Resilience and Resettlement:

Examining the Past and the Fate of Venezuelan Jews

Thursday, September 7

USA 12:00 pm PT / 3:00 pm ET

UK 8:00 pm / France 09:00 pm / Israel 10:00 pm

The talk will last approximately 90 minutes

About this talk

The Jewish community of Venezuela first became established in the 19th century, when Sephardic Jews from the Dutch colony of Curaçao began to migrate to the Venezuelan city of Coro, where they established the oldest Jewish cemetery in South America. After this community disappeared, the 20th century saw Jews from North Africa and Eastern Europe find refuge and opportunities in a land that became exceptionally welcoming to them.

According to the Latin American Jewish Congress, Venezuela's Jewish community had an estimated 22,000 people when Hugo Chávez took office in 1999. Since then, the emigration of Venezuelan Jews accelerated exponentially. This talk aims to shed light on the complex journey of the shrinking Jewish community in Venezuela,

By understanding their story, we can gain deeper insights into the challenges faced by the Jews in Venezuela in a socio-political upheaval. We'll explore the broader themes of identity, migration, and cultural preservation, highlighting their struggles, resilience, and hopes for the future.

About Henry

Henry Grunberg was born in Venezuela, to Eastern European parents who escaped the Holocaust. He is a former professor of TV production at the Andrés Bello University in Caracas, Venezuela (1996-1998). In 2000 he directed the movie It Was Worth It, a documentary on the Jewish Ashkenazy community in Venezuela.

After having a successful production company in Venezuela for 20 years. Henry emigrated to the USA in 2003, where he founded "Best Shot Productions" in Hollywood, Florida.

Henry is an award-winning artist in photography and videography, a two-time winner of the South Florida Robert W. Becker Award for Photographer of the Year (2015-2017), and the former President of the Professional Photographers Guild of South Florida and Broward county cultural advisor for the city of Hollywood, Fl.

Choose your contribution amount

With your contribution, you will also be donating to Friends of Yajad Venezuela which incorporates all Social Welfare Institutions part of the Venezuelan Jewish Community.

Select below your type of admission. You will be asked to pay with a credit card.