Venezuela’s foreign and international trade minister, Félix Plasencia González, met this week with Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen, the country’s chief rabbi, at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Caracas. During the meeting, Cohen delivered a letter to President Delcy Rodríguez raising the need to renew diplomatic relations between Venezuela and Israel.
The foreign minister said on social media that the request was intended to address the needs of Venezuela’s Jewish community. He added that Venezuela has historically welcomed a significant Jewish community, which has contributed and continues to contribute to the country’s well-being and development.
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Venezuela’s foreign minister with the country’s chief rabbi
(Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade)
Plasencia González also reiterated to Cohen the gratitude of the Venezuelan people and government for the assistance Israel provided following the June 24 earthquake, which killed about 5,000 people.
Following the earthquake, an Israeli humanitarian aid delegation arrived in Venezuela and focused on assessing collapsed buildings, identifying structural damage and developing urgent emergency plans to help manage the crisis.
The minister said the dialogue strengthens ties based on respect, cooperation and mutual recognition between the two peoples.
Israeli delegation team assessing buildings in Venezuela
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
About 4,000 Jews live in Venezuela, most of them in Caracas. At its peak, the community numbered about 30,000. Since Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999, many have left the country and the Jewish population has steadily declined, reaching an all-time low of no more than 4,000.