RICHMOND, Va. — A two-page letter from Attorney General Jason Miyares warns Virginia's educators about the prevalence of antisemitism on university grounds.
Miyares said "Sadly, anti-Semitic discrimination in American higher education is not merely a shameful legacy. It is happening today. Right now."
According to the Anti-Defamation League, over 350 Anti-Israel incidents took place on college and university campuses during the 2021-2022 academic year.
It's a statistic that was not surprising to Sue Kurtz, Executive Director of Virginia Tech's Hillel.
"Our Interim Vice President of Student Life on our campus met with a group of twenty of our students, and down the line all except one of them said they had an incident of antisemitism happened to them."
These statements are also reflected in studies conducted by the global group, Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism.
Their data shows 65% of college students who belong to Jewish Greek organizations feel unsafe on campus, one in four American Jews have been targets of anti-Semitism, and 40% of American Jews avoid certain physical areas.
"To make someone feel targeted or feel in danger based on their religion is something that no one, ever, should feel," said Betty Ann Levin, executive vice president of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
Levin applauded the letter to Virginia universities, calling it a step towards addressing antisemitism.
Miyares wrote that any religious discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.
To read the full letter click here.