The Insecurity forces the Jews to flee Venezuela

"La Inseguridad", the term Venezuelans use to refer to the unrelenting crime wave that has destroyed the country's "economically and ideologically polarized society". Venezuelan Jews have lost faith in the police and judicial system and cite random violence as their biggest fear. Last year Foreign Policy magazine branded Venezuela as the murder capital of the World,citing the homicide rate at 130 per 100,000 residents. In addition to murder, kidnappings for ransom have become a big problem for wealthier residents. Jews are particularly at risk due to the perception that they can get larger amounts of ransom for a kidnapped Jew than a gentile. As someone who's whole family lives in Venezuela, I can say that the kidnappings within the Jewish community have risen significantly in recent years. The criminals know that when they kidnap a Jew, the ransom not only comes from the family but also from within the community. So with each kidnapping they are hindering and damaging the community economical status. These tactics are seen as another way to force the Jews out of Venezuela.
Jews are realizing that this is not a safe place for them, especially after the attack on Tiferes Israel earlier this year. Throughout his decade in power, Chavez has referred to the United States as imperialist and belligerent. He has built friendships with the presidents of Iran and Libya in order to fight against the "hegemony" he believes exists in the United States.Many citizens already feel helpless dealing with one of the highest murder rates in the world, and Chavez's constant anti-Semitic rhetoric only makes the situation worse and stresses the need to leave before it deteriorates even more.

Link to Original Article:http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1128787.html