Jason Miyares, Virginia attorney general, urged K-12 public school superintendents and boards in the commonwealth to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of Jew-hatred in their codes of conduct and discrimination policies.
“The IHRA definition provides schools with a clear framework to recognize and respond to antisemitic conduct and distinguish protected speech from unlawful discrimination, intimidation and harassment,” Miyares wrote in a letter on Jan. 5.
In the letter, the state attorney general noted that the commonwealth adopted IHRA’s definition into state law on March 24, 2023.
Miyares stated that discrimination against Jewish students “often masks itself as ‘anti-Zionism,’ targeting the majority of Jews whose identity includes connection to the modern Jewish state of Israel and fellow Jews who live there.”
“Pushing back against antisemitism requires clarity, consistency and courage,” he added. “We cannot fight something we fail to define.”
Miyares noted a “25% increase in reported hate crimes” in Virginia in 2024, “with crimes involving anti-Jewish bias rising 154.5%.”
His announcement came days after Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayor, revoked a city executive order recognizing the IHRA definition.
Kenneth Marcus, chairman and CEO of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and a former assistant U.S. secretary of education for civil rights, lauded the Virginia attorney general’s decision and decried that of the New York City mayor.
“Antisemitism in Virginia public schools has become a major national issue in recent months, as we’ve seen with the opening of a congressional investigation into Fairfax County public schools, where there have been multiple high-profile issues surrounding antisemitic activity,” Marcus stated.
“As the country continues to face unprecedented rates of antisemitic threats and incidents, state leaders must choose whether to strengthen or weaken the tools needed to protect Jewish students,” he stated. “We are proud to stand alongside Attorney General Miyares.”
Marcus called IHRA the “gold standard across the globe.”
“Although AG Miyares’s letter and Governor Youngkin’s models are critical steps to addressing antisemitism and holding those who perpetrate this hatred accountable, the steps are not permanent,” he added. “That reality was underscored in New York City, where Mayor Mamdani rescinded critical antisemitism protections, demonstrating how easily executive actions can be undone by the incoming administration and how quickly Jewish communities can be left exposed.”
“Virginia’s own administration will undergo a shift in just two weeks,” he added. “To this new administration and to Governor-elect Spanberger: Virginia must not follow New York City’s example. We call on you to follow the lead of Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden, whose administrations similarly embraced the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.”
