Venezuelan Jewish Community Reacts to Police Raid Posted: December 4, 2007

The following is a statement issued by the Confederaction Asociaciones Israelitas de Venezuela (CAIV), the institution which represents the Jewish community in Venezuela, in the aftermath of a December 2 police raid on a community center in Caracas. The raid was also condemned by ADL.

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The CAIV, the institution which represents the Jewish community in Venezuela, informs that on December 2 the Club Hebraica which also houses our community school was raided.

Police officials came at 12:40 am, with a search warrant issued by a Court and the Prosecutor of the Public Ministry both from the Metropolitan Area of Caracas. The raid was conducted without the presence of the Prosecutor of the Public Ministry.

After an exhaustive search of different areas of our institution, the officials left acknowledging that no irregularities were found.

The Jewish community in Venezuela, with more than 200 years of national presence, contributes and cooperates in a peaceful, democratic and enthusiastic way towards the development of the country, and its actions are carried out within the law.

We denounce this new and unjustifiable act against the Venezuelan Jewish community, at the same time we express our rejection and profound indignation of this act.

In light of this, we demand from the competent authorities an exhaustive investigation of what happened which undoubtedly aims to create unnecessary tensions between the community of Venezuelan Jews and the National Government.

In accordance with our principles, we reiterate the call for peace, fraternity and harmony between all Venezuelans without any distinctions.