THE INTEGRATION OF ASHKENAZI AND SEPHARDI JEWS IN

Transcription

THE INTEGRATIONOF ASHKENAZI
AND SEPHARDI JEWSINVENEZUELA
THROUGH THE DECISION-MAKING
PROCESS INTHE EDUCATIONAL
SYSTEM
LilyBlank
The development of the Jewish community in Venezuela and the inte
gration ofAshkenazic and Sephardic Jewswas made possible by twofactors.
The first is the democratic environment that had been present in the country
since thearrival of thefirst Jewish settlers, which enabled the creation of the
institutions of the community. The second was the effortof theAshkenazi
kehilla to create a Jewish educational system that offered "a little bit of
everything" (Jewish history, tradition,Hebrew, Bible, and Yiddish) to every
Jewish child, Ashkenazi or Sephardi, regardless of the economic or religious
environment
in the home.
The article begins by discussing aspects of Venezuelan lifewhich help
to explain the integration of the Jewish community in the country. The
history of the community is reviewed as well as the behavior of the commu
nity and theVenezuelan government during theHolocaust and the creation
of the State of Israel. The various immigrations, Jewish institutions, and
decision-making
processes
are
discussed,
showing
how
educational
and
political issues and the structure of the Jewish community in the country
have been shaped by theVenezuelan environment, yet reflect the continuity
of Jewish history and culture. The Venezuelan Jewish community is seen to
be organized following the constitutional principles of the Jewish political
JewishPolitical Studies Review 5:3-4 (Fall 1993)
209
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210
LilyBlank
tradition. The article reviews published material about the Jewish commu
nity, discusses the theory and methodology used in the research, and
presents findings, conclusions, and a discussion of directions for future
research.
Introduction
is one of the few stable democratic
Venezuela
systems in the
The country is a centralized
federal re
southern hemisphere.
five
with
the
elected
every
years.
president
directly
public
Venezuela
does not promote
Although
immigration and has
no specific laws or regulations
to protect the ethnic, cultural and
in the national
their
religious minorities,
rights are safeguarded
there is little xenophobic
Generally,
feeling in the
as
to
Latin
other
Ameri
local population,
especially
compared
a
can countries.
Venezuelan
Catholics
have
tolerant attitude
towards religious minorities.
inVenezuela
consists of about 25,000
The Jewish population
Constitution.
between Ashkenazi
and Sephardi
Jews.
people
equally divided
from other coun
However,
recently there has been immigration
tries with a majority
of Sephardi
the
Jews. In religious practice,
Jews are similar to Conservative
Jews in the United States. The
Chabad
to attract members
movement's
of
sustained
attempts
to their synagogues
the community
have been quite successful,
as inmany other countries. The predominant
elements of Jewish
are
in
Venezuela
derived
from
and
nationalistic
identity
mainly
in
cultural aspects of Judaism. The most
institutions
important
the Jewish community
of Caracas ?
the Hebraica
recreational
are
center and the Jewish day schools ?
jointly owned by the
and
the
who
share
Ashkenazim,
Sephardim
equal responsibility
for them.
How
did the community
reach this integration? How does it
are the leaders? Part
the decision-making
process? Who
One reviews
in Venezuela
the history of the Jewish community
and describes
the structure of its Jewish institutions. Part Two
reviews
the literature on community
studies in Venezuela.
Part
share
Three explains
the theory and methodology
for this research.
Part Four collects
the findings, draws
and gives
conclusions,
for future research.
directions
The Integration
ofAshkenaziand SephardiJem inVenezuela 211
There are some important features to be taken into consider
in
ation when
any aspect of the Jewish community
studying
commu
of
the
the
institutional
Venezuela.
First,
Jewish
history
?
does not have
since 1926. The community
nity is very recent
are in
most
and
of
the
documents
archives
organized
important
In addition,
there is very little written material
private hands.
inVenezuela.
Profes
about the history of the Jewish community
sor Mario Nassi
is one of the few people who has documented
over sixteen years to com
community history, having devoted
letters, and interviews of some of
magazines,
piling documents,
informa
of the community. Most of the historical
the members
is
of
here
the
result
Nassi's
tion about the community
reported
research.
Part One:
A Brief History of the Jewish Commu
nity in Venezuela
in Venezuela
is very old. During
the
Jewish presence
Colombia
and
Venezuela
Simon
Bolivar
freed
1819-1821,
years
of Colombia
the government
from Spain. On May 6,1819,
(then
of
Venezuela
and
Ecua
the
territories
Colombia,
encompassing
Jews the right to settle and religious
dor) accorded
liberty and
In 1821,
to
citizens.
of
other
those
identical
political privileges
inVenezuela.
the Inquisition was officially abolished
Only after
in the various
this did Curacao
Jews begin to settle permanently
1973).
part of the new nation (Emmanuel,
Islands started to settle in
from
Caribbean
the
Jews
Sephardi
In 1828, a small group
in
Coro.
and
Barcelona
Venezuela,
mainly
of the Jews of Curacao
settled in the city of Coro. They had no
The
and all services were held in the private home of
synagogues
in
and businessmen
David Valencia.
They were all shopkeepers
their
than
native
those
search of better economic
opportunities
island
could
offer.
One of theoldest Jewishresidents ofCoro was JosephCuriel,
also find
advisor
the son of the rabbinical
Jacob Curiel. We
in 1792. In 1830 Hoheb
de Samuel Hoheb, born in Curacao
David
re
was
of Jews in Coro
of Coro. The number
elected mayor
time.
of
mained
rather small for a considerable
period
212
LilyBlank
Some of the Jews from this period worked togetherwith
cause of Venezuela.
in the independence
Bolivar
and helped
There was Benjamin Henriques,
born in Curacao
in 1784 and a
was
in
Bolivar's
Borowski
Another
Isidoro
army.
cavalry captain
a
came
from
to
Eastern
who
Venezuela
Jew
(1807-1837),
Europe
especially tomeet Bolivar and to fightfor independence. The
third was
Isaac de Sola
from St. Thomas
who
fought in the
de Carabobo
and also had many public positions. He also
Batalla
published a weekly newspaper, El Pair iota (1843-1844), in
Valencia
(Nassi,
1981).
This population
did not establish
institu
any community
as a whole,
tions. The community,
ties
its
close
with
Jewish
kept
inCuracao
and St. Thomas.
counterparts
they lived
Individually
a very restricted
in
services
held
Jewish life, with worship
private homes. There was no official hazzan (cantor), no Hebrew
teacher and no rabbi to officiate at marriages.
Therefore
lay men
took over those functions.
The Jewish children
born and raised during
this stage assimi
lated quickly into the local society due to the fact that the
and customs
language
they practiced were similar to the Ven
ones.
ezuelan
of
them
married
non-Jews.
Many
It seems clear that the confluence
of religious
the
isolation,
lack of rabbinical
authorities
and the high rate of intermarriage
the assimilation
hastened
and ultimately
the disappearance
of
this small Jewish community.
the
which
Today,
only signs
remain of the existence
are the names
of the communities
of
some commercial
still managed
the
descen
establishments,
by
dants of the Curacao
in Barcelona
and
Jews, and the cemeteries
in Venezuela.
Coro, a silent testimony of their presence
Many of
the names of the Jews from this stage, such as Curiel,
Capriles,
can be found among
Senior and Fonseca,
the Ven
Henriquez,
ezuelan
aristocracy.
In the last decade
of the nineteenth
Jews
century Moroccan
to
arrive
and
then
from
Poland
and
Romania
Jews
began
began
coming until the end ofWorld War I. These groups began the
contemporary stage of thehistory of the Jewish community in
Venezuela.
Each one brought its own characteristics,
Ashkenazi
and Sephardi,
to Venezuela.
the
work
of
They began
creating
institutional
first
Jewish life in synagogues,
welfare,
education,
separately
and
then jointly. Through
the years, most
of the Jews
The Integration
ofAshkenaziand SephardiJewsinVenezuela 213
to Caracas
and today this is the center of Venezuelan
Jewry.
The first Sephardi
settlers came fromMelilla,
Tetuan, Tangier,
Ceuta and other cities inMorocco.
It is difficult to discover
the
precise date of arrival of these Jews, but it is known that in 1875
inMadrid
to bestow Spanish
the government
gave authorization
on all the Moroccans
in Venezuela
who
resided
citizenship
1980).
(Carciente,
At the beginning of the 1900s, the news of the construction
of
the Panama
Canal
attracted many Moroccans.
But the weather
on to
and the failure of the project made many of them move
moved
Venezuela
and Colombia.
Jews came from Peru, Brazil,
Many
Trinidad
and San Salvador.
As with
the Sephardi
Colombia,
such as
Jews, Ashkenazi
Jews lived inmany cities in Venezuela,
of the first Ashkenazi
etc. Most of them
Ciudad,
Coro, Maracaibo,
Bolivar, Porlamar,
?
as "clappers"
to house, with a
worked
from
house
walking
suitcase in their hands, hardly speaking the language, "cloipping"
the doors
to sell "shmates."
