CNA Staff, Nov 1, 2023 / 16:06 pm (CNA).
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week issued a directive meant to combat what the Republican executive called “hatred, intolerance, and antisemitism” throughout the state.
The governor’s executive directive, issued on Oct. 31, “instructs law enforcement to increase information exchange and resource coordination on potential antisemitic acts,” Youngkin’s office said.
Youngkin in his Tuesday directive said that “following Hamas’ barbaric and deadly terror attacks on Oct. 7, reports of antisemitism have significantly increased in the Commonwealth.”
Street protesters in the state capital of Richmond have “voiced antisemitic slogans and called for the extermination of the Jewish community in Israel,” Youngkin wrote, while some state public universities have seen acts of vandalism and harassment directed toward Jewish students and memorials.
The directive mandates that a “chief coordinating officer” will oversee a “situation room,” one that will be focused on “enhancing our comprehensive efforts to protect houses of worship and religious affiliated institutions in the Commonwealth of Virginia” through collaboration with law enforcement.
The directive also calls for the expedition of grants to organizations “facing religious or ethnicity-based persecution.”
The directive in Virginia comes amid reports of rising levels of antisemitism throughout the United States. FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Congress this week that the threat of antisemitism “is reaching, in some way, sort of historic levels.”
The heightened threat of antisemitic bigotry in the U.S. comes amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which began with the Hamas terrorist group’s invasion of Israel on Oct. 7 that killed over 1,300 people.
Last month Franciscan University of Steubenville announced the creation of an expedited transfer process for Jewish students in danger of antisemitic discrimination and violence on campuses across the United States. University President Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, said that the U.S. is “witnessing a very troubling spike in antisemitism and serious threats against Jewish students.”
In addition to coordination between law enforcement bodies, the measure directs the state secretary of public safety and homeland security to “collaborate with and offer resources and training on combating antisemitism and other religious and ethnic-based violence” to campus safety officials throughout the state.
Public residential universities and colleges in the state were directed to submit updated safety plans to the government, while the state public superintendent was directed to “collaborate with local school division superintendents” to promote safety among student populations.
The governor said in the directive that “protecting the community centers and houses of worship of the Jewish people is paramount,” though he noted that the measure “extends to all religions, including those of the Muslim faith, who are increasingly concerned about backlash.”
“Hatred, intolerance, and antisemitism have no place in Virginia,” Youngkin said in the announcement. “As governor, the safety and security of all Virginians is my paramount concern.”
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.
What exactly is an anti-semitic act/word?–I mean in the damnable sense.
Is it violence against Jews? race hatred of Jews? Yes, certainly these are wrong.
But what about criticism of Jews/Israelis? Is this always wrong? Or noticing and indicating certain patterns of behavior frequently found in Jews (“group tendencies” if you will)–like the tendency of Jews (on the average) to support legalized abortion, the LGBTQ agenda, the population control agenda, etc., etc.? Or noticing the heavy participation of Jews in the porn/sex industry or in usurious banking/finance? Or expressing concern about the powerful influence of the Israeli lobby on America? Or noting that Biden’s cabinet is 70 % Jewish in a country where Jews make up 2-3% of the population? Is all this wrong?
Finally, regarding cases of genuinely damnable anti-semitism, when do these cases rise to the level of matters that ought to be corrected by civic law/policies?
These questions need to asked and discussed.
Pax et Bonum.
Chris, the fact that you are spreading misinformation is prima facie evidence of antisemitic influence on you, if not intent on your part.
For example, you claim 70% of the Biden cabinet is Jewish. There are 26 cabinet-level positions (reference: https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet), and of those, seven are held by people identifying as Jewish (reference: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jews-in-the-biden-administration). The seven are Blinken, Yellen, Garland, Mayorkas, Haines, Bernstein, and Zients.
That’s 27%, not 70%. Much higher than the percentage of Jews in the overall population, but far from what you claim.
I’m also not aware of any overrepresentation of Jews in the pornography industry. This sounds like an antisemitic trope.
Jews, like Asians, as a group work harder than average and have a stronger emphasis on education than average. This leads to greater success in business and government. It’s hardly something worth criticizing.
That being said, of course one can criticize the policies of the Israeli government and Jewish organizations without being antisemitic, though I think holding that Israel should not exist or does not have the right to defend itself against terrorists and foreign attacks would be antisemitic.
OK, thanks for the correction, Tom. I was wrong about the percentage of Jews in the Biden cabinet, but not about the general principle of Jewish over-representation in top governmental positions. In fact, the same jewish virtual library which you cite lists about 50 Jewish appointees to prominent positions in the Biden admin.
If Jews were, on average, wiser and more virtuous than persons from other ethnic/religious groups, I would have no problem with their over-representation in positions of influence. However, I see no evidence that they are in fact wiser and more virtuous.
Peace and the Good.
Jews are over represented in some industries like entertainment today simply because historically they were denied employment in more respectable fields. Back in the day theatre, vaudeville, & film workers were looked down upon & seen as lower status. Jews & the Irish were overrepresented in those venues.
I’m not aware of how many Jews produce porn but bringing that into the conversation is rather suspect in & of itself.
I believe in freedom of speech & there’s a fine line between suppressing hateful language just because it’s hateful & disgusting & protecting ethnic groups from real danger posed by threats & incitement.
Here is an article by a Jewish man about the long history of heavy Jewish participation in the porn industry–on all its levels. It also contains quotes from the notorious Jewish pornographer Al Goldstein, quotes which make explicit the anti-Christian reasons for his and other Jews’ participation in that vile industry.
https://www.finalcall.com/docs/Jews_in_porn_abrams.pdf