3 members of Venezuela’s Jewish community confirmed dead from earthquake, Jewish leader says

Three members of Venezuela’s Jewish community have been confirmed dead as a result of earthquakes that have devastated the country, a communal leader tells The Times of Israel.

Of the approximately 5,000 Jews living in the country, three are now reported dead, and another four are still missing, says Roberto Mishkin, president of the Union Israelita de Caracas, the country’s largest Ashkenazi Jewish congregation. The third death was confirmed earlier today.

At least 15 Jewish families have seen their homes completely destroyed, along with another 30-35 families whose apartments have been rendered unlivable, Mishkin says.

At least 1,450 people overall are confirmed dead in the country, and more than 68,000 are still missing in Venezuela’s state of La Guaira and the capital city of Caracas, after twin earthquakes rocked the country last week.

The first night after the earthquakes, 300 people sheltered at the community’s Jewish Community Center (JCC) and another 200 at Mishkin’s synagogue, he says. Now, about 100 people are still sleeping at the JCC.

Jewish communal service organizations, centrally organized for decades in the tight-knit community, are providing three meals a day for many residents, and residents are working around the clock to help, Mishkin says. Donations to the community can be made here.