Jews from this stage first became
as peddlers
established
sales credit guarantees.
Later
providing
in their homes
factories
from
on, some of them established
which
emerged
the textile
industry
in Venezuela
(Nassi,
1981).
Building a Community: The Sephardim
to
started to meet in private homes
Jews from Morocco
were provided
Mr.
Sabbath
services. Homes
Pariente
by
In 1894, Mr.
and Mr. Menajem
served as hazzan.
Coriat, who
the first Sefer Torah for the community
Jacobo Pariente acquired
on the occasion
of the Rosh Hashanah
festivities.
The
have
was
In February 22, 1907, the Sociedad
Sefardi de Beneficiencia
the beginning
of the Sephardi
It
kehillah.
founded, marking
had 178members out of the230 Jews in the country.The goal of
inVenezuela,
the society was to help the new Jewish immigrants
Jews all over the world and, when necessary,
non-Jews as well.
to Sociedad
Later the name was changed
Benefica
Israelita and
for some years itwas the only organization
that represented
the
in
Venezuela.
Jews
LilyBlank
214
of Directors
first Board
On March
13, 1907, the society's
tomeet and to
in order to have a place
to rent a house
a synagogue.
and
Elias
Messrs.
build
J.A. Levy,
J. Ettegui,
were assigned
to locate a suitable house
Mondolfi
Alejandro
decided
within theirbudget of Bs. 250. This project was a failure and it
more than 10 years later, that another group of
only in 1919,
In that
in organizing
the community.
tried and succeeded
people
was
which
established
Israelita de Venezuela
year the Sociedad
the Asociacion
became
(AIV).
eventually
Until 1930, the services were still held in private homes, both
services were
in Caracas
and in the cities close by. In Caracas,
in
the house of Isaac R.
Coriat and
held in the house of Menajem
In the port of La Guaira,
services were held in the
Benarroch.
In Los Teques,
services were held in
house of D. David Nahon.
of all these places on
home. The merging
Benchimors
Abraham
of founding a syna
took place "with the purpose
June 29,1930
Benefica
of the Sociedad
gogue in this city." In 1934, themembers
was
Israelita met
and
created
1980).
(Carciente,
In 1939, the synagogue
the Asociacion
Israelita
of El Conde
was
de Venezuela
finished.
Many
people helped in thebuilding of the synagogue, such as D. Elias
and Jose M. Benarroch.
Taurel,
Jose d. Bendayan
in
of the city,
the
urbanization
with
later,
1954,
years
Twenty
of an
due to construction
had to be demolished
the synagogue
were
same
there
The
many
year,
meetings
important highway.
to finding a new and appropriate
devoted
place to build the new
The synagogue was built during the 1960s and given
synagogue.
Tiferet Israel.
the name of Gran Sinagoga
the 1950s, many Jews from Morocco,
During
Syria and Egypt
own synagogues,
came to Venezuela.
of
built
their
them
Many
Benaim,
Leon
but all of thesemembers are affiliatedwith theGran Sinagoga
Tiferet
Israel, which
was
kehillah.
and
still
is the core of the Sephardi
Building a Community: The Ashkenazim
came to
Europe
the
necessities,
their first community
institution on
In the 1920s, Jews from Central and Eastern
to economic
Due
Venezuela.
and religious
Ashkenazi
Jews established
and SephardiJewsinVenezuela 215
The Integration
ofAshkenazi
Israelita Aschkenazit,
with the
November
the Sociedad
27,1931,
a center of mutual
1. To establish
assistance
stated purposes:
2. To collect money
in order to assist
among the co-religionists.
to hold
themembers
of the community and to found a synagogue
services
(Nassi,
1981).
religious
that time there was a dictatorial
regime inVenezuela,
During
Gomez.
The Jews who arrived at that time had
under General
some difficulties
in obtaining Venezuelan
Thus the
citizenship.
was
statutes
1931
of
established
that
"...it
forbidden
community
to discuss
issue of Venezuela"
(Nassi,
1981).
any political
in the early years, all the activities of
As with the Sephardim
were held in private homes until they started to
the Ashkenazim
in the city.
rent houses
that time the Centro
Israelita de Caracas
tried very
During
in
hard to attract all the Ashkenazim
that were
Caracas,
living
There were also intensive
relation
the Hungarians.
especially
In
in
1941 the
cities.
with
who
lived
other
December,
Jews
ships
was
in
Israelita
de
Maracaibo
founded
and
Sociedad
July, 1944
was established
de Maracay
(Nassi,
1980).
and Sephardi
the 1930s, Ashkenazi
during
Individually,
Israel, and in the
Jews worked
together on a monthly magazine,
the 1960s, the individual
Maccabi
sports organization.
During
initiative to work together in a sports organization
culminated
with the creation of the Hebraica
club.
the Centro
Israelita
At the end ofWorld War II, on August 12, 1946, theComite
was created. The members
of the Com
Israelita Pro Refugiados
were
in the political and
known
Venezuelan
mittee
personalities
arenas. They included
Sardi
cultural
Jose Nuceti
(President),
B.
Pizani
and Rafael
Andres
(Vice Presidents),
Eloy Blanco
Medina
of
Briceno
Belisario
(Treasurer),
(Secretary
Eugenio
Cesar Gustavo
Cordova
(Secretary of Regis
Correspondence),
Pedro Beroes,
Lara, Luz
Arraiiz,
Julio Morales
ter), Antonio
Luis Esteban
Machado
de Arnao,
Juan Liscano,
Rey, Miguel
Otero Silva, Carlos Augusto
Leon, Maria Luissa Escobar, Anto
Briceno
nio Lares, Mario
Gabaldon,
Iragorry (Vocals), Debora
Natty Bargraser
of Information).
Their public
Venezuela
Romulo
(Coordinators),
relations
and Moises
Sananes
(Director
work,
together with the sympathy of
of the State of Israel, led President
in the United Nations
the ambassadors
for the creation
Gallegos,
and
216
LilyBlank
and Carlos Eduardo
Pedro Zuluaga
Stolk, towork together with
President
Garcia
Granados
and Uruguayan
Guatemalan
Jorge
in favor of the
to
vote
President
of Uruguay
Enrique
Fabregat
Partition Plan of 1947.
in the his
achievement
Another
similar important political
was
in 1939
the
successful
tory of the community
negotiation
to allow
President
General
with Venezuelan
Lopez Contreras
two
the
and
the landing of
Caribia, with
ships, the Koeningstein
almost 200 Jewish refugees from Nazism.
the Centro
the war,
During
sought a
On February
15,
larger home due to the increasing membership.
a large
that included a synagogue,
1942, a new site was approved
a
and parties
and perhaps
social hall suitable
for meetings
for this project
swimming pool. The amount of money necessary
be raised through the issuance of shares for a value of Bs.
would
250 a piece.
In 1942, there was an attempt to create the Asociacion
Union
of only Polish Jews).
Hebreo-Polaca
de Venezuela
(an association
In 1943, due to discussion
about theway the
among themembers
was
a
there
within
the Sociedad
should
be
run,
community
split
and cre
Israelita Aschkenazit.
Some of the members
separated
Israel. Both institutions were
ated the Centro Social y Cultural
the 1940s.
the center of the Ashkenazi
community
during
in Caracas
and the
On May
14, 1945, the Jewish community
rest of the country publicly
All
commemorated
the Holocaust.
were closed that day and the German
the Jewish businesses
Jews
who
lived in the country went to the Centro
Israelita asking that
this institution transmit to the Venezuelan
authorities
that they
to be considered
did not want
Germans
anymore.
There are some examples
of united actions. On April 30,
Israelita de Caracas,
the Centro Social y Cul
1945, the Centro
Israelita de Maracaibo,
tural Israel, the Sociedad
the Sociedad
Israelita de San Cristobal,
and the Asociacion
Sionista de Ven
to participate
in the festivities which were being
ezuela decided
to celebrate
All
Berlin's
surrender.
the
planned
anticipated
an
to
would
offer
the
Statue
Jewish organizations
"ofrendafloral"
of the Liberator
Simon Bolivar
(Nassi,
1980).
In 1950, both Ashkenazi
centers reunited to found the Union
The
that were established
(UIC).
priorities
were welfare,
culture
and education.
The
services,
religious
The Integration
ofAshkenazi
of the Ashkenazi
of the synagogue
building
community was
in
1961.
completed
seen the establishment
to now, we have
of the two
Up
as
main
of
the
both
institutions
kehillot.
synagogues,
Despite
itwas very seldom
occasional
this period
cooperation,
during
to this development,
that they worked
the
together. Parallel
to
its
of
each
kehillah
for
children
education
promote
necessity
was
It is in this area that the effort of both kehillot
always present.
in the formation of a unified educational
culminated
ultimately
for
the general disunity,
the
Jewish community. Given
system
in education will be a major
the emergence
of cooperation
focus
of Part Four.
