Venezuela

Sephardic Jews of Venezuela

Essentially, there were two waves of Sephardic settlement in Venezuela. In the early modern period there appears to have been some settlement of Portuguese/Western Sephardim, especially from Dutch Caribbean islands. In the 20th Century there was migration from the countries of the former Ottoman Empire and Morocco.

Brian Hamm’s Sephardic World talk, The peculiar case of Luis Méndez Chávez and the Cartagena Inquisition

Migration from Curaçao to Tucacas

Tucacas is a town on the northern coast of Venezuela, facing the Dutch island of Curaçao. In 1693 a large group of Jews originally from Leghorn left Curaçao for Tucacas. The colonists were self-sustaining, built a fortress and synagogue. They bought cocoa beans from the interior of Venezuela, and from mule trains arriving from Colombia and Ecuador . As well as getting better prices from the Jews, the Spanish colonists were also able to buy textiles and other European goods from them. Early attempts by the Spanish colonial government to dislodge the Jewish colony was foiled with the help of Dutch naval units and the local Venezuelan population. Eventually, though, a Spanish force captured the town in 1720, and colonists escaped to Curaçao. Interestingly, the Jewish history has been forgotten or expunged from the town’s communal memory.

See Mordechai Arbell’s article, Rediscovering Tucacas.

2oth Century Sephardic immigration to Venezuela

In the early 20th century, there was Sephardic immigration to Venezuela from Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans. These Sephardic immigrants came to Venezuela seeking economic opportunities and political stability (!). Many of them established successful businesses and became leaders in the Venezuelan Jewish community. Over recent years, much of the community has emigrated elsewhere.

The origins of these Sephardim are reported to have been:

  • Syrian Jews – Syrian Jews have been an important part of the Jewish community in Venezuela since the early 20th century. Many of them came to Venezuela from Aleppo, Syria, and settled in Caracas and other cities.
  • Turkish Jews – Turkish Jews have also been a significant part of the Sephardic Jewish community in Venezuela. They came to Venezuela from Istanbul and other parts of Turkey.
  • Moroccan Jews – Moroccan Jews have been present in Venezuela since the early 20th century. Many of them came to Venezuela from Tangier, Tetouan, and other parts of Morocco.
  • Iraqi Jews – Iraqi Jews have been a small but important part of the Jewish community in Venezuela. They came to Venezuela from Baghdad and other parts of Iraq.
  • Lebanese Jews – Lebanese Jews have also been present in Venezuela for many decades. They came to Venezuela from Beirut and other parts of Lebanon.
  • Other nationalities – There are also Jews of other nationalities in Venezuela, including Jews from Egypt, Greece, and other countries.

Sephardic Jewish Genealogy in Venezuela

There is a Venezuelan Jewish genealogical society – Asociación de Genealogía Judía de Venezuela – but they don’t yet have a website.

For Jewish cemeteries in Venezuela, see Cementerios AIV.

A number of Jewish newspapers are reported to have been published in Venezuela including:

  • La Voz Israelita (The Israelite Voice) – published in Caracas, this newspaper was founded in 1924 and was one of the most widely read Jewish newspapers in Venezuela during the first half of the 20th century.
  • El Diario Israelita (The Israelite Daily) – published in Caracas, this newspaper was founded in 1932 and covered news and events of interest to the Jewish community in Venezuela and around the world.
  • La Verdad (The Truth) – published in Caracas, this newspaper was founded in 1924 and served the Sephardic Jewish community in Venezuela.
  • El Anunciador Israelita (The Israelite Announcer) – published in Maracaibo, this newspaper was founded in 1919 and was one of the oldest Jewish newspapers in Venezuela.
  • La Luz (The Light) – published in Puerto Cabello, this newspaper was founded in 1929 and was primarily read by the Jewish community in that city.

Sephardic Studies Centre of Caracas

Sephardic Museum

La Confederación de Asociaciones Israelitas de Venezuela (CAIV)

Civil Records in Venezuela

Vital records in Venezuela, including birth, marriage, and death records, were introduced in 1873. These records are reported to be maintained by the Civil Registry Office (Registro Civil) of the National Electoral Council (Consejo Nacional Electoral) of Venezuela. SAREN – is responsible for registries and notaries.

Finding historic naturalization records may be challenging as there may not have been a single register, while documents have been lost or destroyed. Good places to ask are the Civil Registry Office (Registro Civil) of the National Electoral Council (Consejo Nacional Electoral) of Venezuela.

The earliest census of Venezuela was in 1756. See FamilySearch for more details.

The national archives: Archivo General de la Nación de Venezuela

Please consider making a small donation

If you have found this page on the Sephardic Jews of Venezuela useful, please consider making a small donation to support this site and my work. Do you need a professional genealogist to work on your Sephardic genealogy? Click here.