Ken Marcus, one of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s appointments to the George Mason University Board of Visitors, called for political unity in the fight against antisemitism in a Wednesday video address posted by Combat Antisemitism Movement.
Marcus, an attorney and founder and chairman of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, had his appointment to the board stricken by Democratic senators in the Virginia Commonwealth Senate last week.
“I’ve been fighting against antisemitism on college campuses for over 20 years, first in government and then in my own organization. It’s horrifying to think that antisemitism has grown as much as it has. But it’s a problem that we all need to deal with,” Marcus said in the video.
“And it’s not just going on around the world. It’s not just going on around the country. It’s right here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, at some of our finest public institutions.”
The attorney went on to note that he was honored by Youngkin’s decision to select him from the George Mason University Board of Visitors and said that were he to be confirmed by Virgiania’s House of Delegates, which may restore his name when it takes up the appointments legislation, he would work to combat antisemitism at GMU.
We need to fight antisemitism because it’s gotten to the point where it is a present threat and a violent threat, not just for Jewish students and faculty and administrators, but for everyone. We have seen in prior incidents that when people are motivated by violent extremism, no one is safe,” Marcus continued.
Take antisemtism seriously
“What George Mason needs to do, what every institution needs to do, is to take seriously the threat of antisemitism and to move forward with approaches that will make sure everybody is safe, everyone is secure, and everyone is able to focus on their education.”
The senate’s rejection of Marcus drew condemnation, including from Combat Antisemitism Movement, a major NGO working to confront Jew hatred around the world.
“The Virginia Senate committee’s baffling rejection of Ken Marcus — amid rising threats to Jewish students at GMU — is a travesty demonstrating a dangerous disregard for campus safety,” the NGO stated.
“By dismissing one of the premier Jewish rights defenders at this critical moment in history, with antisemitism at all-time high levels, Democratic committee members have shamefully chosen partisan politics over their fundamental duty to protect the good of the residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
“Education shouldn’t be a partisan issue, nor should civil rights,” Marcus concluded in the video address. “Antisemitism is a problem that we should all be addressing — Republicans, Democrats, Independents, everyone.
There’s no reason why we need to make this political. Let’s all join together and say we need to make sure that every student receives the same, equal educational opportunities as everybody else.”