A 132-year-old Jewish cemetery, one of the oldest on the South American continent, was rededicated at Coro near here today after restoration by the government with funds provided by the Sephardic community. The ceremonies were attended by Dr. Jose Curiel, Minister of Public Works, who is himself of Jewish origin. Dr. Curiel is a descendant of Joseph Curiel, a Jew from Curacao, N.W.I. who was a friend of Gen. Simon Bolivar, the national hero who liberated Venezuela from Spanish rule. The land for the cemetery was purchased by Joseph Curiel in 1838 after his daughter died of typhus. The Jewish community that he founded at Coro survived for 80 years but disappeared as a result of its isolation and intermarriage. The burial ground has been declared a national monument.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
