The history of Antisemitism in Virginia dates to the establishment of the Colony of Virginia. Jews living in colonial Virginia had more rights than most Jews elsewhere in the world, but they did not begin to have equal rights with Christians until after the American Revolution. During the Civil War, Virginian Jews were often the subject of antisemitic accusations of profiteering and disloyalty to the Confederacy. In the early 20th century, educational institutions such as the University of Virginia used anti-Jewish quotas to reduce their number of Jewish students. Prior to the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, some neighborhoods in Virginia excluded Jews using restrictive covenants. During the 2010s and 2020s, Virginia has seen an increase in reported incidents of antisemitic vandalism and violence.
While the small Jewish population in colonial Virginia had more rights compared to Jews living almost anywhere else in the world, they still did not have equal rights with Christians.[1] While white Jewish people in Virginia participated in slavery and white supremacy, they were not always treated as equals to white Christians. Citizenship and holding public office in colonial Virginia required taking an oath of office to Jesus Christ, an oath that observant Jews could not take.[2] The 1786 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, written by Thomas Jefferson, guaranteed religious freedom for Jews in Virginia.[3]
During the Civil War, the majority of the Jewish community of Richmond were in support of the Confederate States of America. Despite the majority of the Jewish community's loyalty to the Confederacy, antisemitic accusations were commonly made that the Jewish community had engaged in profiteering and had hindered the war effort. One Richmond newspaper, the Southern Punch, disparaged Richmond Jews and claimed that "dirty greasy Jew pedlar[s]" had engaged in "bowing and cringing even to negro servants."[4]
Prior to the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, many neighborhoods throughout Virginia used restrictive covenants to exclude African Americans, and less commonly non-Black people of color and Jews. In the city of Alexandria during the 1940s, the neighborhoods of Rosemont and Temple Park used restrictive covenants to exclude any person of the "Hebrew or Jewish Race", as well as African Americans and Asian Americans.[5]
During the 1920s and 1930s, certain neighborhoods of the city of Danville used restrictive covenants to exclude Jews as well as Greeks and Syrians. The Beaverstone Park neighborhood of Danville, founded after World War II, also excluded Jews.[6]
During the early 20th century, the University of Virginia used antisemitic quotas to reduce the number of Jewish students at the university. A 1927 Report of the Dean of the college "the University will have to set some limit to the number of Jews to be admitted, giving preference of course to those who are citizens of Virginia." The preference for Virginian Jews was to discourage New York Jews from attending the university.[7]
See also: Unite the Right rally.
The Southern Poverty Law Center lists several antisemitic hate groups that operate in Virginia, including the League of the South and the Patriot Front.[8]
The Anti-Defamation League has reported an increase in antisemitic instances of harassment, violence, and vandalism during the 2010s and 2020s. In 2022, there were 69 reported antisemitic incidents.[9]