Gov. Glenn Youngkin discusses his work fighting antisemitism in Virginia
Youngkin has been one of the most outspoken Republican governors tackling the issue — well before October 7

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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks on stage on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In many ways, Virginia has been at the center of confronting growing turmoil on college campuses and elsewhere in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks one year ago.
But the state’s ongoing efforts to counter a surge in anti-Jewish prejudice amid Israel’s war with Hamas predated the attacks, according to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who established a commission to combat antisemitism on his first day in office in 2022 and has continued to actively speak out on such issues throughout his tenure.
“We find ourselves, I believe, at a moment of clear-eyed understanding that antisemitism in the United States and in Virginia is clear and present and is a danger,” he told Jewish Insider in a recent interview. “We also recognize the concerted efforts of evil forces around the world, particularly with regard to trying to eradicate Israel and the Jewish people.”
Speaking with JI last Wednesday on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Youngkin discussed his administration’s efforts to combat antisemitism, shared his plans for commemorating the Oct. 7 attacks and weighed in on rising tensions in the Middle East, among other things.
The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Jewish Insider: How are you assessing Iran’s recent missile attack on Israel, and do you think it changes the situation in the Middle East amid the prospect of a broadening regional war?
Glenn Youngkin: I’m angry, and this barbaric attack, I think, reflects what Iran has clearly stood for, which is the systematic eradication of Israel. There’s no confusion about that. I’m also very concerned that the United States leadership, with President Biden and Vice President Harris, has been indecisive along the way. There’s no room here for indecision. As a nation, the United States must stand steadfastly with Israel, support not only Israel’s right but its responsibility to protect its citizens and its future, and we have to do that in an uncompromised, unwavering manner. As I reflect sitting here on Oct. 2 after that barrage of missiles directly came from Iran, I think we have to support Israel in responding in any way that Israel sees appropriate in order to protect its people and its future.
JI: Is there anything in particular about the Biden administration’s approach that you take issue with as the conflict has unfolded?
GY: My main issue has been the moments where the Biden administration has demonstrated a hesitancy to universally support Israel — withholding arms shipments, undermining the decisions that Prime Minister Netanyahu is making, and more importantly, simply demonstrating anything other than total support. We know that in a world where there is evil and there are organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah backed by Iran that simply want to eradicate Israel, any hesitation that can be perceived as an opening provides an invitation for an aggressive attack. That has been, I believe, the mistake along the way that has emboldened Iran and has left some moments of doubt about how the United States would react — and that is not acceptable.
JI: We’re now five days away from the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre. How are you planning to commemorate the attack in Virginia?
GY: From a governor’s perspective, we first are remembering the horrific, barbaric nature of this attack, this act of terrorism that impacted the Israeli nation, Jewish people around the world, Americans and those of us who love freedom — and therefore it was a direct assault on all of that. Here on the eve of Rosh Hashanah and the anniversary of that barbaric act, we first need to reflect and remind ourselves what happened that day, and so I will participate in remembrance events around the Commonwealth to do exactly that — to stand in solidarity with Jewish people around the world but particularly here in Virginia, and continue to show support for Israel.
We also recognize the inherent volatility and safety risk that is present, as we have seen pro-Hamas voices in Virginia and America call for violence — and therefore we’re preparing for that as well, just like we have proactively prepared for demonstrations and violence since Oct. 7. I think that it’s imperative for us to recognize that, one, there’s no place for violence in America. I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and Virginia, and part of that is the right to publicly protest, to express one’s views. But there is a correct way, and there is an absolutely wrong way to do that, and we will not permit violence in Virginia in the pursuit of expressing one’s views.
JI: Over the past year or so, Virginia has in many respects been on the front lines of addressing unrest stemming from anti-Israel demonstrations on campuses and beyond, including a six-month encampment outside Secretary of State Tony Blinken’s home that was cleared by state authorities this summer. The attorney general, Jason Miyares, has also been moving forward with a closely watched investigation of a pro-Palestinian advocacy group in Virginia with alleged ties to Hamas. Are there any lessons you’ve learned as you’ve sought to counter antisemitism within the protest movement?
