February 5, 2026
It has been several weeks since U.S. authorities removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their compound in Caracas and flew them to New York to face charges related to drug trafficking.
While the debate around the short- and long-term implications for Venezuela, the Venezuelan Jewish community, and the Western Hemisphere remains ongoing, what is broadly agreed upon is the profoundly malign activity carried out by Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez. Over more than two decades their actions devastated Venezuela, decimated its once-thriving Jewish community, and undermined the well-being and security of the Americas as a whole.
Recognizing the intersection of Jewish life, democracy, and hemispheric security, American Jewish Committee’s Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs (AJC BILLA) has long understood the need for enduring strategic partnerships with Jewish communities, governments, and civil society. Over the institute’s 20-year history, we have grown these relationships that allow us to sound the alarm early and work in tandem against evolving threats not only to the roughly half a million Jews in Latin America, but to democratic societies writ large.
These threats include the Iranian regime’s dangerous regional outreach and surging antisemitism, both of which erode democratic norms. At the same time, moments of crisis also present opportunities to deepen historic alliances with the United States and Israel, grounded in shared values and increasingly aligned interests.
Venezuela is a timely and compelling case study demonstrating why American Jewish institutional leadership in the region is indispensable.
AJC’s Belfer Institute was among the first to raise alarms about the deepening Venezuela–Iran relationship when Hugo Chávez, beginning in 2005, turned his country into a gateway for Iranian presence and activity in the region. The regime in Tehran has since provided Venezuela with drones, military electronics, and asymmetric warfare technologies, while Iranian-linked clandestine networks—some with ties to Hezbollah—are alleged to be embedded in Venezuelan operations, overlapping with drug trafficking and money-laundering activities. With Venezuela’s support, Iran’s Spanish-language channel, HispanTV, continues to broadcast throughout the Spanish-speaking world, amplifying anti-Zionist and antisemitic propaganda.
This alliance was built on an already dangerous precedent. The Iranian regime, with Hezbollah’s operational support, was responsible for the 1992 and 1994 bombings of the Israeli Embassy and the AMIA Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires. More recently, a foiled plot to assassinate the Israeli ambassador to Mexico was traced back to Iran’s embassy in Caracas, further underscoring the regional security risks emanating from Venezuela.
AJC signed a partnership agreement in 2004 with CAIV (Confederation of Jewish Communities of Venezuela), the umbrella organization of Venezuelan Jewry, one of 18 such agreements AJC maintains with Jewish communities across Ibero-America. This relationship has enabled us to consistently monitor, expose, and speak out against threats facing Venezuela’s Jewish community. Over the years, AJC has urged Venezuelan authorities to protect Jewish citizens amid intimidation, hostile media campaigns, and incitement. We have also alerted U.S. and international policymakers to antisemitic messaging and threats circulating on social media and emanating from official government discourse especially after the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks against Israel.
Antisemitic rhetoric from Venezuelan leaders has contributed to the mass departure of Jews from the country. Both Chávez and Maduro repeatedly instrumentalized antisemitism, whether to signal anti-U.S. and anti-Zionist credentials or to deflect attention from deepening domestic crises. In 2017, AJC strongly condemned Maduro for invoking Nazi imagery to defend his regime against widespread protests. As a result of this hostile environment, Jewish institutions were forced to modify their operations, including limiting public expressions of support for Israel out of fear of government reprisals.
Rather than aligning with authoritarian and anti-democratic actors such as Iran, Cuba, and Russia, Venezuela must now be encouraged to rebuild partnerships with like-minded democracies—chief among them the United States and Israel—so that it can once again flourish.
At this defining moment, support for the country’s Jewish community, and those across Ibero-America, has never been more critical. Our ability to bring together senior leaders, policymakers, and Jewish voices ensures that threats do not go unnoticed and that advocacy translates into concrete action. From sounding the alarm on the Iranian regime’s expanding footprint in the Hemisphere to combating antisemitism that destabilizes communities and corrodes democratic values, we remain steadfast in our mission.
In times of crisis, influence and access matter. AJC will continue to leverage its influence and access to protect Jewish life, strengthen democratic institutions, and safeguard the region against forces seeking to undermine them.The stakes could not be higher—and our work could not be more urgent.
Dina Siegel Vann, a native of Mexico, is Founding Director of AJC's Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs (BILLA).
