CNN reports from Venezuela
Armed men forced their way into a Caracas synagogue, defacing its administrative offices with anti-Semitic graffiti and vandalizing an interior room where the Torah is kept, officials said.
Vandals smashed items in an interior room where the Torah is kept, officials said.
About 15 men forced their way into the Mariperez Synagogue in Venezuela’s capital about 10 p.m. Friday, staying until about 3 a.m., police said. They tied up a security guard at the synagogue before vandalizing the rooms.
Graffiti left at the scene included the phrases “Damn the Jews,” “Jews out of here” and “Israel assassins.” The men also left behind a picture of a devil, authorities said.
There will be no soul searching. There will be no boycotts. There will be no riots.
Gene adds: Remember Chavez’s warning to Venezuela’s Jews during the Israeli military operation in Gaza?
Chavez… condemned the Israelis carrying out the military campaign as “murderers” and urged Jews in Venezuela to take a stand against the Israeli government.
“Now I hope that the Venezuelan Jewish community speaks out against this barbarism. Do it. Don’t you strongly reject all acts of persecution?” Chavez said.
A pro-Chavez website, Aporrea.org (“Popular communication for building 21st century socialism”), recently published the following “plan of action”:
– publicly denouncing by name, the members of powerful Jewish groups in Venezuela, names of their companies and businesses in order to boycott them
– avoiding products, stores, supermarkets, restaurants, and where Kosher food is sold which either belongs or has links with ‘Zionist Jews’
– questioning the existence of Jewish educational institutions
– shouting pro-Palestine and anti-Israel slogans at Jews on the street
– inviting anti-Zionist Jews living in Venezuela to publicly express their disassociation from ‘Zionist war crimes’ and the imposition of artificial State of Israel on Palestine
– nationalization of companies, confiscation of properties of those Jews who support the Zionist atrocities of the Nazi-State of Israel, and donate this property to the Palestinian victims of today’s Holocaust
– sending all type of aid to Palestinians including weapons
– hacking pro-Zionist websites including governments or institutions that have relations with Israel
– organizing an international conference about the creation of the theocratic – Nazi state of Israel as a genocidal European colony, and about the myths and facts of the alleged Jewish Holocaust or Holohoax (a blackmailing industry)
– support the dissolution of the artificial State of Israel
I don’t know exactly what the relation of Aporrea.org is to the Venezuelan government or Chavez. But based on recent history, neither is likely to reject or denounce this hateful “plan.”
Haaretz reports:
The president of the Jewish community in Venezuela on Monday accused Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of promoting anti-Semitism and giving the phenomenon legitimacy.
Speaking at the World Jewish Congress conference in Jerusalem on Monday, Abraham Levy Ben Shimol said “you probably hear of many anti-Semitic incidents, but where we live, the anti-Semitism is sanctioned; it comes from the president, through the government, and into the media. Since the government is very involved in the day-to-day lives of its constituents, its influence is much more effective.”
This is more than simply “Anti-Zionism Gone Wild.”
Gene adds again: Chavez has got around to condemning the “action” on the synagogue, but made the highly dubious suggestion that it was the work of his political opposition.
