan, whose courage and optimism for a future beyond Hugo Chávez is deeply symbolic of the wider struggle of the political opposition, and especially that of the Jewish community.
There is a striking contrast between the treatment of Jews in Venezuela and even than of Iran, where arguably they enjoy a greater level of security. The Iranian leadership, as odious, autocratic, and repressive as it may be, at least has taken a very careful approach to separate judiasm from Zionism when it comes to their local community. But such a distinction has absolutely not been the case in Venezuela.
We need to be especially troubled given the highly increased of velocity of radicalization that appears to be occurring in Venezuela. As the price of oil is reduced, Chávez needs to appeal to a more radical segment of his followers to maintain and consolidate his rule during a time weakened ability to gather patronage. People need to understand that one of the key roles of the missions funded out of the state is to pay for a large cadre of committed chavistas, and semi-official armed militias (such as La Pedreita). In the absence of money, the appeal must be to a more radicalized polarization with all the attendant dangers that this brings. Lastly, given that Caracas is virtually lawless when it comes to violent crime, the fact that "private" groups have taken up arms to defend the revolutions poses an exceptionally alarming threat to the security of Jewish citizens.
I fear that they won't be the last ones to be targeted by this regime.
Today's news of the attack against this synagogue in Caracas is a tragic reminder of just how far things have gone in Venezuela, and is a trend that can no longer be ignored. As columnist Andres Oppenheimer wrote on Thursday, "Chávez-backed regional media carry anti-Semitic -- and not just anti-Israel -- stories almost daily."
In preparing materials for the defense of my client Eligio Cedeño, last week I had the opportunity to travel to Caracas and meet with journalists, lawyers, and students as well as political prisoners, where I heard further first-hand testimony of the Venezuelan government's persecution and repression of selected groups (including far more than just the Jewish community). While I had previously heard of the anti-Israel posture of the Venezuelan regime, and was aware of the penetration by Islamic groups of organizations connected to the Chavistas, I had never understood the depth of virulent anti-semitism among the top leadership of the presidential administration.
During my meetings in Caracas, I had the pleasure of meeting the brave and exceptional studen leader Diego Scharifker, whose video statement regarding his experience with state-sponsored anti-Semitism you can see right here.
So the state illegally tapped Scharifker's phone in violation of his constitutional rights to privacy, aired it on national television, and "denounced" him as a Jew - seemingly inviting physical harm upon him. Not only an egregious human rights issue, but also indicative of a much broader trend. The fact that the government tapes people, in violation of Venezuelan law, just to create grist for the propaganda machine is just an outrageous predicate to the gross anti-Semitic insults lobbed against this individual by state controlled media.
I had hesitated to make this video interview with this young man public, until I realized that he really has no privacy left to protect, as his image had been broadcast nationally in a most disparaging way. So if you will, consider this in part of a victim impact statement. Scharifker is a proud Venezuelan, whose courage and optimism for a future beyond Hugo Chávez is deeply symbolic of the wider struggle of the political opposition, and especially that of the Jewish community.
There is a striking contrast between the treatment of Jews in Venezuela and even than of Iran, where arguably they enjoy a greater level of security. The Iranian leadership, as odious, autocratic, and repressive as it may be, at least has taken a very careful approach to separate judiasm from Zionism when it comes to their local community. But such a distinction has absolutely not been the case in Venezuela.
We need to be especially troubled given the highly increased of velocity of radicalization that appears to be occurring in Venezuela. As the price of oil is reduced, Chávez needs to appeal to a more radical segment of his followers to maintain and consolidate his rule during a time weakened ability to gather patronage. People need to understand that one of the key roles of the missions funded out of the state is to pay for a large cadre of committed chavistas, and semi-official armed militias (such as La Pedreita). In the absence of money, the appeal must be to a more radicalized polarization with all the attendant dangers that this brings. Lastly, given that Caracas is virtually lawless when it comes to violent crime, the fact that "private" groups have taken up arms to defend the revolutions poses an exceptionally alarming threat to the security of Jewish citizens.
I fear that they won't be the last ones to be targeted by this regime.
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