Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares penned an open letter denouncing campus antisemitism and calling on educators to combat discrimination against Jewish students attending colleges and universities.
Addressed to Virginia Council of Presidents Chair Tim Sands, the letter noted that “sadly, antisemitic discrimination in American higher education is not merely a shameful legacy.”
Citing a recent study by the ADL that found 350 anti-Israel incidents occurred on campuses during the 2021-2022 academic year, Miyares pointed out that Jewish students are subjected to harassment and “excluded from student life because of their faith.”
The letter spoke of Jewish law students from Berkeley University Law School, George Washington University and Vanderbilt University being excluded from student life. It also mentioned that antisemitism has become so commonplace on American college campuses that some Jewish students now hide their Jewish identities to keep themselves safe.
“This type of religious discrimination is unacceptable, goes against the very core of our American ideals, and is blatantly unconstitutional,” he wrote.
“I am proud of our system of public and private higher education in the Commonwealth, but we must ensure that our institutions serve all students,” Miyares added.
He called on higher education institutes to “remain centers of thought leadership and diversity, teaching the next generation how to think and not what to think.”
“But diversity and academic freedom cannot survive when groups of students are compelled to conceal their religious identity in order to avoid harassment or violence,” he said. “Students cannot be active and involved members of their university community in the face of exclusionary policies. Academic freedom and inquiry cannot survive in a maelstrom of religious discrimination.”
The attorney general explained he was speaking out because “we can all agree that discrimination, of any kind, is unacceptable.”
“Every student, regardless of their faith or background, should feel welcomed on every college and university campus in our Commonwealth. Unlawful religious discrimination of any kind at our institutions of higher education, whether public or private, will not be tolerated by my office,” he said.
Miyares called on the Council of Presidents to make sure that Jewish students do not face antisemitic harassment on campuses.
“Please do all you can to ensure that your Virginia administrations and student organizations do not engage in antisemitic conduct or religious discrimination,” he concluded.