Structure of the Jewish Community inVenezuela
This section will focus on Caracas
rather than on the Jewish
in other Venezuelan's
communities
the latter are
cities, because
in three cities).
very small (no more than 5,000 people dispersed
The
of Caracas
has been substantially
Jewish community
but there is also a real
the
Venezuelan
environment,
shaped by
in
and
which plays a role in
culture
Jewish
continuity
history
have tradi
Jewish life. Jewish communities
on a
into
coherent
bodies
their
populations
tionally organized
com
basis (Elazar, 1974). The Venezuelan
constitutional
Jewish
is a very good example
of this.
munity
in the Jewish community
in
institutions
There are four major
Sionista de Venezuela
Caracas:
(FSV), a branch of
1) Federacion
the World
Zionist
Federation;
2) B'nai Brith; 3) Asociacion
kehillah;
(AIV), the center of the Sephardi
the center of the
and 4) Union
de Caracas
Israelita
(UIC),
to serve
Ashkenazi
kehillah. Each of these has many structures
shaping
organized
their different
purposes.
understand
of the Jewish
the decision-making
more specifically
in
the
and
Jewish school
community
to
the
values
and behav
it
is
system,
important
analyze
general
Some of
ior of the institutions of the Caracas
Jewish community.
cultural
and
them reflect the Venezuelan
surroundings
political
character
and some of them reflect the uniquely
Jewish political
To
better
inCaracas
istics held
in common
with
Jews in other places
and
times.
LilyBlank
218
is a democracy.
is in the hands of
Venezuela
Its government
a president
20 ministers.
and a cabinet of approximately
There
are 23 states in the country but they do not have decision-making
In this respect, they depend on the president
and the
autonomy.
ministers.
As noted above,
in the Venezuelan
there
Jewish community
are four important
institutions:
the UIC,
the AIV, the FSV, and
the B'nai Brith. These four institutions are loosely confederated
in the Confederacion
de Asociaciones
Israelitas
de Venezuela
(CAIV). The president of theCAIV is alternately a member from
the AIV
for one
term and a member
from the UIC
for the next.
The UIC and theAIV own theonly Jewishcommunity school,
Colegio Moral y Luces
one in San Bernardino,
"Herzl Bialik,"
and the other
which has three branches:
two in the Hebraica
center
(elementary and high school). (This will be discussed
inmore
detail in Part Four.) The UIC and the AIV are also the owners of
the recreational
the school
and
center, Hebraica.
Although
Hebraica
have their own boards of directors,
themajor decisions
are taken by the UIC
and the AIV.
of both
Representatives
to Hebraica's
kehillot belong
and the school's boards. Member
a
to become
ship in either one of the kehillot is a requirement
or to
a child in the school.
member
of Hebraica
register
Both the government
and the Jewish community
institutions
have a very centralized
their boards
avoid
sfystem. Typically,
conflict and seek consensus
which
is derived
from the Jewish
tradition, but is also very "Venezuelan"
(Woocher,
political
1982).
In Venezuela
there are two major political parties:
the Social
Democratic
Democratica
has just
(AD), which
party, Accion
won the elections,
and the Social Christian
In the
party, COPEI.
of the democratic
thirty years since the installation
system in
these two political
Venezuela,
parties have ruled the country.
Debates
between
them are only for election purposes.
There
is
the fear that any controversial
issue could jeopardize
the sys
tem.
In 1958, the years
of
ended with
a
d'etat.
coup
dictatorship
The threedemocratic parties? theAD, theCOPEI, and theURD
?
realized
to protect
that itwas
to create an agreement
in order
necessary
the democratic
another
dictatorial
system against
regime (either from the rightor the left).Thus they subscribed
The Integration
to the Pacto de Punto Fijo, inwhich
some
the parties recognized
common
interests. The main
issues were:
the commitment
for
to allow the others to be
be in government
any party that would
in the Parliament
and in the Executive
(to include
represented
some ministers
In order to avoid any
from the other parties).
that could
there was
the system,
also
opposition
jeopardize
of the important
recognition
role of the Church,
themilitary,
and
private enterprise in the stability of the democracy (Njaim,
1975).
no
Within
this political
context,
issue is allowed
to emerge as a matter of public controversy.
Perhaps the fear is that thismight threaten the unity of the
conflict, therefore, tends to be
community.
Open
community
limited to unimportant
the major decisions
have
issues, while
been
the
The
taken
elite.
already
by
ruling
community newspa
Israelita has a board of editors, whose members
per Nuevo Mundo
belong to theUIC and to theAIV, which is really a board of
times they reject articles submitted by indi
censorship.
Many
viduals because
toward a member or an
they are "disrespectful"
institution of the community.
Most aspects of the typology of the constitutional
principles
of the Jewishpolitical tradition (Woocher, 1982) are reflected in
the organizational
cussed below.
life of the Jewish community.
They
are dis
Federalism
as "emphasizing
the development
defined
of
Federalism,
on mutual
defined
based
contractually
partnerships
obliga
tions" (Elazar,
1980, p. 86), is found in almost every institution
is themajor one. It confederates
of the community. The CAIV
all
institutions of the community ?
the main
the UIC,
the AIV, the
FSV
and B'nai
Brith of Venezuela.
FSV also federates many
institutions having
the same
some
in
to
Thus
of its
Venezuela.
Israel
represent
goal
institutions are: WIZO,
Keren Hayesod,
Israel Cancer Associa
etc. The Board of Jewish
tion, B'nai Akiva, Hashomer
Hatzair,
The
?
Education is formed by the federation of the board of all the
branches
of the community
?
the high
school,
the elementary
220
LilyBlank
school of San
Chorros.
and
Bernardino,
the elementary
school
of Los
the
and the AIV have federated
themselves with
interest. Ex
of working
together in areas of mutual
to
from the government
include obtaining
amples
permission
for Passover
and the creation of the
import kosher products
Vaad Hakehillot
for educational
purposes.
Sitting on the Vaad
are the executive
and all the
of the UIC,
the AIV,
members
The UIC
purpose
former presidents
of both
institutions.
Aristocratic Republicanism
The Jewish community
Daniel
Elazar
has termed
in Venezuela
is governed
by what
and
of
doers"
givers
"trusteeship
most
within
(Woocher,
1982). Decision-making
organizations,
in the highest
and especially
levels of policy-making,
is the
a
of
This
elite
is
self
small
elite.
province
relatively
generally
to
selected on the basis of itsmembers'
willingness
participate
a
in communal
life. Usually
they are wealthy
people who have
to
time
work
for
the
Most
of
them are business
spare
community.
owners or successful
in
most
cases, they also
and,
professionals
are the major
to Jewish communal
causes
financial contributors
recreational
(the school, the Beit Avot, the Hebraica
center). The
in
is
that
this
elite
has
been
for
and it is
decades
power
problem
a
for
difficult
with
ideas
those
different
from
very
young person
to qualify or to become
as one of
of the establishment
accepted
the decision-makers.
Mutual
Responsibility
(Arevut)
This principle
of one's obligations
to
implies the acceptance
other Jews and the recognition
that our fate as individuals
and
as a
is tied up with that of other Jews (brit arevut). In
community
Venezuela
this is clearly expressed
through the Soviet
Jewry
movement.
B'nai Brith's Human
in
Rights office is very active
this respect. The members
and the AIV, when
UIC
mentioned
Soviet
of the other
institutions
such as
a bar/bat mitzvah,
performing
children who are not allowed
to celebrate
the
often
such
The Integration
and SephardiJem inVenezuela 221
ofAshkenazi
rites of passage.
this is not a very active way
Although
at
is recognized
least
the
by everybody.
participate,
principle
to
Jewish Survivalism
This principle is tied in with the purpose of the Jewish
as a
to ensure physical
and spiritual
continuity
ensure
this the community
has a positive
attitude
for syna
Jewish tradition. The community
provides
community
To
people.
toward
kosher food, and other ritual needs. The
cemeteries,
owner of the welfare
institutions such as
is
also
the
community
the Beit Avot, a community social service which provides health,
finan
and even kosher food to people without
clothes, housing
crisis
cial means.
the economic
This is very important because
gogues,
is also affecting many Jews.
that is affecting Venezuela
is Jewish
The most important matter today in the community
have
that
without
education
education.
realized
Jewish
People
has
the community
there is no Jewish continuity.
Recently,
created a fund for Jewisheducation (Keren Jinuj),which will be
discussed
education
later in detail. There is also an institution
for adults, the Instituto Superior de Estudios
of Jewish
Judaicos
(ISEJ). The ISEJhas the economic support of theUIC, theAIV,
B'nai
Brith,
the FSV, and
the CAIV.
In 1987, three of the institu
tions (UIC, AIV, FSC) increased theirsupport of the ISEJby 300
their support,
The CAIV and B'nai Brith also increased
to such an extent.
the State of Israel is
To ensure Jewish survival,
supporting
also very important. Jews inVenezuela
support Israel materially
and politically.
The community enforces this economic
support,
to
to Keren Hayesod
of any Jews who want
dues
requiring
commu
in
the
school.
the
their
child
Jewish
Politically,
register
The main institu
nity protests any attack on Israel in themedia.
percent.
but not
tions doing this are theCAIV and theDepartment of Human
Rights of B'nai Brith. Internally, criticism of Israel is not permit
of any
One cannot be a member
ted under any circumstances.
board within the institutionsof the communitywhile standing
in opposition
to Israel's
policies.
