Jewish organizations, in addition to those directly entering Venezuela, are contributing human resources and designating funds to assist the Latin American nation in the wake of two earthquakes that have brought death and destruction in the past week. Nearly 1,800 people have died as a result of a pair of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes that struck on June 24.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), together with the Jewish community of Venezuela, is responding with food, water, medicine and temporary shelter, with plans for an emergency response team to help on the ground.
“We are deeply saddened by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela and the growing loss of life and destruction they have caused,” said JDC CEO Ariel Zwang.
“In these critical hours and days, we are working hand in hand with the Venezuelan Jewish community and our local partners to deliver urgent relief to those affected and to reach the most vulnerable, who are always hardest-hit by disasters,” she continued. “As needs continue to evolve, we stand ready to expand our response and are committed to supporting communities as they begin the long and difficult process of recovery and rebuilding.”
JDC’s decades-long work with the Venezuelan Jewish community includes a wide-ranging and sophisticated social-service and humanitarian-aid operation supporting its most vulnerable members. Nearly all of Venezuela’s approximately 3,000 Jews live in Caracas. JDC began immediately coordinating with the community after the earthquakes, including the Hebraica JCC in Caracas and the headquarters of Union Israelita de Caracas, longtime partners that are already serving as emergency shelters for more than 400 people evacuated from their homes.
Such work is supported by its disaster-relief fund and special appeals of the Jewish Federations of North America, as well as tens of thousands of individual donors to JDC. The organization’s relief activities are coordinated with local and international partners.
The Orthodox Union is also sharing a GoFundMe link for the Venezuelan Jewish community on their channels.
“The scale of the tragedy in Venezuela is difficult to comprehend,” said Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph, executive vice president and chief operating officer at the OU. “Tens of thousands remain missing, each one a beloved family member, friend or neighbor, while countless others have been displaced and are desperately searching for those they love.”
As rescuers race against the clock to pull survivors from the rubble, he said that “we pray for the swift discovery of the missing, full recovery of the injured and dignity for those lost. We stand with the Jewish community in Venezuela as they mourn the loss of their loved ones and with the Venezuelan people as they begin the long journey towards recovery and rebuilding.”
On its various channels, the Orthodox Union is sharing a GoFundMe link for the Venezuelan Jewish community.
Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) is preparing to provide immediate emergency assistance worth hundreds of thousands of shekels to support the country’s Jewish community and the hundreds of families who have been forced to evacuate their homes.
In response to the unfolding emergency, KKL-JNF chairman Eyal Ostrinsky held urgent consultations with Roberto Mishkin, president of the Jewish Communities of Venezuela, and Raquel Bitchatchi, CEO of KKL-JNF Venezuela. They briefed him on the condition of the Jewish community following the quakes and outlined the immediate humanitarian needs of the evacuees who have been sheltered at the community school and community center.
Following these discussions, Ostrinsky instructed KKL-JNF’s professional teams to prepare an immediate emergency assistance package for KKL-JNF Venezuela to help support the community’s ongoing relief efforts and provide critical aid where it is needed most.
To that end, its board of directors approved a total aid of $100,000 to Venezuela, focused on the need for a prolonged stay in shelters.
Some $50,000 will be intended for immediate emergency needs: food, mattresses, hygiene supplies, medical equipment, clothing and other necessities. Another $50,000 will go to educational needs, respite activities, and therapy.
This comes despite a current lack of official diplomatic relations between Israel and Venezuela.
Eyal Ostrinsky, chairman of KKL-JNF, stated that the agency “is committed to Jewish communities across the Diaspora, which are an inseparable part of our family, both in times of routine and in times of crisis.”
