Rain Destroys Shul

CARACAS — Heavy rains destroyed a piece of Venezuelan Jewish history dating from the colonial era, according to the Center for Sephardic Studies in Caracas. The roof of the 19th-century House of Prayer collapsed after nearly two weeks of unusually heavy rains. Located in Coro, five hours west of Caracas, the one-room building was used for prayer by Venezuela’s first Jewish settlers, who came in the mid-1800s. A local Jewish preservation body had warned of the structure’s decay and was seeking support for repairs.

Teens Charged

NEW YORK — Hate crimes charges were filed against two teens in an assault on at least one chassidic man in Brooklyn, N.Y. The teens were caught Dec. 6 by members of a Jewish volunteer patrol after the assault. Brian Pena, 15, and Pete Montanez, 14, allegedly attacked Moshe Guttman, 45, as he left a Chanukah party at Yeshiva Beer Hatorah. They were charged as minors with assault as a hate crime, but Jewish leaders want them charged as adults. Police are probing whether they’re also responsible for a Nov. 25 attack on an employee leaving the same yeshiva.