222
LilyBlank
Separation of Power
The
division
of power
to Elazar
according
and
Cohen's
conception of three ketarim (The JewishPolity, 1985), which
the organizational
encapsulates
system
in which
the Jewish
polity traditionallydistributed authority amongst and between
specific governmental
is present
instrumentalities,
in the Jewish
community in thisway: the ketermalkhutby theCAIV and the
FSV; theketerkehunahby the services offeredby the synagogues
of theUIC and theAIV; and theketertorah by the Jewish schools
and the ISEJ.
Part Two: Review of the Literature
There are few things written about the Jewish community
in
Venezuela.
Professor Mario Nassi, who dedicated
to
many years
research about the community, wrote a book about the
history of
the Ashkenazi
La
Comunidad
Ashkenazi de Caracas,
breve
kehillah,
historia institucional.There is also a book about thehistory of the
Sephardi kehillahby JacoboCarciente, Apuntes para laHistoria de
la Gran Sinagoga Tiferet Israel de Caracas.
there is a more
statistical
Finally
analysis
in
of the youth
sobre
la
Venezuela,
Juventud Judia de Venezuela,
Investiqacion
by
Bernardo Kliksberg.
The only other publications
about the Jew
ish community
in Venezuela
are articles
in the community
or
in
about
issues.
newspaper
magazines
particular
There some articles and books dedicated
to the Jews of Coro,
who were
the first settlers of the
both by Isidoro
community,
Aizemberg, The 1855 Expulsion of theCuracao JewsfromCoro and
Los intentosde Establecerun cementerioJudioen laCaracas del Siglo
XIX. There is also a book by Isaac Emmanuel about The Jews
of
Coro. All of these analyze
the situation
from a historical
view.
There
day
are
school,
two papers about the
development
one about Latin America
in general
point of
of the Jewish
the other
and
specifically about the day school in Venezuela. Both of these
papers served as useful beginning
research reported
in this study.
sources
of information
for the
The Integration
ofAshkenazi
"La Educacion
comunidades
Judia en medianas
y peguenas
a very good
is
Efraim
introduc
de America
Zadoff,
Latina,"
by
in Latin American
tion to the study of the Jewish day schools
the historical background, when the schools
countries. It provides
were created,
of the Jewish education,
the source
the programs
the composition
of the student body and a
support,
of
how
the
schools
recruit
and train the Jewish
description
studies teachers.
of fiscal
In an unpublished paper, "The JewishCommunity Educa
of Caracas
tional Network
Venezuela,"
Kemper
Cheryl
as
educational
the community's
scribes
system as well
about
of some parents,
teachers and students
attitudes
educational
de
the
the
system.
Part Three: Theory and Methodology
and Sephardi
This research
focused on how the Ashkenazi
to create
in Venezuela
the educational
joined
together
system for the Jewish community. This subject is important for
a number
The first is that the status of Jewish
of reasons.
Jews
education
today and how to improve it is crucial to the survival
in the diaspora.
Venezuela's
of Judaism
Jewish community,
one
in
bears
communities
Latin
of
the
America,
larger
being
world.
the
to
communities
similarities
Jewish
many
throughout
is central to every institution
In addition,
the issue of education
in Venezuela.
the study of
Finally,
a vehicle
the political
for
education
understanding
provides
the Caracas
Jewish community.
process within
To ensure continuity, any community has to take into consid
eration two important functions: defense and education.
Jews
for survival and indeed
have been aware of this dual imperative
in self-perpetuation
excelled
have traditionally
through educa
tion, at times even more than they have inmatters of defense. For
an elaborate
educa
over 2,000 years Jews not only developed
tional system, theydevoted theirbest talents to study, learning
and
teaching.
Professor Elazar
teaching
became
has
explained
primary missions
that studying,
learning and
for those Jewish cadres who
functionedwithin thedomain of ketermalkhut (the crown of civil
224
LilyBlank
rule), while
they often contested with the bearers of the keter
torah for power within
the community.
They saw it as their
in
to cultivate
to
its own right and
responsibility
learning
educational
efforts (Elazar,
1984, p.3). The
support the people's
of this symbiotic relationship was
to be found in the
apotheosis
in which
the wealthy
leaders of the community
way
sought to
to scholars who would
ornament
their daughters
their
marry
in turn, could then rely upon a steady source
families and who,
of income to pursue their studying, learning and teaching (Elazar,
1984, p. 3).
was
nature
The symbiotic
of this relationship
disrupted
when
the Jews were forced to give up their corporate
autonomy
to the demands
of the new nation-state,
and sought instead the
to
enter
as
modern
individuals.
to their
Resistance
right
society
on defense against anti
claim to equal rights led to an emphasis
one of whose
was
a denial
of
Semitism,
major
components
in an effort to minimize
Jewish difference
Jewish separatism.
to the
This led to a great ambivalence
toward Jewish education,
extent that emphasizing
was
a
and
studying,
learning
teaching
mark of Jewish separatism.
The concept of what constituted
Jewish education
changed.
Instead of being part of a life-time preoccupation
for every Jew
at least in principle,
education
became
of
strictly a matter
for the young, a means
of socialization
into the com
schooling
level so that young people would
grow up
munity at a minimal
in the synagogue
knowing enough about Judaism to participate
service and to know enough
to feel secure against anti-Semitic
charges.
In general, what happened
inmost of the Jewish communi
ties of the diaspora was a weakening
of the importance of Jewish
in the minds of the
education
of the Jewish commu
leadership
in
the
of Jewish
nities, and a structural
change
organization
which
fostered a sharp separation
between
those
education,
who undertook
the tasks of Jewish education
and the general
leadership of the Jewishpeople. The new demands for Jewish
first in the struggle for civil rights, then in the
fight
and finally in the effort to save the Jews
against anti-Semitism,
and the Jewish people
through the Zionist enterprise, demanded
a new kind of
skilled in the ways of the world,
at
leadership,
home in non-Jewish
to
outside
of
traditional
circles, willing
step
self-defense,
The Integration
Judaism in their own lives. Such leaders, with few exceptions,
were not drawn
as a
to Jewish study and regarded
learning
which
force
the
achievement
of
their
reactionary
prevented
defense goals. This situation was exacerbated
by the very fact
that the great migration of the Jewishpeople away from their
of settlement to new worlds,
including the new
new
on indi
in
built
demands
Israel, generated
society being
to assure their survival
in new places and made
it even
viduals
more difficult for them to devote
time to traditional
study and
even
if
to.
economic
wanted
Thus
necessities,
learning,
they
Old World
areas
combined with political aspirations, pushed Jewish education
of Jewish activity (Elazar,
1984).
away from the mainstream
for children
What was
left was a kind of Jewish education
the
did not command
which, with a few notable
exceptions,
serious attention of the community's
cosmopolitan
leadership.
their attention, it often did so as an effort
Where
itdid command
tomodernize
Jews or as a way to help Jews to adapt to their new
more
than to instill Jewishness.
country,
It
This is the reality all over the world
including Venezuela.
is important to note, however,
that in the last few years there has
a
leaders that education
been
among the community
recognition
is the key to survival of the Jewish community. The efforts being
in Part Four.
in this area will be discussed
made
to
to mention
is that, according
Another
aspect
important
Elazar, most of the voluntary
leadership of the highest caliber is
in Jewish education
not involved
(Elazar, 1984, p. 9). In Venezu
in educational
are involved
the
two
the
leaders
kehillot
of
ela,
owners
are
the
of
kehillot
the
Jewish school.
politics because both
are not
the decisions
The problem
is that the leaders who make
are
in
who
the
the
the issue, while
directly
experts
people
always
in
do not always have great power
related to Jewish education
of the kehillot.
the Board of Directors
The study of the educational
system is the key to understand
for two important reasons. First, the school
ing the community
90 percent of the
Around
is the socializer
of the community.
?
Jewish children go to the Jewish school
and wealthy.
Ashkenazim,
poor
occasionally
to the highly
The
second
Sephardim,
is that almost
all of
thepolicies jointlyadopted by both kehillotrelate toeducation or
sensitive
issue of defense.
226
LilyBlank
include
the status of Jewish education,
analysis will
as
as of education
as a means
in
of
well
Caracas,
especially
of
the
Ashkenazi
the
and
Thus,
groups.
integration
Sephardi
all the aspects of this integration,
goal here will be to analyze
are made,
how it began, who promoted
and to
it, how decisions
see if integration,
in this case, means
efficiency.
This
The lack of written material made
this research quite diffi
it is based on a compilation
cult. Therefore
of all the available
information about the history of the school, and on interviews
in the process of
with the key people who were and are involved
the founding of the school and thedevelopment of its ideology,
budget,
to check the archives of the
attempt was made
some important
and find the documents
describing
to verify the information
inter
obtained
through
etc. An
community
decisions,
views.
