RICHMOND, Va. — Less than a month after taking office as Virginia’s first female governor, Abigail Spanberger told a group of 250 Jewish advocates that she would work to combat antisemitism, celebrate the Jewish community and stand by Israel in her new role. 

“As governor, I will continue to stand up to antisemitism, to work to protect our Jewish neighbors, friends and family, and I will show up for the Jewish community in times of commemoration, remembrance and, importantly, celebration,” Spanberger said in a speech on Tuesday at Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day, an annual event organized by the state’s four Jewish federations that brought activists from across the state to Richmond for lobbying meetings with state lawmakers. 

Spanberger, a former member of the U.S. House who represented central Virginia, was greeted enthusiastically by the crowd and swarmed with requests for photos at the end of the event. During her speech, she turned often to a group of teenagers at the front of the room, who were at the meetings urging legislators to sign a petition for BBYO’s “Spread cream cheese, not hate” initiative. 

“It’s important to me in particular that young people feel pride in who they are, pride in the things that make them who they are,” said Spanberger. “To all of the parents in the room, I want your kids to feel safe and proud at school, whatever portions of their identity they choose to lead with. When they go off to college, I want them to feel proud putting a mezuzah on their door.” 

Spanberger was elected to Congress in 2018 after a career as a spy at the CIA, and she referred to that background in her speech on Tuesday when she discussed her views on Israel.

“I remain a strong supporter of the relationship between the United States and Israel, and that support comes from a background in the intelligence community, where I understand that Israel is our strongest security partner in the region,” she said. 

She touted her votes in Congress for supplemental security funding for Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks and funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile-defense systems. She also discussed her support for measures that brought additional humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, while noting that concern about the “suffering of civilians and the continued humanitarian crisis that exists in Gaza” does not excuse antisemitic behavior.

“I would say that a moral requirement to end humanitarian crises is never and should never be at odds with the moral requirement to denounce hateful, antisemitic language and attacks that they can so frequently breed,” Spanberger said.

In discussing the Oct. 7 attacks, Spanberger addressed that day’s lingering impact on the Jewish community.

“For more than two years, Americans, Israelis and global citizens have advocated for the release of men, women and children who were taken hostage that day. So many of the stories are deeply personal [for] many people in the room for a variety of reasons, and after a long and horrific push to free all of them, we just saw the release of the last hostage to be returned home and laid to rest,” Spanberger said. 

Her new role in Richmond does not include a distinct foreign policy focus, unlike her job in Congress. But she indicated a willingness to remain active on global issues. 

“I hope that the memory of those who did not return home will be a blessing to those who remember them, those who miss them, but importantly, a reminder that there is still so, so much work to do throughout the world,” the governor said. 

As a member of Congress, Spanberger added, she supported efforts to target antisemitic hate crimes at the federal level and to provide security funding and support to vulnerable nonprofits.

“I will make sure that across my administration — in particular, my secretary of public safety and homeland security — is well positioned to coordinate with state and federal partners, and that you know that through my administration, you have a partner in ensuring that the communities that you represent, serve or are a part of feel safe,” she said. “I will make sure that the Office of the Governor is an active partner in combating antisemitism.”

Attorney General Jay Jones and Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, Democrats who also took office last month, addressed the event before Spanberger. Both of them pledged to work to fight antisemitism in the state.

Jones said in the address that he intends to continue to operate the statewide antisemitism task force that his predecessor, Republican Jason Miyares, created in 2023. It was the first time Jones had publicly discussed his plans for the task force.

“The Attorney General’s Antisemitism Task Force is an important tool to keep an open line of communication between my office and your communities,” said Jones. “We look forward to working with you to build out the scope of that task force to ensure an ongoing dialogue, accountability and collaboration.”