The Forward reports on anti-Jewish harassment by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, a quarter of whose Jewish population has fled the country since his election. “Target the Jews” has got to be a whole chapter in the “Dictatorship for Dummies” handbook. And I was surprised by this:

Jewish communal leaders also believe that another element might be at work. Sultan [a local Jewish leader] noted that Tarek al Assaimi, a former far-left student leader whose father was the representative of Saddam Hussein’s Baath party in Venezuela, is the deputy Interior and Justice minister in charge of internal security and, as such, could have been involved in initiating the raid.

What? The son of one of Saddam’s diplomats is “in charge of internal security” for Chavez? Wow. (h/t Contentions)