Part Four: Findings and Conclusions
Introduction: History of Jewish Education
inCaracas
The concern of every Jewish community
to offer Jewish
to its youth is ever present throughout
education
the history of
our people,
and this is also true in the Jewish community
of
Caracas.
in Caracas
Jewish education was established
Supplementary
at the beginning of the 1940s. In 1941, the Asociacion
Israelita de
Venezuela
hired the services of Rabbi Moises
Binia, who within
a short period of time took
the
of
services and
charge
religious
care
to
take
of
the
education
of
Jewish
(Nassi,
began
youngsters
1983).
to Samuel
Eskenazi:
"With the natural
According
asm of our 10-13 year olds, and while
still discussing
enthusi
the inci
dents of thegame finished just a while ago, we go to theupper
level
(of the Conde
Synagogue),
to a specially
prepared
room.
Classes begin with the teachingof theBarMitzvah ritual.After
thepractice of theHebrew reading, the learning of theSabbath
and other holiday
prayers
and, at the end, as a 'main dish,'
stories of theBible" (Nassi, 1983).
the
The Integration
ofAshkenazi
Like the Sephardi
the Ashkenazi
community,
community
teachers of Hebrew
and Judaism like
had, on some occasions,
Mr. Vainberg
After 1942, Chanales
and Mr. Chanales.
undertook
the first steps to create a Jewish school, which had, in principle
the features of a supplementary
school (Talmud Torah)
and in
an overall
time became
the Moral
school,
y Luces
(all-day)
Herzl-Bialik
School.
In 1946, despite
the opposition
of some sectors of the com
was
this
with
school
established
the sponsorship
of
munity,
some members
of the Centro Social y Cultural
Israel (Ashkenazi
of the Ashkenazi
kehillah, M.
kehillah). That year, three members
the
General
of
Centro
Social
Steinmetz,
y Cultura
Secretary
went
to
and Eduardo
Israel, Jaime Zighelboim,
Sonnenschein,
New York to ask David Gross
to be principal of the new school.
Dr. Gross realized
that there was
"Upon his arrival in Caracas,
indeed a fertile field before him. The country was prosperous,
and they had positive
the Jews were good people
intentions
toward both general and Jewish education.
there
Nevertheless,
was no consensus
as to the nature of the desired
education.
to pro
and every communal
official wanted
Every household
to his own recollection
vide his children with the best, according
and achievements
under changing
conditions"
(Kodesh,
1983).
After some time, itwas decided
that the school would
be of a
elements.
character, emphasizing
Jewish national
pluralistic
The school began with a kindergarten
and six primary grades.
Some grades were
combined
children. There was also a lack
in the Hebrew
The
department.
mous, but despite all this, "we
in the first year of
of pupils
children"
David
because
of the small number of
of teaching personnel,
especially
economic difficulties were enor
to enlarge the number
succeeded
to eighty
the school's
existence
(Gross, 1967).
Gross
recalled
of the community
parents
Luces Herzl
Bialik
distrustful
parents,
want
to enroll
the
task of convincing
that the mere
to enroll their children in the Moral
y
in itself a titanic effort. Many
School was
of the success of this new school, did not
institutions of solid
their children and preferred
were
who
this initiative
Few
the
endorsed
parents
prestige.
the
earliest back
included
school's
(Nassi, 1977), though
among
Mr.
ers were: Mr. Freilich, W. Chentchowsky,
N. Glijansky,
Zimet.
Mr.
Mr.
and
Salomon
Meiler,
Lubowsky,
Caplivsky,
LilyBlank
228
the Sociedad
of both Ashkenazi
The unification
centers,
and the Centro Social y Cultural
Israelita Ashkenazit
Israel, took
In 1951, among
in
Israelita
de
Caracas.
in
the
Union
1950
place
of
the responsibility
the UIC
its earliest decisions,
accepted
the school.
managing
In 1949, the secondary
school began
was
the
and
process
completed
grades,
Since
its creation
group of graduates.
to function with a few
in 1956 with
the first
the school was geared
towards the goal of gathering the highest possible number of
Jewish children
residing
in Caracas,
including
those of parents
who could not afford topay tuition.From thebeginning, theUIC
(Ashkenazi kehillah) sponsored scholarships to any students
it
could not afford to pay the tuition. Thus
parents
a driving force of community
in as much as its
cohesion,
for the fulfillment of
allowed
educational
philosophy
pluralistic
the wishes and expectations
of themajority of families belonging
whose
became
to both kehillot (NuevoMundo Israelita, 1984).
in the school with
22
In 1952, there were
630 students
In 1959, there were 930 students.
and 7 school buses.
classrooms
there are more than 2,000 students altogether
(kindergar
Today
ten, primary and high school). The school building was becom^
ing too small for the number of children. The community
one in 1959 and the other in 1963.
two other branches,
built
Itwas only in the 1960s that theSephardi community began
to participate
substantially
in the community-wide
educational
effort. In 1966, theAIV and theUIC decided to collect funds
of new facilities and the purchase
of
jointly for the construction
a site for the construction
of the community
center. In 1967 they
the land for the future new elementary
the
school,
purchased
and
center.
school
and
the
social
Hebraica
high
sports
were
In 1973, two new committees
to collect
established
money
ships
These
to finish the building
of the school and to give scholar
to members
who could not afford to pay the school fee.
were
the CEPEC
la Educacion
(Comite Economico
para
Comunitaria) and theCEPECREDITO.
The joint participation was finallyconsolidated on Septem
ber 10, 1984, with the signing of an institutional agreement
between
among
policy
the UIC
other
and
and the AIV.
This agreement
established,
educational
regarding
things, equal participation
duties
and rights, in the
with
shared
expenses,
The Integration
ofAshkenazi
directing
of community
education.
The
joint governing
representing the kehillot is called theComite Pedagogico.
body
the Consejo
At the same time, both kehillot also created
the
Unificado
with
Comunal
(Vaad Hakehillot)
purpose of work
areas
in
interest.
This Vaad
of
mutual
other
ing together
of the
is represented
Committee
Hakehillot
the
Executive
by
of the AIV. Thus we see that
UIC and the Executive
Committee
the ideal of Jewish education led to both kehillotworking to
gether for the improvement
of their children.
of their institutions
Besides
other private Jewish day schools:
and
in Caracas,
schools
the Rambam
School,
the future
there are
founded
in the 1970s,which had at that time,a body of 500 pupils, butwill
soon because
and the Sinai
of economic
be closing
problems;
in
which
founded
the
1980s,
School,
(Ortho
religious
provides
at pre-school
and primary levels. There is also a
dox) education
yeshiva
kindergarten.
Structure and Legal Status
is made
The educational
network of the community
up of
and primary level schools and
three day schools (two pre-school
in both general
one high school)
education
overall
providing
from
the child academically
and Jewish education, which guides
school
until
childhood
his/her high
graduation.
early
as
are defined
these schools
From a legal point of view
(and supervised)
by governmental
recognized
private schools,
of Education).
authorities
(the Venezuelan
They pro
Ministry
to
education
similar to the national
vide programs
network,
the
Besides
with
education
Jewish
programs.
department
gether
in
the school has total autonomy,
of general
studies,
especially
relation to the Jewish studies curriculum
1987).
(Kemper,
are legally defined as pri
in Latin America
Jewish schools
is the same as that of the
Their
vate schools.
legal situation
as Catholic
those of
such
schools
schools,
religious
private
or
eth
other
cultural-national
character,
i.e., English, German,
schools
of
and
other
schools,
types
private
nical-linguistic-based
(Zadoff, 1985).
230
are:
LilyBlank
In general,
the goals
by the Caracas
pursued
Jewish schools
1. To transmit to the young the culture, the traditions, values
and customs of Judaism with the final intention of securing their
and shaping
them into Jewish citizens
of
continuity
capable
in
themselves
Venezuelan
taking part
society (School Regula
tions, ch. 1).
2. To absorb thehighest possible number of children into the
educational
system
(Nuevo Mundo
Israelita,
1984).
3. To provide a high quality education (Cohen, 1984).
4. To
provide
overall
Jewish education
of a pluralistic
na
ture, optimizing all the aspects making up Jewish identity,
etc. (Benarroch,
(Hebrew),
language
religion, tradition, Zionism,
an
the
of pluralistic
"education
context,
1986). (In
community
as that which
is understood
nature"
allows
for admittance
of
children with different economic
into
and social backgrounds
the system and at the curricular
level, includes all the existing
trends in Judaism [Kemper, 1987].)
are also
to reinforce the development
themeans
of good
In this area some of the
citizens.
Jewish-Venezuelan
are
as
Herzl Bialik School's
follows: to ensure the integra
goals
tion of the Venezuelan
in its students;
and Jewish cultures
to
on the traditions of Jewish and
instill an appropriate
perspective
to strengthen their love for Venezuela
Venezuelan
and
customs;
and
the cultural and religious
promote
respect
identity of its
students with
the ancestral-modern
of Judaism"
inheritance
The
schools
(School Regulations,
1986).
