Virginia released an official report Monday with statistics about increased antisemitic incidents in the commonwealth and a list of recommendations to better fight antisemitism in the state going forward.
The report found nearly 350 antisemitic incidents were reported in Virginia in 2022 so far. That's after 411 incidents were reported in 2021, "a 71% increase over the 292 reported incidents in 2020."
It's part of a concerning rise in antisemitism across the U.S., which has gone from 751 antisemitic incidents in 2013 to a record 2,717 in 2021, the report says.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, an alliance of different governments that focuses on Holocaust-related issues, defines antisemitism as "a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities."
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Examples of antisemitism listed by the IHRA include calling for the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or religious stance, denying the scope or existence of the Holocaust during World War II, or making dehumanizing, stereotyping or demonizing claims about Jewish people as a group, such as the myth that there is a worldwide Jewish conspiracy.
Over 100 towns and cities in Virginia have seen the distribution of antisemitic flyers just since January 2022, Virginia's Commission to Combat Antisemitism report found.
The state has seen fewer antisemitic incidents than D.C. and Maryland, according to the report, and none of Virginia's reported incidents have been physical assaults since 2018. Still, "there has been an increased frequency of antisemitic harassment and antisemitic vandalism at levels which have remained constant from 2018 to 2021."
The report also acknowledges that the incidents that have occurred in Virginia, such as the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, were "some of the most high-profile antisemitic incidents in recent history."
To combat the rise in antisemitism, the commission makes 21 recommendations in its report.
One recommendation is that the General Assembly codify the IHRA working definition of antisemitism into the code of Virginia. Another is the creation of "a reporting system and publicly available database" for K-12 schools and higher education institutions in the state, and of better data collection for incidents in the state overall.
A number of the recommendations focus on improving education about Judaism and the Holocaust in Virginia schools, from the K-12 level up through state universities and law schools. Others focus on expanding hate crime training for law enforcement officials and increasing police patrols on Jewish holy days.
The Commission to Combat Antisemitism is an advisory group within the governor's office created by Gov. Glenn Youngkin Jan. 15, when he signed nine first-day-in-office executive orders, including Executive Order 8.
According to the commission's page on the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website, the group is composed of:
- Five representatives of the Jewish faith,
- At least two leaders from other faith communities,
- One commonwealth's attorney,
- One local chief law enforcement officer,
- One representative from the Virginia Holocaust Museum,
- Up to three experts in antisemitism, deradicalization or domestic terrorism
Among the 19 people Youngkin appointed to fill those positions are Jeffrey A. Rosen of McLean, the former acting attorney general of the U.S. and chairman of the commission; Connie A. Meyer of Virginia Beach, the former editor and founder of Hampton Roads Weekly TV program; and Bruce Hoffman, director of Georgetown University's Center for Jewish Civilization.
State Attorney General Jason Miyares, state Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera, state Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Robert Mosier, and interim Chief Diversity, Opportunity and Inclusion Officer Rosa Atkins were also appointed to the commission.
You can read the full report, with its full list of 21 recommendations and of existing organizations that collect data on antisemitism, by clicking here.
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