On June 24, 2026, twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck northern Venezuela. More than 1,330 aftershocks have been recorded since the disaster, and independent satellite analyses indicate that tens of thousands of buildings may have been damaged or destroyed, underscoring the immense scale of the devastation.  

 

Thus far, approximately 5,546 people have been killed in the earthquakes, with 16,740 injured. Some 18,000 are still without shelter. In total, 23,811 people are displaced across 107 temporary camps.

 

Relief and recovery efforts remain underway as authorities continue to support displaced communities and rebuild critical infrastructure. 

 

The small Jewish community of approximately 3,000 people in Caracas was significantly affected by the earthquakes, with nine confirmed fatalities among community members. May their memory be a blessing. 

 

The homes of 206 Jewish community members have been damaged; 25 are destroyed and uninhabitable, 47 are unsafe pending inspection, and 134 are damaged but habitable. 

 

Immediately after the earthquakes, Jewish Federations established the Venezuela Earthquake Relief Fund to provide humanitarian aid and support recovery. Our Jewish values call us to help those in need, and we pledge to carry out this mandate with pride and dignity. 

 

Our core overseas partners, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Jewish Agency for Israel, responded immediately. We're deeply grateful for partners who let us act instantly, worldwide. The emergency response network we've built allows North American Jews to show up immediately for Venezuela's Jewish community and will keep us there as long as we're needed. 

 

The JDC is aiding both the Jewish community, with which it has a longstanding relationship, and the general community. Support for the Jewish community includes: 
 

• 150 members benefitting from psychological support 
• 240 children attending a three-week day camp at Hebraica JCC 
• 70 older adults receiving three months of programming through Hebraica JCC's Golden Age Program 
• 314 families supported by JDC's food program 
• 120 people receiving medicine through JDC's medicine program 

Support for the general community is focused on the hardest hit area of La Guairá. The following are JDC’s initial interventions, with additional relief and recovery efforts planned for the coming months: 
 

• Maternal and Child Health Clinic in La Guairá: JDC partnered with AVESSOC, a highly vetted local medical NGO with extensive experience in humanitarian health response, to establish a maternal and child health clinic and mobile outreach program. JDC will support 4 months of clinic operations, providing essential medical care to 1,600 patients. 
   
• Point-of-Care Ultrasound Devices and Medical Training: JDC deployed three Philips Lumify Point-of-Care Ultrasound devices, enabling trained local clinicians to perform on-site obstetric assessments, identify high-risk pregnancies, and make timely referral decisions. Two trainers from Israel's Ben-Gurion University are already providing hands-on instruction to 12 doctors who will operate the clinic and mobile unit. In partnership with United Hatzala, JDC has also donated one portable ultrasound device to the Jewish community. 
   
• Emergency Food and Hygiene Distributions: JDC is preparing to expand the distribution of essential supplies to families living in tents in La Guairá, with support from Jewish community volunteers. To date, JDC has distributed essential food and non-food items to over 6,000 individuals (both Jewish and non-Jewish). 

The Jewish Agency has worked for years with the Venezuelan Jewish community to build the infrastructure, leadership, and preparedness that now enable an effective, coordinated response. The recent earthquakes in Venezuela presented an additional acute challenge within the broader complex reality that the country's Jewish community has had to navigate. In this moment of crisis, these long-term investments were complemented by targeted emergency assistance provided during the current response, helping the community address urgent needs as they emerged. 

 

The Jewish Agency’s response to the current situation reflects not only the value of long-term investment in people, institutions, leadership, and community capacity, but also the tangible impact of sustained partnership over time. It demonstrates how enduring collaboration—across education, community life, leadership development, preparedness, and organizational capacity—creates the foundation that enables communities not only to respond in times of crisis, but also to continue thriving in the face of ongoing challenges.