Thus the community
regards the school system as
leadership
a place for the greatest number of Jewish children
to receive a
and
education
of
the
It is also
Jewish
general
highest quality.
clear from the curriculum
that the leaders hope
that Jewish
will be the means
to attain the goal of
education
continuity of
Venezuelan
Jewry.
Administration of the Schools
From
the administrative
point
of view,
all
schools
belong
equally to theAshkenazi and Sephardi kehillotin equal propor
tions. Their management
and
budget
are decided
by
the del
The Integration
of both kehillot in the Pedagogical
egates and representatives
Committee.
resources
from two
The financial
for schools are obtained
sources:
main
local and foreign (the former being the larger of
or
sources
tuition paid by parents
the two). Local
include
representatives of the pupils (Zadoff, 1985), subsidies given
from theUIC and theAIV (Nassi, 1985), and donations made
through
the CEPEC
various
schools
(Economic
Committee
for Community
Edu
cation) and/or through theSOPRE (ParentsAssociations) of the
(Nassi, 1985).
Zionist Organization
foreign source is the World
De
Education
and Culture Department,
(Education
Religious
partment). This help is both direct and indirect, including funds
for new buildings
as, for instance, in the case of the Herzl Bialik
during the late 1970s. It also includes the
High School of Caracas
The main
emissaries
from Israel, the organization
sending of educational
of complementary
of teachers' training courses, provision
study
of special programs
and materials,
and preparation
programs
foryouth (in Israel) (Zadoff, 1985).
Facilities
The educational
community network has three facilities. One
in the San Bernardino
is located
(the northern
neighborhood
central zone of the city). Itwas built in the 1950s and at present
includes
the Cologio
Moral
y Luces Herzl Bialik, with primary
the
latter
and pre-school
levels,
being located in a separate wing
thatwas built in the 1960s (Kemper, 1987). Ithas approximately
in the northeast
Built at the
neighborhood.
at present for the Moral
y
and elementary school.
Luces, Hebraica,
pre-school, kindergarten
in
600 students. The third one, inaugurated
It has approximately
400 students. The second building
section of the city, the Los Chorros
of the 1970s, it is utilized
beginning
is located
September 1984, is theMoral y Luces Herzl Bialik High School,
1984 was
located
part of the building
dino (Kemper, 1987). It has around 850 students.
are located next to the Hebraica
club.
buildings
which
until
in San Bernar
The
latter two
232
LilyBlank
All these facilities were especially built for their specific
Each of them has a cafeteria and dining rooms
kosher food is served), a library, an audito
(where inexpensive
com
rium, laboratories,
infirmary, arts and crafts workroom,
are
areas
There
also
for sports and
puter rooms, and synagogue.
to these buildings.
recreation activities
annexed
educational
goals.
The educational
network
also
controls
a small
fleet of buses
owned by the drivers (around 30) that daily transport the
students
to and
(Kemper,
1987).
from
the schools
to every
part
of
the city
Study Programs
is determined
and recog
in
of
Education.
It
includes,
Ministry
areas:
the
and
terms,
a) pre-school
general
following
subject
level: language, math, natural
social sci
sciences,
elementary
arts
and
and
crafts
ences, physical education,
(including music),
level: language
and literature, math, biology,
b) high school
En
(world and local), civics, physics,
geography
chemistry,
area, French and Latin are
glish, art history (in the humanities
also taught) (Kemper,
1987).
on the educational
is based
The Jewish studies
program
not
of
the
the recognition
and
does
have
of
policies
community
the Venezuelan
This
Minister
Education
1985).
(Zadoff,
pro
the following areas for the pre- and elementary
gram includes
school as well as for the high school: Bible, Hebrew
(language
and literature), history of the Jewish people
(in Spanish),
prayer,
The
studies
general
the
Venezuelan
by
nized
traditions
Hebrew
curriculum
and holidays,
and Israel. These subjects are taught in
8-12 hours weekly
(students spend a weekly
average of
36 hours at school) (Kemper, 1987).
This program
is supplemented
activities
by extracurricular
such as the celebration
of religious and national holidays,
rais
in every school
the anthem
ing the Israeli flag and singing
and the organization
of folk dance circles and Heb
ceremony,
rew and Israeli music classes within the school schedule
(Kemper,
1987).
The Integration
ofAshkenazi
The Educational
System
to the
the educational
system belongs
speaking,
the
the
determines
educational
that
is,
community
community;
to reach them.
and the means
objectives
vis-a
The Schools. Every school in the system is autonomous
its
and
conducts
administration
vis the Education
Ministry
some
efforts are being made at centralizing
internally. However,
as
of
administrative
such
aspects
purchase
supplies, billing, etc.
In
of the three units is
the
curriculum
(Hariton, 1989).
principle,
in practice,
there are some variations
the same. However,
(both
as to the manner
in which
in general
the
and Jewish studies)
are
to
of
the
the
programs
according
approach
implemented,
Technically
and teachers in charge of each unit.
principal
To
de Educacion).
Committees
The Educational
(Comision
a
has
committee
where
the
its
each
school
activities,
supervise
to
Anita
UIC and the AIV are represented.
According
Lapco
is on the
the role of this committee
(Principal of Hebraica-Liceo),
and
level: "to back up the school in its daily activities
"micro"
of the school"
to take the initiative for the improvement
(Lapco,
1989).According to the statutesof both theUIC and theAIV, this
committee
educational
Committee
and supervision
is entrusted with
the direction
activities
and with preparing,
together with
of Finance,
the budget of income and expenses
of
the
for
(Art. 33, Statutes, UIC, Art. 35, AIV).
every
a person has to be a
To belong
to any of these committees,
If the spouse of a member
member
of either the UIC or the AIV.
in the kehillah, he/she
to any of the committees
wants
to belong
and also pay full membership
has to register separately
dues,
to the statutes this
even though through a proposed
amendment
to collect
It is also necessary
should no longer be necessary.
same kehillah (Ashkenazi
of
the
the
members
of
thirty signatures
cannot
or Sephardi)
Also
the person
to back one's candidacy.
in the
"one cannot participate
work in any of the schools because
school
at
and be affected by those decisions
process
1989).
(Landau,
for each school
Committee
of the Education
The members
of the
the AIV, the principal
of the UIC,
include representatives
of the SOPRE
school, and the president
(the institution repre
decision-making
the same time"
senting the parents of that school). The UIC and theAIV are
234
LilyBlank
elected by vote to the Board
in this committee
decisions
The
Finance
of Directors
every three years.
are made
by consensus.
The
Committee
This
de Finanzas).
(Comision
are parallel
to those of the Education
activities
Committee.
Four members
represent each kehillah in this com
mittee. The chairmanship
alternates
them every four
between
same
The
true
holds
for
the
Its
Education
Committee.
years.
to the Board
functions
include preparing
and submitting
of
committee's
the budget
of income and expenses
Directors
for every fiscal
in
with
the
Education
Committee
(Art. 31,
year
agreement
Statutes, UIC, Art. 36, AIV).
at the "macro"
The task of the Finance Committee
level, is to
the
of
the
overall
At
the
"micro"
level,
prepare
system.
budget
to every educa
the UIC and the AIV designate
representatives
tional unit to address
the daily financial needs of each school.
are discussed
in general
decisions
for
the
and
system
Major
up at the committee
to Hariton,
According
made
level (Hariton,
1989).
the emissaries
from Israel take a large
there are eight people
part of the schools'
budgets.
Presently
who earn fourteen percent of the budget
for teachers'
salaries.
in the Hebrew
The idea is to instruct local people
language and
in Torah in order to avoid the need to bring so many emissaries.
is that very few people
in Venezuela
The problem
want
to be
in Jewish education,
involved
due to its low status and salary
(Hariton,
1989).
The SOPRE. The other body which is very close to the
school is the SOPRE (Sociedad de
everyday activities of the
?
Padres y Representantes)
the society of parents (similar to the
American
the teachers).
to the
PTA, but without
According
of
in
Education
is
this
the
Venezuela,
Ministry
society
only
of the educational
to submit
representative
system permitted
or to criticize any aspect of the school
demands
functioning.
the specific
features of this school
However,
given
system,
(owned by theAshkenazi and Sephardi kehillah), this does not
occur
in reality.
The members
of the board
of the society
are elected
annually
by theparents during an assembly held inevery school. Usually
there are not too many candidates.
a small group of
However,
women
to dedicate
decided
their time to work for the school.
The Integration
ofAshkenazi
did not participate
Only a few years ago, parent associations
in the activities of the Education
and Finance Committees.
One
of the SOPRE's
is that currently it can
important achievements
at the meetings
be represented
of both committees
(Waich,
to
is limited and conditioned
this participation
1989). However,
are allowed)
of the president
the attendance
"be
(no deputies
cause of distrust as to who will be sent" (Israel, 1988).
