Governor Glenn Youngkin established the Commission to Combat Antisemitism, which released a report in December 2022. The report indicated its mission and dedication to combating antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment. The following examples could eventually be found in Virginia law in the future especially if fueled by the current situation with the protests regarding Israel and Palestine.
The commission calls for the enforcement of law of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), an inter-governmental body of 35 countries. The definition of “what is antisemitic?” is used as a way of targeting anti-Semitism, although it includes criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic. This is seen in the statement by the IHRA, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” The IHRA also declares that stating the “Jews killed Jesus” is anti-Semitic, despite its religious connection to the Bible at 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15.
Additionally, the section titled, “Ban Public Entities from Adopting and Practicing BDS Positions,” would mean that any entity that is public or funded by the Virginia Government can not support the anti-Israel economic boycott group, “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).” Such public entities could include public universities such as Virginia Commonwealth University, although there are private colleges that still receive government funding. Since it requires state contractors to not engage in or support BDS, this could target college educational speakers. For example, a pro-Palestinian activist, Abby Martin, was told to sign an anti-BDS contract when she wanted to speak at Georgia Southern University which follows anti-BDS laws.
The commission recommends that the Virginia Department of Education cooperate with Jewish groups, but also pro-Israel lobbying groups like CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis), Hasbara Fellowships, Maccabee Task Force, StandWithUs, and Students Supporting Israel. This educational information would be made available to history and social studies teachers in K-12 and higher education. This information includes resources regarding Jews, antisemitism, the Holocaust, Zionism and Israel.
Lastly, the commission wishes to ban academic boycotts, only allowing students to boycott certain countries which include state sponsors of terrorism by the U.S. State Department or other national security directives. The countries on the state sponsor of terrorism are only Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria.
