Following last week’s devastating earthquakes in Venezuela that left nearly 50,000 missing, about 3,000 confirmed dead, and about 13,000 wounded, dozens of countries sent aid. But Acting President Delcy Rodríguez singled out Israel in remarks Friday, thanking the Jewish state for its highly trained experts and advanced technology in search-and-rescue missions.

Speaking to reporters Thursday night, Rodríguez said, “I would like to report that yesterday we received a highly professional and skilled group from Israel, which arrived following contact made through the Jewish community in Venezuela.”

She thanked Venezuela’s Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen for helping to establish contact between her and the Israeli team and praised the team of experts for the deep expertise and advanced technology it brought to Venezuela.

“I would like to thank Rabbi Cohen for all the coordination that allowed us to establish contact with the Israeli government and bring here, at this moment, a team of experts that has begun implementing the protocol for opening the infrastructure rehabilitation process and assessing the condition of the infrastructure,” she said.

She also thanked the team for their capability in detecting life beneath the rubble and determining whether any bodies need to be pulled out before reconstruction can begin.

“This is a team with a very high level of training and professionalism, and I hope we can continue moving forward at this stage in the field of rehabilitation,” she said.

This marks the first time a Venezuelan leader has publicly praised or thanked Israel since Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999, and it may also mark the beginning of a shift in relations between the two countries.

Before Hugo Chávez came into power, the Jewish community in Venezuela numbered roughly 45,000 people. But when Chávez took over, he consolidated the powers of the democratic government, with its system of checks and balances, in the person of the president; instituted the practice of censorship of the media; punished and harassed political opponents; and nationalized the economy, driving it deeply into poverty.

When Nicolás Maduro assumed the office of the presidency, he continued these trends and also promoted a deep hostility toward Israel. While roughly 25 percent of Venezuela’s population fled during the tenure of these two dictators, roughly 90 percent of the Jewish community escaped, with only 4,000 to 6,000 people remaining.

Cohen sounded a note of optimism regarding the shift in tone.

“Although there are no diplomatic relations between the two countries, Israel took a wonderful step by providing humanitarian aid to Venezuela,” he said. “Government officials and the people received the delegation with love.”

“We hope, and are almost certain, that this will move another step forward,” he added. “There is no doubt that this was a moving gesture.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry also appreciated the gesture.

“Thank you to Venezuela’s Interim President, Delcy Rodríguez, for recognizing the efforts of the Israeli search and rescue team that came to assist following the earthquakes,” the ministry said in a statement.