"Dear President Chavez:

We write to express our profound concern about the recent attack on a synagogue in Caracas and to condemn in the strongest possible terms this brazen assault on the Jewish community of Venezuela.

We believe that the attack, which occurred last Friday night during the Jewish Sabbath, is a direct result of the dangerous environment of fear and intimidation against the Jewish community which your government has fostered. A series of statements and actions by you and your government have led us to this conclusion. We recall your anti-Semitic declaration of December 24, 2005 referring to the Jews as “the descendants of the same ones that crucified Christ. . .” and as “a minority [which] has taken possession of all the wealth of the world.” We take note of your slander of August 25, 2006 saying, “the Israelis criticize Hitler but have done something worse.”

More recently, your government’s January 6 expulsion of the ambassador of Israel and close relationship with the government of Iran which calls for the destruction of the state of Israel have only amplified the alarming climate your government has cultivated. On that same day, you singled out the Venezuelan Jewish community and pressured them to speak out against Israel, saying “Don’t Jews repudiate the Holocaust. And this is precisely what we’ve been witnessing.” Indeed, your statements calling the recent Israeli military action in Gaza a genocide and a Holocaust are so disconnected from reality, that we can only conclude that you are engaging in a calculated campaign of fear and intimidation designed to make the Jewish community so uncomfortable in their homes and in their country that they will leave Venezuela.

We, regrettably, note that your policies have already had their predicted effect. We have been informed that one third or more of the Jewish community of Venezuela, once 25,000 people strong, have already left for safer shores. We fear that given the recent attacks on the synagogue, more will depart.

We are aware that you condemned Friday’s attack, but rather than seeking to protect your country’s small Jewish community, you sought only to cast blame, pointing an accusatory finger at unnamed oligarchies. Furthermore, while Foreign Minister Maduro also condemned the recent attack on the synagogue, we must point out the irony that his statement was made to the group of Venezuelan diplomats who were leaving Israel after you expelled the Israeli Ambassador. And, we question why the Foreign Minister, who speaks to foreign nations, issued the condemnation, not a leading domestic official who speaks directly to the people of Venezuela.

This one-time condemnation is simply not enough. We urge you in the strongest possible terms to end the bullying and harassment of the Jewish community of your country, to extend the community the robust protection it deserves in light of the threats it faces, and to tone down your harsh rhetoric against the state of Israel to a level appropriate for diplomatic dialogue.

Sincerely,

U.S. Congress Representative Eliot L. Engel,
--Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
US Congress Representative Connie Mack
--Ranking Member
US Congress Representatives Gary Ackerman, Shelley Berkley, Dan Burton, Gerry Connolly, Joe Crowley, Gene Green, Bob Inglis, Ron Klein, Donald Manzullo, Michael McMahon, Michael McCaul, Dana Rohrabacher, David Scott, & Robert Wexler.