Venezuela’s Jews rally after quake shatters community

Late in the evening on 24 June, as Venezuelan Jews gathered with family, returned from synagogue, or settled in at home, the ground beneath them began to shake. Within a minute, two powerful earthquakes struck, leaving hundreds dead, thousands injured, and an already struggling Jewish community facing one of its greatest challenges in decades. 

As rescue teams continue searching for survivors, the Jewish community has transformed synagogues and communal institutions into emergency shelters, mobilised volunteers, and launched an international appeal to help families who have lost everything. 

The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes, the strongest in Venezuela in more than 125 years, devastated parts of Caracas, La Guaira, and surrounding areas. Jewish leaders say at least nine members of the community are dead or missing, while dozens of Jewish families are displaced after their homes were destroyed or declared unsafe. 

“The community didn’t suffer major losses regarding lives, but we have a lot of people with no home, obviously no livelihood,” said Roberto Mishkin, a community leader. “We’re working hard to organise and raise funds to relocate people to decent places and recover the homes that can be recovered.” 

Venezuela was once home to one of Latin America’s largest Jewish communities, but years of political instability and economic hardship have reduced it to an estimated 5 000, most of whom live in Caracas. For many, the earthquake has added another chapter to years of hardship. 

A community leader who requested anonymity told the SA Jewish Report his family had only just arrived home when emergency alerts appeared on their phones. “Less than 20 seconds later, it was a full-scale major earthquake,” he said. 

The shaking lasted about 45 seconds, though it felt much longer. “Our whole life changed. It’s a whole different reality.” His home was damaged and his family has temporarily moved in with relatives while he focuses on assisting others. 

Mishkin says he heard a low rumble and thought his air-conditioning was faulty. “Then everything started slightly shaking. Then everything started really violently shaking.” He sheltered in a doorway before checking on his parents and heading directly to the community’s emergency response centres. 

The Jewish community had long maintained emergency protocols for disasters. Within hours, both its Jewish Community Centre (JCC) and communal headquarters had opened as shelters. 

Around 400 displaced people spent the first night at the two facilities. Volunteers distributed food, water, blankets, and mattresses while leaders established an emergency operations centre. Although many families have since found temporary accommodation with relatives or friends, about 100 people remain at the JCC, known locally as Hebraica. 

“We set up a communal kitchen so we can give breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the ones who need it,” Mishkin said. Community leaders estimate about 80 Jewish homes have been destroyed, badly damaged, or remain inaccessible while engineers inspect buildings. “The number of displaced is going to grow,” Mishkin said. “Every day more buildings are being evaluated.” 

Several elderly residents and families with medical needs have been moved to communal care facilities or hotels. Even buildings that escaped major structural damage require repairs. “My synagogue has broken walls,” Mishkin said. “Nothing major structurally, but everything needs fixing.” 

Dara*, a 28-year-old Venezuelan, was working remotely from her boyfriend’s apartment when the earthquake struck. “I was screaming, ‘Oh my G-d, we’re going to die’,” she said. “I was just thinking the building was going to come down.” 

After the shaking stopped, the pair grabbed their shoes and ran into the street with their neighbours. 

“We all know someone who lost a family member or a friend, or lost their home and can’t go back,” she said. “If one person is hurt, we’re all hurt.” 

The emotional toll extends beyond Venezuela’s borders. Jonathan Melul, who was born and raised in Venezuela and has lived in Israel for the past six years, learned about the disaster through his family’s WhatsApp group. “I couldn’t really work on Thursday,” he said. “I found it challenging to focus.” His family’s relief that they weren’t affected was tempered by uncertainty. “My grandmother’s carer is searching for her kids,” he said. “They are missing following the earthquake.” 

Kevin Hassan, a Venezuelan Jew who moved to South Africa last year, has spent the days since the earthquake in constant contact with relatives and friends. “My whole family, my mother, my father, and others, are still in Venezuela,” he said. 

“When it started, my family told me the ground shook for what felt like forever. Things were falling off the walls, everyone was running for doorways and stairwells in the dark.” He said aftershocks left many too frightened to return home. “People have been sleeping in the streets, in cars, in any open space, too scared of the next one to sleep under a roof.” 

Hassan said Los Chorros, one of Caracas’s main Jewish neighbourhoods, suffered extensive damage, with many buildings left unsafe. 

Despite the small size of Venezuela’s Jewish population, its response to the quake reflected its enduring strength, said Hassan. “Within hours there were dozens of WhatsApp groups going. People were checking on each other, organising help. Friends and family are coordinating food from the United States, Panama, and wherever the diaspora landed. Everybody is helping everybody.” 

That includes Israel, which has sent a 16-member team comprising specialists from the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command, the Foreign Ministry, Magen Disaster and Emergency Management, Ready for Rescue, and SmartAID to work alongside local search and rescue teams. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described the deployment as a humanitarian act, saying helping people in need “is not related to politics”. Venezuela broke diplomatic ties with Israel 17 years ago. 

Dara said volunteers from across Venezuela have worked side by side searching collapsed buildings, collecting donations, and supporting displaced families. “What has been so moving to me is seeing everyone in Venezuela helping one another,” she said. “Even though we don’t have much as a country, we have a lot as a community.” 

Despite widespread poverty, donation centres quickly filled. A GoFundMe campaign for rebuilding the Jewish community had raised $1 101 480 (R18 million) by the time of going to print. 

Mishkin warned that rebuilding would present an enormous financial challenge. “Most of the people who lost their homes are never going to be able to afford to fix them on their own,” he said. “The community has to step up and help.” 

“We’re asking the international Jewish community for help” he said, welcoming the assistance already arriving from Israel and elsewhere. 

Dara said recovery would be like building the country again. “It’s going to take months, even years. Keep us in your prayers. Keep us in your thoughts. Every bit of help is needed.” 

*Source has requested anonymity for security reasons.