Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the members of his Antisemitism Task Force earlier this month. The members were chosen through an application process and are from the Office of the Attorney General employees, law enforcement, educators, and leaders in Virginia’s Jewish community.
The Attorney General’s task force was announced in February and is the first of its kind in the United States. Its purpose is to monitor, gather information, educate, and coordinate with law enforcement regarding instances of antisemitism in the Commonwealth.
“As Attorney General, the safety of Virginians is my number one priority. Antisemitism is the world’s oldest form of bigotry and remains prevalent today. I’m excited to announce the successful and prevalent Jewish leaders and community partners joining my Task Force to take a step forward in preventing and combating antisemitism in the Commonwealth,” says Attorney General Miyares.
The Task Force includes, from Tidewater:
• David Brand, as chair of the Task Force. He serves as special assistant to the Attorney General for Outreach.
• Robin Mancoll, chief program officer, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
• Michael Goldsmith, Secure Community Network (SCN) regional security advisor. Former Norfolk Virginia Chief of Police.
Other members include:
• Christine Lambrou Johnson, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Office of Attorney General Section Chief of Office of Civil Rights.
• Meredith R. Wiesel, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) regional director.
• Daniel Staffenberg, CEO, Jewish Community Federation of Richmond.
• Mark B. Rotenberg, vice president, University Initiatives and Legal Affairs, Hillel International.
• Vicki E. Fishman, director, D.C. and Virginia Government and Community Relations for Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater Washington.
• Joel Taubman, candidate for the Virginia Bar. Former Law Clerk, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law.
• Bruce Meyer, former chairman of the Virginia Community College System and board member for over eight years.
The Virginia Attorney General’s Antisemitism Task Force brings together community leaders from across the Commonwealth to address antisemitism and support the work of the Office of the Attorney General. The Task Force marshals the expertise of an agile group of attorneys, professionals, and law enforcement officials to confront the scourge of antisemitism inserting itself in public and private spheres. The Task Force’s mission centers around four objectives to combat antisemitism in the Commonwealth: educating, monitoring, information-gathering, and coordination with law enforcement.