Letter to Venezuelan President Chavez Describing Climate of Fear and Intimidation against the Jewish Community Is cosigned by 16 Members of Congress

Washington, D.C.--Rep. Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, today wrote to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez condemning the attack on a synagogue in Caracas, Venezuela. The letter, which was cosigned by Subcommittee Chairman Engel, Ranking Member Connie Mack, and 14 other members, described the attack as the result of a climate of fear and intimidation inspired by the Venezuelan government.

“The time has come to speak out strongly and clearly against the climate of fear and intimidation against the Venezuelan Jewish community which President Chavez has created,” Chairman Engel said.

In the last month, President Chavez expelled the Israeli Ambassador and expanded relations with Iran, which calls for the destruction of Israel. He has tried to bully the Venezuelan Jewish community into condemning Israel and is calling the recent Israeli action in Gaza a “Holocaust.”

“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,” the letter states.

“The total disrespect of a Jewish house of worship reflects the escalating climate of hostility towards Jews in Venezuela and Congressman Engel’s letter responds strongly and appropriately to the worsening situation. The American Jewish Committee stands with Congressman Engel in condemning the harassment of the Venezuelan Jewish community and looks forward to continuing to work with him to protect this community in the future,” said Tom Kahn, Chairman of the Latino and Latin American Institute of the American Jewish Committee.

The Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere held a hearing on Venezuela on July 17, 2008 at which Chairman Engel voiced concern about the situation of the Jewish community. On January 21, 2009, he wrote to all Presidents or Prime Ministers of countries in the Western Hemisphere to raise the issue of the harsh anti-Israel tone in Venezuela and other countries in the region.

The cosigners of the letter are Reps. Eliot L. Engel, Connie Mack, 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, Rob Wexler.