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Miami Herald Shills Drag Out the Old Anti-Semitism Canard Against
Venezuela
Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
[Oh, GAWD, give it a rest, guys. They've dragged this one out repeatedly
against Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. It's particularly effective in
Miami, with its large Jewish retiree population, and in New York, where
we get treated to local TV features on rabbis traveling to Havana on
major Jewish holidays. Fact is, the Israelis themselves have extensive
investments in Cuba, and Venezuela, and there's no rampant
anti-Semitism in either country, nor in Nicaragua. -NY Transfer]
Venezuela Information Office (VIO)
http://www.rethinkvenezuela.com
excerpted from VIO Venezuela Daily News Roundup - Jan 10, 2008
[Of concern today is a Miami Herald editorial that egregiously
alleges that rampant anti-semetic attacks are occurring in Venezuela at
the behest of the government. The Herald basis its claims on an
intellectual magazine published by the Ministry of Culture that
according to them, raises the "question whether to 'expel [the Jews]
from the country'." In actuality, the article is an analytical piece
within the monthly publication (previous edition pictured here) that
looks at the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict. In doing so it
lays out the various political positions of all sides, influence of the
international media in the conflict, and the interests they serve. It
certainly has nothing to do with the Jewish community in Venezuela and
does not contemplate whether Jews should be expelled from the
country.-VIO]
The Miami Herald - Jan 10, 2008
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/373558.html
OUR OPINION: MESSAGE TO MR. CHAVEZ: ANTI-SEMITISM NOT ACCEPTABLE
Stop the Attacks on Jews in Venezuela
For years, as a steady stream of Venezuelan Jews moved to South
Florida, the disturbing stories quietly rumbled throughout the greater
community. The first came in 2004 with the start of anti-Semitic
attacks in the government media. Within months, a raid on the Jewish
community school in Caracas intensified the alarm.
Over time, especially as the government has strengthened ties with Iran
and other anti-Israel countries, a pattern has developed. The
government deploys anti-Semitic attacks as a tool for political gain.
Government raids
Sammy Eppel, a prominent Venezuelan journalist, raised evidence of that
pattern in a talk to the Aventura Chabad on Tuesday. Brought here by
the Anti-Defamation League, Mr. Eppel noted two raids by government
intelligence agents on the Hebraica complex, the country's most
important Jewish center.
The first was the 2004 armed raid on the school, just as mothers were
arriving with children; it occured in the run-up to the vote that
failed to recall President Hugo Ch!vez from power. The second raid came
just before last month's constitutional referendum to greatly expand
Mr. Ch!vez's power, which also failed. In neither case were weapons or
other incriminating materials found. Nor has the government explained
or apologized for the incidents.
Anti-Semitism in the official media is equally troubling. Mr. Eppel
singled out a culture ministry publication that runs articles on ''the
Jewish Question.'' Examples in government-friendly newspapers question
whether to ''expel [the Jews] from the country'' and raise conspiracy
theories by accusing Jews of involvement in the murder of a prosecutor.
Mr. Ch!vez's chummy relationship with Iranian President and Holocaust
denier Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also is worrisome. The concern, of course,
is that anti-Semitic attacks could escalate. So far, the Ch!vez
government has been fairly diverse in distributing abuses. It has taken
after the Catholic Church, trade unions, business groups, student
activists, democracy advocates and the media -- basically any critical
group or individual.
History unkind to Jews
Any human-rights abuse is contemptible -- whether against Jews or
others. Yet when Jews are targeted, history suggests that more
widespread suffering often follows. To their credit, the Venezuelan
Jewish community and its supporters, here and elsewhere, have been
working behind the scenes trying to stem the anti-Semitic tide. Some
Venezuelans fear that public exposure will only make matters worse.
Nonetheless, the Venezuelan government should hear a clear message: The
international community will not tolerate anti-Semitism in Venezuela or
elsewhere in the region.
*
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