Combating antisemitism on Virginia’s college campuses 

Hamas’s attack on the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, caused a massive surge in anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiments across the United States, and notably, on college campuses. Virginia’s university and college campuses were not immune to protests and encampments, in which protesters espoused antisemitic rhetoric such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Virginia’s Attorney General Jason Miyares and Governor Glenn Youngkin have diligently worked with lay and religious leaders in the Commonwealth to craft executive orders aimed at combating the increase in antisemitism after October 7. One such act, signed on May 19, 2025, directs state leaders and universities to develop resources that will help track instances of antisemitism and bigotry. Miyares and Youngkin have been strong supporters of the Jewish communities and have cracked down on universities that have allowed antisemitism to fester.

In conjunction with state and local governments, Jewish student organizations have worked to combat antisemitism and create safe places for Jewish students to study, socialize, and go about their lives.  

When asked about the steps their universities have taken to combat antisemitism, Old Dominion University’s Hillel advisor references a focus on inclusion, while the Hillel directors at William & Mary, Virginia Tech, George Mason, and University of Virginia cite their schools’ commitment to the safety of students and willingness to participate in Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative. The initiative’s stated goal is to “create a campus climate where Jewish students feel comfortable expressing their identity.” 

Rabbi Gershon Litt, who serves as the Hillel director for William & Mary, says that he was proud of President Catherine Rowe and the administration’s commitment to Jewish students. “W&M has been an exemplar in how to make Jewish students comfortable,” he says.
W&M has seen few antisemitic incidents on campus, but when they have happened, the administration has taken swift and decisive action. “Taking decisive action is imperative to showing a marginalized population that you care,” Litt says.

Jewish students on campus know that they have a supportive and caring administration, according to Litt, saying that the students also have a safe haven at the Shenkman Jewish Center, where Hillel is housed. “Feeling supported, cared for, and listened to has been the recipe for success at William & Mary,” he says.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech has struggled with antisemitism, with allegations of antisemitism being levied against the Students for Justice in Palestine organization, as well as the school itself. The tension between students came to a head during a multi-day pro-Palestine encampment in late April 2024, resulting in 82 people being arrested, 53 of whom were students. Since then, the school, along with Virginia Tech’s Hillel, has taken steps to prevent future acts of antisemitism. President Tim Sands participated in Hillel’s College and University Presidents Summit on combating antisemitism, the goal of which was to share best practices and learn from peer institutions about how to create a safe campus for all students. “The safety of students and staff is our highest priority—first, foremost, and always,” says Amanda Herring, Virginia Tech’s Hillel director. Herring works with students and staff to create an environment where Jewish students can thrive. 

Northern Virginia’s George Mason has had issues with antisemitism and is one of four schools in the DMV that are having their federal funding threatened by the Trump Administration due to antisemitism. But Rabbi Daniel Novick, GMU Hillel director, says, “Mason Hillel has worked hard to ensure that George Mason is a community where Jewish students can thrive.”

Paul Alvin, George Mason’s chief brand officer, notes that the threats to GMU’s funding stemmed from an incident where GMU students participated in an encampment on George Washington University’s campus in 2023.

“The university has been present at Jewish communal events to show allyship and support and has offered free security resources and personnel when requested,” says Novick. George Mason has taken large steps to counter antisemitism and create a large and diverse campus community, he says. 

At University of Virginia, Annie Wienberg, Hillel director, emphasizes communication and coordination. In conjunction with Hillel, “UVA organized an antisemitism training day” and “committed more of their academic programming to focus on the conflict,” she says.
Expressing a place where she believed UVA’s administration could help improve conditions on campus, Weinberg says, “It is my belief that student-led groups are oftentimes the spaces where exclusion can occur.”

Weinberg says she is eager to work with UVA to help educate student leaders on what real inclusion entails. UVA Hillel cultivates a welcoming environment for all Jewish students by having a “menu of experiences that allow students to choose their own adventure,” creating a space that can meet “a diverse set of student needs and interests.” 

In a joint statement co-written by 40 Jewish faculty members at UVA and published in the Cavalier Daily last month, faculty members admonished the Trump administration’s weaponization of antisemitism. The faculty noted that they have “heard the word antisemitism used more in the last 18 months than we did in the immediate aftermath of August 11 and 12, when President Donald Trump called the neo-Nazis who marched on our campus ‘very fine people.’” Homing in on the dismantling of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs across America, they wrote that “Dismantling this programming will only make antisemitism worse, as Jews are a minority globally and at the University.” The Jewish faculty and staff emphasized that although they are wholeheartedly opposed to antisemitism, they believe it has been weaponized as a means to suppress “politically disfavored speech.”

The Jewish people are a diverse and inclusive group and Dr. Amy Milligan wants Old Dominion University’s Hillel to represent that inclusivity. In addition to serving as ODU’s Hillel advisor, Milligan is the Batten Endowed Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies and director of ODU’s Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding. She details this diversity, saying, “There is no singular way to be Jewish, therefore, it is important to create a welcoming space. We know that, just like a family, we may not always agree, but we are always there to support each other.”

Jewish students at ODU are encouraged to support their fellow Jewish students and pick the activities with the group that they find fun or meaningful.  

Multiple Jewish organizations provide resources and tools for Jewish students and their families to help them prepare for life on campus and stay safe during an important time in their life.