In a recent forum, "Education:
Mothers
Speak Up", orga
Nuevo Mundo
Israelita, the
by the community newspaper
of
the
SOPREs
that
this sys
three
representatives
complained
tem obstructed
the work that could be done by the parents. Some
of the criticisms were
that the educational
system is becoming
?
in the
bureaucratic
"too
many
people working
extremely
are
too
committees
where
and
dis
many
system
problems
cussed. The least taken into account by the system is the SOPRE,
to the children
and daily
situations"
which
is really closest
the kind of Jewish education
(Israel, 1988). They also questioned
to
for Jewish education
the children receive: what does itmean
on
communication
commented
the
of
be pluralistic?
lack
They
nized
in the educational
involved
the parents and the bodies
of
the schools,
"When
address
the
you
system:
they
principals
are
at the
the
idea
that
decisions
convey
really made
usually
level of the Pedagogic
here, in turn, answers are not
Committee;
The
fact that the owners of the
clear
and
straightforward.
always
to
schools are the UIC and the AIV, is often given as an excuse
sidetrack concrete answers and delay actions"
1988).
(Vaisberg,
In Septem
The Pedagogic Committee (Comision
Pedagogica).
ber 1984, the UIC and the AIV signed an institutional agreement
between
in the
them both to share responsibility
formally committing
area. The agreement
of a
the creation
included
educational
in
the
the
education
for
Jewish
community,
body
regulating
were
to
the
AIV
have
and
the
Both
UIC
Comite
Pedagogico.
on this committee.
The first coordinator
representation
equal
of the UIC
be a representative
would
(Institutional
Agreement,
and also
to Joyce Landau,
1984). According
present coordinator
the
creation
before
the first one, "they were working
informally
of the committee"
1989).
(Landau,
took over
In practice,
the Pedagogic
Committee
This committee prepares
the Education
Commission.
the role of
the budget
for the schools and submits it to the Finance Committee and
236
LilyBlank
the macro-level
work; to define the general philoso
"represents
in the community"
of
and
education
Jewish
(Landau,
general
phy
in
of roles occurred
this overlapping
because
1989). Probably
at
two
the
who
have
been
representatives
only
people
practice
since its creation were also appointed
the Pedagogic
Committee
to the Education Commission: JaimeCohen (AIV) and Joyce
of the Education
and
Commission
(UIC). The members
in the UIC are the same people.
the Pedagogic
Committee
This
is not the case of the members
from the AIV. There is no special
reason for that difference,
except that every kehillah did what
Landau
to it (Lapco,
1989).
to
Commis
the Annual
According
Report of the Education
sion of the UIC, March
27, 1989, "the goals of the Pedagogic
are to evaluate,
and implement
Committee
the
analyse, propose
seemed
logical
educational
3).
policy
of the community"
(Annual
Report,
1989, p.
is a difference
of approach
about
the role of the
to
Committee.
statutes
the
of the UIC and
According
the
Education
should
be
with
the
Committees
entrusted
AIV,
educational
of
the
to
but
the
policy
community,
according
internal regulations
of the Pedagogic
the Education
Committee,
There
Education
Committees
"will supervise
the implementation
of the objec
tives and agreements
in each of the
of the Pedagogic
Committee
educational
institutions. To this end, theywill become acquainted
with matters
to routine functioning of said institu
pertaining
tions, and decide over them jointly with school officials"
(Regu
lations of the Pedagogic
Art. 17).
Committee,
These regulations
also refer to the role of the Finance Com
are appointed
mittee.
Its members
of
by the Board of Directors
the UIC and theAIV and "it will be m charge of all matters
to financial aspects of education
management"
(Regula
tions of the Pedagogic
Art. 20).
Committee,
In practice,
the Pedagogic
sets forth the general
Committee
in
educational
and
the
Education
Committee
guidelines
policies
the daily activities
in the three educational
units. The
supervises
Finance Committee
the budget submit
may or may not approve
related
ted by thePedagogic Committee.
There are other autonomous
institutions functioning beside
this structure who
indirectly cover some of the costs of educa
tion in order to alleviate part of the burden of the
parents. These
The Integration
ofAshkenazi
are: the CEPEC,
institutions
the CEPECREDITO,
the Scholar
Keren
Foundation
and
ship
Jinuj.
CEPEC
Comunitaria)
(Comision Economica
para la Educacion
in 1973, at
and CEPECREDITO.
institutions were created
These
the time the elementary
school was moved
from a small building
to thenew buildings ofHebraica and thebuilding ofHebraica
School
High
was
started.
The
CEPEC
was
created
to collect
money to complete the school buildings. The CEPECREDITOS
was
to give educational
loans to those who could not
created
to pay for their education,
either entirely or in part. To
a
one
in
to
child
of
the
educational
units, a contribution
register
covers part of the items of the
ismandatory.
the CEPEC
CEPEC
afford
of the Finance Committee
and all the building
debts
budget
owed by Hebraica
Sociedad
Civil
recreational
(the
center).
Fundacion
de Becas "Herzl Bialik" (Scholarship
Foundation).
in 1987 by a group
institution was
This
of former
created
students on the twentieth anniversary
of their high school gradu
are given only to those high school students
ation. Scholarships
a
in both general
It
and Jewish studies.
having
high average
in
also
works
with
the Finance Committee
and
consultation
covers part of the budget of Jewish education
for those who
cannot afford to pay for their education.
in 1987 to improve
Keren Jinuj. This institution was created
in the
in general
and seek excellence
and Jewish education
was
to
Israelita, 1988). The idea
Jewish community
(Nuevo Mundo
use
one
to
the
from
and
collect $18,000
of the members
each
only
and the goal is
interest from the money. There are 38 members
to have 200 people.
in paying
Their contribution
consists
for
in the
extra items to improve education which are not included
ordinary budget. They are in close contact with the Pedagogic
Committee
and, at present, are paying for language, math and
science consultants
for the elementary
schools, courses on val
ues for themembers
in the
of the Department
of Student Welfare
textbooks for
of math and language
three units, the production
courses
to
communi
the Hebraica
School,
improve
Elementary
for social
educational
materials
studies,
part of the
two
from
for
the
Israel
of
emissaries
expenses
high school,
creation
of a yearly
and
the
for
benefits
staff,
specialized
special
to recognize
An
teachers
award
Committee,
(Pedagogic
good
cation,
nual
Report,
1989).
238
LilyBlank
The UIC and theAIV. These are the owners of the educational
education
through their representa
system and they supervise
The most
and the Education
Committees.
tives in the Finance
a
is
is
sizeable
the
issue
that
community
important
affecting
deficit in the education budget. This deficit consists of debts to
to the construction
of the school buildings,
the
a fund to cover benefits to teachers and people
for the educational
system, and the need to supply the
due
Hebraica
to create
need
working
schools with
all
the necessary
educational
tools
(laboratories,
etc.) (Sultan, 1989).
To face this crisis both kehillotasked theirmembers topay an
contribution
of Bs. 30,000 per family. The idea
extraordinary
was rejected by the members
its statutes are
of the AIV, because
to
and they have to submit any major decision
very democratic
an open assembly with all their members.
In this assembly
the
decision was
rejected. The UIC did not submit this idea to its
of the Board of
but itwas approved
members,
by the members
Directors.
the decision
After
Vaad Hakehillot
of the AIV,
there was
a meeting
with
the
(the executive board of both kehillot)which
invited the members
of the Board of Directors
of Hebraica,
the
recreational
the issue was
also their concern.
center, because
on a
to collect voluntary
That meeting decided
contri
campaign
If
butions, with each kehillah covering half of themoney needed.
the campaign
the extraordinary
does not succeed,
fee will have
to be paid by their members.
In an interview in the community
Nuevo Mundo
of both the UIC
Israelita, the presidents
newspaper
and the AIV agreed that "there is only one Jewish community
in
the UIC and the
Venezuela,
organized
through two institutions,
AIV" (NuevoMundo Israelita,May, 1989).
in the UIC,
the new president
did not
the idea about "the need tomake an extraordinary
fee
if
cover
the
not
to
is
successful
the
deficit.
compulsory
campaign
No member
we
should be forced to pay. In our community,
should see to it, as consistent with Jewish ethics, that those who
cover the needs, while
have greater means
those who do not
recent elections
After
agree with
have enough should not be obliged to contribute beyond their
means"
(Ostfeld, May,
1989).
The Integration
ofAshkenazi
For Mr. Ostfeld,
the next president
of the UIC, Jewish edu
cation is very important. "We should
look for every child and
see to it that he studies in our school" (Ostfeld, 1989). This means
that the communitywill absorb part of thecosts of education in
the schools.
For the president
the
of the AIV, M. Benarroch,
entire cost of education must be covered by the parents through
the payment of monthly tuition. If a family cannot afford the
it can ask for a loan or scholarship
payment,
for its children.
The
problem is that this is a small communitywhere everybody
knows everybody else and people are reluctant to ask forhelp
(Hariton, 1989). Yet Venezuela
they are embarrassed
a period of economic
recession and many people
undergoing
because
is
in
the communityhave been adversely affected, especially young
If the AIV's president prevails,
professional
couples.
to parents
will be directly
transferred
education
the cost of
and many
people will be forced to ask foreconomic help in the different
institutions such as the CEPECREDITO or the Fundacion de
or they may take their children out of the
"Herzl-Bialik,"
to review
the
there is a clear need
educational
system. Also
system and to cut back some of the items in order to keep the
overall budget
from increasing
significantly.
in Venezuela
is very young,
and
The Jewish community
Becas
many things are takingplace rightnow thatneed to be consid
the community
and also in
ered; there are many changes within
environment
the surrounding
(the country). Time and experi
ence will bring some answers
to this community,
fighting for an
ideal of integration and survival at a time when it is difficult for
Judaism in general.
