Attorney General Jason Miyares has called on all K–12 school superintendents and school boards in Virginia to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism into their codes of conduct and discrimination policies. This action follows a significant increase in reported hate crimes across the Commonwealth, particularly those involving anti-Jewish bias.
According to the latest annual crime report from Virginia State Police, there was a 25% rise in reported hate crimes in 2024, with crimes involving anti-Jewish bias increasing by 154.5%. Religion-based bias crimes overall rose by about 108.3% between 2023 and 2024.
The IHRA definition states: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
In his letter to school leaders, Attorney General Miyares highlighted existing obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Virginia Human Rights Act, and Chapter 471 of the Acts of Assembly of 2023. He noted that this legislation formally adopted the IHRA definition into Virginia law “as a tool and guide for training, education, recognizing, and combating antisemitic hate crimes or discrimination and for tracking and reporting antisemitic incidents.”
Miyares emphasized that both federal and state law require schools to address discriminatory hostile environments based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, including Jewish identity. The IHRA definition serves as a guide for identifying when conduct is motivated by antisemitism.
Virginia became the first state in the U.S. to formally adopt the IHRA definition in 2023 with bipartisan support.
In August, the Office of the Attorney General’s Antisemitism Task Force published an educational lesson on antisemitism through Virginia Rules—a law-related education program for elementary through high school students. The lesson covers how state antidiscrimination laws protect Jewish Virginians and provides information on Jewish religion, culture, and history.
Following Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order 48, a model resolution was issued by the Virginia Secretary of Education to help school boards implement this definition into their policies. Miyares encouraged boards to review and adopt this resolution as part of ongoing compliance with civil rights laws.
The office led by Jason Miyares provides legal advice and representation to state agencies while focusing on public safety issues such as civil rights enforcement, consumer protection, human trafficking, domestic violence prevention efforts, victim assistance programs, and upholding constitutional rights throughout Virginia (https://limpar.locallabs.com/organizations/b5de94a0-7af4-43e2-92a0-1c78115be604;https://oag.state.va.us/media-center/news-releases).
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” — International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition
# # #