GY: If I can, I’m going to back up well before Oct. 7, and in fact, what we saw in 2021 even before I was elected was an all-time high in antisemitic acts in America. The reality was that antisemitism exists, and there were many that were trying to pretend that it didn’t, and that’s why, literally on Day 1 of our administration, we established the commission to combat antisemitism to go to work and not just provide a very loud voice that we need to combat antisemitism, but to put in place the tools — both from a law enforcement standpoint, from an education standpoint and most importantly from a ramification and consequences standpoint — for antisemitic acts. That was a very important initial step, because it led to the adoption of the international definition of antisemitism into law in Virginia. It then led to the inclusion of not just religious bigotry but also ethnic bigotry into our civil rights legislation, into our hate crimes legislation — and enabled us to have even more tools to go to work to combat it.
Second of all, on the education side, it also really underpins the inclusion of a much more comprehensive educational framework in our school system, so that Virginians can understand the fact that antisemitism is the longest form of hatred that has probably existed — and we must make sure that Virginians, through the educational process, understand that.
So let me fast-forward to Oct. 7, and of course that already record-high level of incidents of antisemitism found itself catapulted into an astronomically disturbing and frightening level of demonstrated antisemitic behavior. That’s why I came out with another executive order immediately after Oct. 7 that brought together resources at the law enforcement level to coordinate threat assessments and response, to provide funding so that Jewish organizations could, in fact, seek grants in order to better protect themselves, and to be very clear that we were not going to hesitate when it came to addressing violence, hate speech and all those actions that endanger safety for Virginians.
I’ll reiterate: I will protect and defend our First Amendment’s clear statements that Americans and Virginians have a right to demonstrate and protest, but they do not have a right to endanger the safety, to intimidate and to use hate speech that is the antithesis of what this nation stands for. And so as we moved into the reality of the post-Oct. 7 activism, the attorney general went to work to really get to the heart of funding streams that were supporting so much of this coordinated activism, which was not done by college students but most importantly by outside organizations that were using college students, and our response to that, which was, we’re just going to work with local law enforcement to make a very clear statement that encampments weren’t going to be allowed to happen, that intimidation is not going to be allowed to happen, and that there is a time, place and manner that will be prescribed and protected — but we will protect the safety of folks across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
JI: Your office was involved in removing the encampment outside Blinken’s home, a move the Anti-Defamation League had lobbied for aggressively. Is there anything you can share about that effort and what took place behind the scenes?
GY: Very similar to my strong feelings with regard to protecting the safety of students on college campuses and in our high schools, when there are protests out in the middle of I-95 and out in front of Secretary Blinken’s home in a very heavily trafficked thoroughfare, we are, again, going to protect people’s First Amendment rights, but not about to allow people to be placed in danger. The demonstrators were placing themselves and others at severe risk. We had waited for Arlington County to take action. They didn’t — and so in order to preserve the safety of that whole community, we had to take action and remove the protesters.
JI: How do you see these efforts continuing as you prepare to enter your final year in office, and what have you heard from Jewish constituents in Virginia about their experiences with rising antisemitism?
GY: We find ourselves, I believe, at a moment of clear-eyed understanding that antisemitism in the United States and in Virginia is clear and present and is a danger. We also recognize the concerted efforts of evil forces around the world, particularly with regard to trying to eradicate Israel and the Jewish people.
The result of that is, first, just a heartbreaking reality that the Jewish population in Virginia is afraid, and I’m reminded of the many conversations that I’ve had with Jewish Virginians reflecting exactly that. A father who I stood with in Loudoun County who said that he was afraid to take his wife and children to the grocery store. Students on our campuses who would no longer go to the Hillel because of fear for their own safety, just in walking there. Students who have to review the social media posts of their professors in our colleges to make sure that they actually have faculty who will respect who they are, as opposed to trying to impose their personal beliefs on them.
This is real, and therefore we have to continue to march forward together to combat antisemitism, to protect Virginians, to keep them safe, and to stand with Israel at this incredible moment of inflection which demonstrates our moral compass. Where do we point, what do we truly believe, and where are we willing to take a stand? I believe that that is not something that is a moment in time, but a consistent stance that we have to remember requires vigilance and effort on an ongoing basis.