Discussions and Directions forFuture Research
The
efforts
towards
integration
between
the Ashkenazim
and Sephardim which started through theeducational system in
the Jewish
in Venezuela
community
have
been
quite
fruitful.
Every kehillahwas already well organized when this integration
started. There was
Social welfare
a need
agencies
to bury the Jewish dead.
for cemeteries
were needed
to provide
services that the
Catholic poor obtained fromtheirparish churches. Schools were
needed
to transmit
Jewish tradition
and
to provide
basic
educa
240
LilyBlank
From the beginning,
both kehillot
tion free of Catholic
dogma.
to
services
for their membership
obtain all these
worked
sepa
a Jewish value, was the unifying factor
always
rately. Education,
of the Jewishcommunity inVenezuela. Both kehillotgot together
of their
of the Jewish education
for the improvement
inVenezuela
In general,
is very
a
to have any service without
there is no way
centralist;
being
is held to
The community
member
of the Jewish community.
system and by its relations with Israel.
gether by its educational
took the first
those who
because
Integration was possible
to work
children.
and therefore
it possible were mainly
secularists
steps tomake
Education was an
the secular side of Jewish lifewas emphasized.
were
issue. The Ashkenazim
the first to realize
the
important
a
in
for
the
of
education
Jewish
community
diaspora.
importance
to create a Jewish school which encour
Every effort was made
aged a philosophy of Jewishpluralism advocating theconcept of
klal Israel (the communityof Israel) and promoting dialogue and
an
of ideas.
It was
almost
twenty years after the
exchange
creation of the school that the Sephardi
realized
the
community
in
the
of
involved
education.
Since
Jewish
being
importance
to share the responsibility
committed
themselves
for
Sephardim
in the community, the "partnership"
has proven
Jewish education
to be a clever decision.
in
There
are, of course, differences
some
as
to
to
such
the
how
make
deficit
of
issues,
up
approach
but in general,
the goal is towork together and to find
education,
the best solutions
for the educational
system and for the overall
community.
in Caracas
is proud to have one
Today
recreational
for all themembers
of the commu
center, Hebraica,
2,000 students
nity and an educational
system with around
to all socio-economic
is to give a
levels. The goal
belonging
to all Jewish children.
Jewish education
In theory, the
of the educational
process
decision-making
in
involves
both
it is not very
kehillot)
however,
system
practice,
efficient. There are communication
and information difficulties
the institutions and the three school units. The
among
people
who work in the different committees do so on a
voluntary basis.
They do not have direct contact with the reality of the school, but
only receive
the information
from the principals
of each
school.
This could be improved by letting people who work in the
The Integration
ofAshkenazi
schools attend the meetings
of the Education
and
Committees
to the community
the Finance Committee,
but according
leaders
one cannot participate
in the decision-making
and be
process
at the same time. Thus many
times
affected by those decisions
are not taken
on
the
themajor decisions
the
issue, but
experts
by
by leaders who work very hard but do not have
information on a particular
issue.
all the necessary
is that, within both the political
Another
and educa
aspect
to emerge as a matter of public
tional context, no issue is allowed
There is the fear that this might threaten the unity
controversy.
is a very sensitive
of the community.
Because
education
issue, it
seems that those people who have been involved
in education
to be
their time and efforts do not want
contributed
constructive
and do not differentiate
between
and
criticism. This could be one of the reasons why
the
and have
criticized
negative
president of the SOPRE is theonly person from thatbody who
to come
is allowed
to the meetings
of the different
committees
in education.
involved
In 1989 a young teacher of "Yo y mi Judaismo" (a program
?
of Judaism
problems
?
politics,
identity, community problems
taught in the last year
a forum about Jewish education
of high school) tried to organize
and invited people who are very critical of the way the school
a great deal
but who have also contributed
system is conducted,
to Jewish education.
The principal
of the school and the chair
that encourages
of current
discussion
person of the Pedagogic Committee did not allow it, arguing
that "the
system."
is not
school
A few months
the appropriate
place
later, a letter written
to criticize
by
the
the young
teacher explaining what had happened was published in the
community
was
fired.
newspaper,
Nuevo Mundo
Israelita.
The next day he
Parents feel that they are not being taken into consideration
to turn away
in the decision-making
process. This caused many
from the system or simply send their children to the school
without
getting
involved,
because
they feel
the system will
ignore their ideas or feelingsanyway, iftheydiffer fromwhat is
being implemented.
Another
problem
pable
of recruiting
is that the community
and professional
voluntary
is not
always
leadership
ca
with
thehighest qualifications to become involved in Jewisheduca
242
LilyBlank
as
tion. There are very few people who choose Jewish education
a career. There is little prestige
in doing so, and the salary and
or Tanach
status of a Hebrew
teacher is low. At the voluntary
or
in
the
Education
there are also
level,
Committees,
Pedagogic
in
in those
few
involved
who
education
very
participate
people
?
reasons
were
of
the
Some
mentioned
the
before
meetings.
same
as
cannot
the
decisions
the
those
affected
be
who
people
by
make
the decisions.
Other reasons
that are commonly heard are
that there are people who are afraid to get into the committees,
"the system is so closed
that it does not accept
any
or ideas for change from new
people."
leaders
Jewish education must be the concern of voluntary
who believe
that Jewish study, learning and teaching are impor
tant for all Jews, not only for the children.
is
Jewish education
or acquisition
not a matter
of minimal
socialization
of syna
because
criticism
gogue
skills, however
important both are, but is a major
function
of being Jewish. In the last few years therehas been a notable
of Jewish leadership
Jewish education
rediscovery
concerning
and its importance
for Jewish survival. Now
it seems necessary
to attract young people
to community
in general,
to
activities
make
the system attractive,
and to clearly develop
the Dor
the next generation
in Ven
Hahemshej
ezuela.
It would
be healthy
to become
for Jewish educators
in the community
involved
at large in order to understand
its
This
not to be confined
to
Jewish educators
problems.
requires
in
as
keter
their
such
the
keter torah, but
orientation,
any specific
to be able to have a role in the Jewish communal
the
leadership,
keter malkhut.
the Jewish
that, although
Finally, it is important tomention
in Venezuela
is of medium
size, its history is very
community
rich and it seems a good place for research inmany areas. These
could include historical and political points of interest and
testimonies
of Holocaust
survivors.
The issues thatwere studied in this thesis could be a first
to a more comprehensive
research about many
approach
such as Jewish education
inmedium-sized
communities,
things
struc
tureof power, the futureof the Jewishcommunity inVenezuela
and
theway
to improve its
new
community education,
Sephardi
that
is
the
50-50
immigration
changing
percent
relationship
between Ashkenazim
and Sephardim,
interest in increasing
the
The Integration
ofAshkenazi
crisis in the country
the economic
religious aspect of education,
as well, differences
in
is affecting the Jewish community
which
status of the community members
and is the
the socio-economic
to cope with
the
educational
system the best suited
present
and changes?
differences
Appendix
The following is a listof thequestions asked for thepurpose
of this research.
Founding of theSchool
1.What
were
the motivations
for the creation
of the school?
the creation of the
sectors, institutions, people backed
of it?
sectors were indifferent or did not approve
school? Which
to finance the school?
3. Who helped
?
4. Who were
the first students
Ashkenazim,
Sephardim,
or poor families?
wealthy
?
of the school
the philosophy
5. What was
religious, Zionist or
2. Which
pluralist?
the school faced at that time and how
6. What were the problems
?
were
creation
of a special
vote,
commission,
they solved
decisions?
individual
Structure of the Institutions as They Related to the Educational
System
was
This question
interviewed
according
addressed
to his/her
to every person
differently
or
institutional
background
membership.
1.Why was
this institution created?
2. How
is it organized?
?
or
are the members
Ashkenazim
of the institution
3. Who
?
are they chosen
or both? How
by election? Who
Sephardim
votes? How long do officeholders remain in office?
4. Which
5. Which
leaders are volunteers
are the
goals of your
and which
institution?
are
professionals?
6.Which are theproblems thatmost affectyour institutionand
?
decisions?
are they solved
individual
vote, commission,
is your institution related to the others which are also
in the educational
involved
system?
how
7. How
244
LilyBlank
is your
8. How
taxes, paying
institution
financed ?
for activities?
and Consensus
are the main problems
Conflict
1.What
cational
2. What
voluntary
affecting
contributions,
the community's
edu
system?
is the main
affecting your institution?
problem
could these problems
be solved?
are the leaders
in this field? Why
that have power
the
leaders?
they
3. How
4. Who
are
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THE INTEGRATION OF ASHKENAZI AND SEPHARDI JEWS IN

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