Jewish leaders condemn police raid on community center in Venezuela

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Jewish leaders on Tuesday condemned a police raid on a Jewish community center in Caracas, saying the weekend search for weapons was unjustifiable. The Sunday, pre-dawn raid on the center, which includes a Jewish school and sports club, occurred hours before Venezuelans voted down a referendum on sweeping changes proposed by President Hugo Chavez. The president had warned of violence by opponents in the run-up to the vote, but in the end none was reported. Agents of the Disip secret police agency left empty-handed after searching the Hebraic Social, Cultural and Sports Center, according to the Venezuelan Confederation of Israelite Associations. "We denounce this new and unjustifiable act against the Venezuelan Jewish community, and we express our rejection and profound indignation," the associations said in a statement.